Analysis of Dover Beach and The Buried Life by Matthew Arnold

The central theme of conflict is dissected by various poets using numerous literary techniques. Particularly, physical, gender, social, and existential conflict is explored using literary technique by the poets.

Kenneth Slessor’s poignant poem, ‘Beach Burial’ contemplates on the improper and unfair burial that the Australian soldiers, who were at war with the Germans during World War 2, receive as a result of the fact that they could not get back home. The main idea that the poet was trying to get across was that as a result of the soldiers not being able to get a proper burial, they are not able to be recognized and are considered to be just another casualty of war: without honor or recognition. The poem emphasizes sadness on the completely useless waste of life; they are simply left how they had died and are now cared by only nature. In the poem, it appears as if these men are soldiers fighting a war at

“Dover’s Beach” is a poem by Matthew Arnold. The poem is

With every journey comes a destination which is dependent on the degree of the individual and their will to potentially better themselves. A journey offers travelers the opportunity to extend themselves physically, intellectually and emotionally as they respond to challenges. Ruby Moon by Matt Cameron is a contemporary fractured fairytale in the form of a play that explores the grim, Australian legend of the missing child. This text portrays real issues in an absurd representation which forces the reader on an imaginative journey as well as the characters in an inner journey to establish an identity. Beach Burial by Kenneth Slessor is a distressing elegy about loss of life through war. Slessor’s sophisticated language, allows the responder to empathise and mourn the wastefulness of life in war while also to appreciate the commonality of human existence. This text highlights the concept of journeying of the soul from both the reader and the responder. Through the use of a variety of visual and written techniques, these texts portray the concept of an existential journey, the indefinite search for true self and true personal meaning in life. Deep loss of an individual or one others’ individuality triggers an existential crisis and without journeying imaginatively, the chance to create one’s purpose becomes absent.

In the sea they are happy because they have their freedom and are far away from the harsh reality of war on the land. As soon as the bodies come on the land the verbs become rougher and impersonal "rolls" and "tread"…the personification of the bodies stops as soon as

In the first stanza it is the semantic field of water: ‘waters’ (twice), ‘sea’, ‘drowning’ and ‘being drawn’. As I mentioned earlier, water is often the symbol of life but it also evokes tears, sadness and despair.

World War II was the obvious winner when it came to the most deadly catastrophe in human history. The world was convinced that it was the worst of all wars that they have ever seen because it did not just claim over 60 million lives but the fact that it left a permanent scar on the other innocent souls that lived to see the true nature of war that made it truly deadly. Because of the damage it has done, I have become a committed pacifist. War is unnecessary and pointless. People think that violence is the key to solving something but it does not. It just makes the situation even worse with having to send so many innocent souls to fight for their country and then watching them die right in front of your eyes.

Death, the momentary nature of life, the reminder that life can be taken from us at any given time. Anyone who is at the face of death wants to grasp onto any sort of hope, particularly being at war where there is a certainty of death. These are all ideas and themes explored in Kenneth Slessor’s sonnet, Beach Burial. The poem is not your typical glorified heroic notion of soldiers losing lives type of war poem, instead encompassing the uselessness of war and its dehumanisation of people. Slessor’s poem is a touching tribute to the soldiers who fought for Australia in World War II. The soldiers risking their lives fighting for their country were at the face of death, it was inevitable they were going to die serving their country. Beach Burial is an ideal inclusion in the Red Cross Anthology as the reader senses both hope and despair through a series of clear and observable literary techniques of theme, emotive language, poetic devices as well as imagery and symbolism. These techniques are used to convey his message, which can be analysed with a view to better accessing and therefore understanding the notions of hope and despair.

