Dover Cliffs are a potent symbol, as we know from last week’s VE Day celebrations. But their significance extends beyond Dame Vera’s blue birds. Alba is the Latin for white: down the years these cliffs have represented hope, purity, resistance, and survival.
What is the meaning of the White Cliffs of Dover?
“The cliffs are used in the play to symbolise a boundary, one between the known and the unknown. That’s what the cliffs represent to many, a boundary between land and sea, high and low, between Britain and the outside.”
Why are the White Cliffs of Dover iconic?
The White Cliffs of Dover are perhaps most famous as an iconic landmark, the white chalk face a symbol of home and war time defense, but they have so much more to offer; stunning views, a serene walk and a wealth of wildlife.
What is an interesting fact about the White Cliffs of Dover?
Formed by ice-age floods, the cliffs are up to 110 metres high (350 feet) and run east and west from Dover in Kent, stretching 8 miles in total. The Strait of Dover is the shortest distance between England and France (a little under 21 miles) and on a clear day you can see the cliffs from the French coast.
What is the significance of Dover in King Lear?
For Lear’s friends and supporters in Britain, as for Cordelia with the invading French army, Dover is a stronghold where they can gather in hope to achieve victory.
Why are blue birds over the White Cliffs of Dover?
Background. The song was written about a year after the Royal Air Force and German Luftwaffe aircraft had been fighting over southern England, including the white cliffs of Dover, in the Battle of Britain. Nazi Germany had conquered much of Europe and in 1941 was still bombing Britain.
How did White Cliffs get its name?
White Cliffs is another example of the bleeding obvious. It was named around 1890 as a simple description of the white shale which the miners were having to dig through in their search for opals.
Why is Dover important?
The town is the gateway to the continent, controlling the English Channel and known as the ‘Lock and Key of England’. Due to this key strategic position, Dover has been the subject of several attempts at invasion: Julius Caesar tried to land at Dover during the Roman Invasion of 55 BC.
Are the White Cliffs of Dover a wonder of the world?
South East | White Cliffs of Dover
But now to the winner, voted by the people of the South East as top of the Seven wonders – the White Cliffs of Dover. This is an iconic place, one of those natural monuments that defines what it is to be British.
Why is Dover Castle so important?
Rising above the famous White Cliffs high above the Channel, Dover Castle is an icon of England. Built soon after 1066, this mighty fortress has been the site of royal intrigue and epic sieges, and was at the centre of the crucial effort to evacuate hundreds of thousands of Allied troops from the beach of Dunkirk.
Why is white cliff white?
Chalk Layers
As the chalk sediments built up over time, they formed the three layers of the cliffs: upper, middle and lower. The upper layer is a nodular chalk with flints. The middle is white, nodular chalk. The bottom is glauconitic marl and gray chalk.
Are the White Cliffs of Dover the same as the Seven Sisters?
The Seven Sisters cliffs in Sussex are a stunning nature attraction on the south coast of England. Perhaps you have heard about the white cliffs of Dover? The cliffs became a British national symbol during World War II, but the Seven Sisters are considered both whiter and more scenic than their cousins in Dover.
How old is the white cliff of Dover?
The cliffs are composed mainly of coccoliths and trace their origins to the Cretaceous Period, approximately 136 million years ago, when the area between Britain in the west and Sweden/Poland in the east was submerged under deep tropical waters.
What does the poem Dover Beach symbolize?
Arnold uses the sea as a symbol for the inevitably negative fate of humanity. Throughout the poem, the sea and waves gain momentum and become more and more rough and violent. The waves come and go, but they ultimately bring the eternal note of sadness.
What is the central metaphor of Dover Beach?
Metaphor in Dover Beach:
In this poem faith is compared to sea. Here, high tide is compared to the unbreakable faith that people had in God and religion and the ebbing of sea waves is compared to the collapsing spiritual and religious faith.
What is the moral of Dover Beach?
“Dover Beach” is the most celebrated poem by Matthew Arnold, a writer and educator of the Victorian era. The poem expresses a crisis of faith, with the speaker acknowledging the diminished standing of Christianity, which the speaker sees as being unable to withstand the rising tide of scientific discovery.
What English town is famous for its white cliffs?
Discover The White Cliffs
The famous White Cliffs of Dover stand guard at the Gateway to England. Millions pass through Dover each year on their journey to or from the continent. In some places over 300 feet high, the White Cliffs are a symbol of the United Kingdom and a reassuring sight to travellers.
Can you stand on the White Cliffs of Dover?
Welcome To The White Cliffs Of Dover
But not only people on the sea can wonder in their beauty. Thousands of people walk on the cliff’s top paths during the season and enjoy the unique flora and fauna that can be found only here.
Are there tunnels in the White Cliffs of Dover?
It takes 45 minutes to walk to the tunnels, which are located 1 ½ miles from the White Cliffs Visitor Centre. The tunnels are only accessible by 125 steep steps to get into the shelter and back out again.
Why are the Seven Sisters cliffs white?
The cliffs are known as the Seven Sisters due to the seven hilltops that make up the silhouette of the cliffs. The bright white colour of the stone is due to the amount of chalk that makes up most the front of the cliffs.
Do the White Cliffs of Dover get painted?
Do they paint the white cliffs of Dover? Yes, in the October of every year ending in a five, the local fishermen run regular boat trips for tourists to watch the specially trained abseiling painters in their dangerous but necessary task.