Dover Beach was written by Matthew Arnold shorlty after a visit he and his wife made to the Dover region of southeastern England, the setting of the poem, in 1851. Same year, they were married.
The main theme of his poem is “ Challenges to the validity of long-standing theological and moral precepts have shaken the faith of people in God and religion”. Matthew Arnold was religious man, lamented the dying of the light of faith, as symbolized by the light he sees in Dover Beach. The poem interprets that there was a time when faith in God was strong and comforting. This faith wrapped itself around us, protecting us from doubt and despair, as the sea wraps itself around the continents and islands of the world. Now, however, the sea of faith has become a sea of doubt. Science challenges the precepts of theology and religion; human misery makes people feel abandoned, lonely.
People place their faith in material things. And also in last stanza it says Ah, love, let us be true To one another! for the world, which seems To lie before us like a land of dreams, So various, so beautiful, so new, Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain; And we are here as on a darkling plain Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, Where ignorant armies clash by night.. neither joy, nor love, nor light, Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain is saying that world has become a selfish, cynical, amoral, materialistic battlefield; there is much hatred and pain, but there is no guiding light.
The final stanza is basically a message to his lover saying that let them be true to each other in their marriage. The Voice was written by Thomas Hardy, the poem is about him talking about his dead wife, how much he misses her and how he hears her calling for him. In first stanza “ Saying that now you are not as you were When you had changed from one who was all to me, but as at first, when our day was fair” shows that their relationship changed, at first when they me, they were good couple but as time goes, the author was not as caring as before. “ Can it be you that I hear…
Standing as when I drew near the town where you would wait for me; yes, as I knew you then, Even to the original air-blue gown! shows that how he thinks that he hear her and how much he remembers the good times with her.” Or is it only the breeze in its listlessness” shows that he is confused if its her he’s hearing or the just a noise. Both Dover Beach and The Voice have some similarities. Both author talks about past and what they experienced in their past.
Dover beach symbolize destruction, violence and sorrow. And using this to say to his lover let’s not allow their love be like that. Dover beach also talks about love but it talks about love which has ended, Thomas Hardy’s wife had died and he talks about how much he misses her.
