Answer: Ebbs and flows in this context mean that human misery comes and goes. Explanation: The poem, Dover Beach, written by Matthew Arnold, uses the term ‘ebbs and flows’ to describe how human misery comes and goes.
What does the image of the sea’s ebb and flow relate to in Arnold’s Dover Beach?
He compares the ebb and flow of the sea to the ebb and flow of human misery. The ocean used to represent a “Sea of Faith,” as Arnold notes in the second-to-last stanza. However, this faith in humanity is withdrawing and retreating; humans cannot rely on the world for beauty and happiness.
What is turbid ebb and flow of human misery meaning?
Lines 17-18
You know, those bummer dramas where everyone ends up dead or miserable. So, it’s probably not that surprising that the ocean makes him think of “the turbid ebb and flow of human misery.” “Turbid” means “cloudy, stirred up, muddy and murky” and it’s often used to refer to water.
What extended metaphor is the speaker using in stanza 3 Dover Beach?
Suddenly the sea grows from being just a thing you look at or listen to, to a full-blown metaphor. Here the “Sea of Faith” represents the “ocean” of religious belief in the world—all of our faith put together.
What metaphor are used in 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 central message 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 does the cliff symbolize in the Dover Beach?
An early image of the cliffs of England’s shore describes them as standing “glimmering and vast.” This image of the land suggests its solidity and greatness. Indeed, the poem’s first few lines suggest both the land and the sea represent strength and stability.
What is the theme of ebb and flow?
Ebb and Flow is a deeply touching story that explores the themes of betrayal, forgiveness, and friendship. Smith’s characters are realistic, with both good and bad qualities.
What is the meaning of ebb and flow of life?
“Ebb and flow” means that sometimes our life flows toward our hopes and dreams, and sometimes it flows away. In periods of flow, life is easy and full of meaning and movement. But when our life ebbs, we may be struggling against the current, fighting to get a grasp on what is important to us.
What is the figurative meaning of ebb and flow?
idiom. the way in which the level of something regularly becomes higher or lower in a situation: You have to accept the ebb and flow of love in a relationship.
What is the irony in Dover Beach?
The irony in this poem is the main plot of the poem. A man has taken a woman to a beautiful beach in France. There they look over the cliffs at the beautiful ocean, the moon is full and bright, and the night-air is calm and peaceful. She thinks that she is going to this romantic place to be wooed by this man.
What is the message in the end of the poem Dover Beach?
Analysis of the poem. Through this poem “Dover Beach”, speaker manages to comment on his most recurring themes. Its message is that the world’s mystery has declined with the rise in modernity. But, this decline is painted as particularly uncertain, dark, and volatile.
What do pebbles symbolize in Dover Beach?
1 Answer. The pebbles symbolize the people who suffer under the pangs of sadness and loss of faith. Just like the pebbles going through the “ebb” and “flow” of tides, people too undergo misery and are subjected to external influences over which they have no control.
What literary devices are used in the poem Dover Beach?
In the poem “Dover Beach”, Matthew Arnold creates a lonely, disheartening tone by making use of imagery, simile, and personification. Using these elements, he portrays a man standing on the beach afraid of what the world has become. Arnold makes great use of imagery to almost spellbound the reader in this poem.
What is the figurative meaning of moon in Dover Beach?
In the poem, “Dover Beach”, the moon falls under a happy imagery. It symbolizes the calmness that will get disrupted soon. The moon denotes to the calm before the storm.
What figure of speech is used in Dover Beach?
Pathetic Fallacy in Dover Beach:It is a figure of speech in which objects are attributed human emotions. This is observed in the poem when the continuous and endless movement of the sea waves, that sucks and flings back pebbles, is attributed with an “eternal note of sadness” that can be experienced by humans.
What are some of the themes in the poem Dover Beach?
The main themes in “Dover Beach” are religious uncertainty, human continuity, and the consolations of love. Religious uncertainty: In the Victorian period, religious belief waned as a result of scientific discovery and the progress of modernity. “Dover Beach” laments this loss and wonders where people can find meaning.
What is the meaning of the last stanza in Dover Beach?
In the last stanza, the speaker tells his companion to be true to each other; “Ah, love, let us be true/To one another.” The speaker wants to convey the message that if everyone remains true to each other and love each other, faith can be restored.
What is the main conflict in Dover Beach?
1 Answer. The main conflict in the poem is between faith and despair. The poem marks a distinction between the time when people had faith in religion and over one another and to the present times, where the unforeseeable future leads to the loss of faith in humanity.
What are the two coasts mentioned in Arnold’s Dover Beach?
‘Dover Beach’ is Matthew Arnold’s best-known poem. Written in 1851 it was inspired by two visits he and his new wife Frances made to the southern coast of England, where the white cliffs of Dover stand, just twenty-two miles from the coast of France.
Why is Arnold’s Dover Beach an elegy?
Arnold seems to mourn here for the loss of the inspiration of life in the past- the life of faith and feeling and hope. He deeply regrets the mechanisation of modern life under the lure of materialistic gains and comforts. This is what frames the content of his elegy in Dover Beach.