But as the poem continues, it is interrupted by events that are unnaturalistic which shifts the view of the beach. In the poem, a point occurs where the beach is drastically changed both physically and mentally: “You hear the grating roar… But now I only hear / Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar / Retreating, to the breath” (Arnold 9, 24-26) The differences between the “grating roar” and the “withdrawing roar” of the beach is that when water crashes closer towards land, the beach grates against rocks on purpose. But “withdrawing” roars of the beach shows that the beach wants to escape from land, and venture “down the cast edges… and naked shingles of the world”(Arnold 27-28) where no men can interfere. This excerpt further justifies that men have become too overwhelming and warlike to a point where everyone wants to flee from the danger. The “melancholy [and] long[ing]” of the beach shows that this war won’t end in the near future and will gradually continue. Arnold further justifies taking a stand for oneself when stating how the beach moves towards the “naked shingles of the world.” The beach could be viewed as citizens because in the beginning, we are mostly innocent and calm but whenever an event takes place, we just go along with the circumstance, similar to how water flows with each other and never goes off by itself. We follow what society tells us to do and what is safe to do but in the end, people, running from a problem isn’t the best solution and should stand up for what is

This photograph was taken on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii in 2015. It was taken during sunset and as the tide had gone out, revealing a wider coastline. The world-famous beach is manmade and since 1951, over 80,000 cubic meters of sand has been imported to replace sand lost through erosion from heavy rainfall, sea swells, wind and tropical storms.

The first stanza of the poem gives you the tone of despair and sadness with his diction of the word woe to describe the marks of every face he met. The narrator goes on to describe a cry of every man and infant, these examples of innocent children’s cries and strong men’s cries, show

There are some travelers who see a “paradise” as their final destination; however, it may end up to be exactly opposite of what a paradise should be. This can be seen in Alex Garland’s The Beach. The novel is about several backpackers, Richard, Francoise, and Etienne, who come together and travel to an island community, their paradise, within Thailand. Ultimately, the story portrays the idea of a utopia-like society taking a turn for the worst and becoming a dystopia, something that the backpackers would not have expected. Throughout the story, the theme of a utopia turning into a dystopia could be seen through symbolism such as the “cancer” of traveling and the destruction that it brings.

In the poem "Dover Beach",witten in 1867 Matthew Arnold creates the mood of the poem through the usage of different types of imagery. He uses a dramatic plot in the form of a soliloquy. Arnold also uses descriptive adjectives, similes and metaphors to create the mood. Through the use of these literary elements, Arnold portrays the man standing before the window pondering the sound of the pebbles tossing in the waves as representation of human suffering. The man arrives at the vision of humanity being helpless against nature. Arnold creates the mood by suggesting mental pictures, actions, sights and sounds the man sees. Some examples are "folds of a bright girdle furled", "lie before us like a land of dreams"

Arnold is creative and intelligent author that makes the reader feel emotionally connected with the story. He wrote “Dover Beach” to be argued about what was the correct theme of the poem its self. For critics and readers to clash heads about why things were said and what made Arnold come to that conclusion. Arnold though was not just interpreting his view on the loss of faith but the view of how nothing is consistent and how the world can change at any moment. “Dover Beach” is sincere and powerful work of literature that is important to understanding a persons everyday life. Matthew Arnold could not had made it any more

Life,love, and death summon the universe. Religion defines, whether admitted or exiled, it runs through the veins one way or another. Dispersing from end to end, it attaches. Though the waves collide with each other, their sole purpose combines, creating a current that carries one motive. Exploration of the stages in life lead these renowned authors to showcase their style of tone, noted through their prestigious works. Impacting the way humans feel, their words provoke our emotions and perspectives . Formulating the sense of feel, these authors provide coherent poems for human kind in its understandment of life, death, and love. It is undesired yet desired by humans, to experience these moments that keep the cycle running. The negative connotations from the authors whose lives revolve around the peak of death as shown by Emily Dickinson, the unfulfilled truth to life by Matthew Arnold, and the desire of William Shakespeare for more of an equal received love. The tones in the poems “Twas warm—at first—like Us—” by Emily Dickinson, “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold, and “My mistress Eyes are nothing like the sun” by William Shakespeare emphasize author's purpose to portray the contrasting development of life, death, and love, the most important sequence of human form through religion.