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Matthew Arnold 's Writing Of Poetry Essay

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Introduction
A prominent humanist, critic, and poet of the 19th century, Matthew Arnold was a despiser of philistinism; he was a lover and sustainer of art, intellect, spirituality, and certainly the combination thereof in poetry. Matthew Arnold began his essay, “The Study of Poetry,” writing that “The future of poetry is immense,” and that “more and more of mankind” would discover poetry as a consoler, a sustainer of humanity, and an interpreter of life. He called his audience to “conceive of it as capable of higher uses, and called to higher destinies.” Arnold, believing poetry to be of such high value, was also very dedicated to upholding a high standard in the world of poetry. His dedication is shown clearly through his writings as a critic, but Arnold was also a poet himself. His collection is not very well known, and not very vast in number or range. However, in much of the poetry that Matthew Arnold did write, he perpetuated his views regarding the ‘high destinies’ of poetry through his use of sound devices, manifestation in ideas, and his construction of themes, establishing his works as a superior and honest Criticism of Life.
Criticism of Life

Themes and the criticism of life are presented by Matthew Arnold as a hugely important component of poetry. In fact, it is presented as perhaps the most major factor that makes the future of poetry, according to Arnold, so immense. Arnold describes the role of poetry and the criticism of life within poetry, saying that “The

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