Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold Questions Answers
Very Short Answer Questions
Q: Who is the author of “Dover Beach”?
A: The author of “Dover Beach” is Matthew Arnold.
Q: What is the setting of “Dover Beach”?
A: The setting of “Dover Beach” is the English Channel near Dover.
Q: What is the mood of “Dover Beach”?
A: The mood of “Dover Beach” is contemplative and melancholic.
Q: What does the sea symbolize in “Dover Beach”?
A: In “Dover Beach”, the sea symbolizes the ebb and flow of faith in the world.
Q: What does the speaker hear in “Dover Beach”?
A: The speaker hears the grating roar of pebbles which the waves draw back and fling.
Q: Who is the speaker in “Dover Beach”?
A: The speaker in “Dover Beach” is an unnamed person, possibly the poet himself.
Q: What does the speaker ask his beloved to do in “Dover Beach”?
A: The speaker asks his beloved to come to the window and listen to the sound of the sea.
Q: What does the “Sea of Faith” represent in “Dover Beach”?
A: The “Sea of Faith” represents a time when faith was strong and widespread.
Q: What is the speaker’s plea to his beloved in “Dover Beach”?
A: The speaker’s plea to his beloved is to be true to one another.
Q: What does the world seem like to the speaker in “Dover Beach”?
A: The world seems to the speaker like a land of dreams that lacks joy, love, light, certitude, peace, and help for pain.
Q: What is the speaker’s view of the world in “Dover Beach”?
A: The speaker views the world as a place of struggle and confusion where ignorant armies clash by night.
Q: What does the moon symbolize in “Dover Beach”?
A: The moon symbolizes change and transition in “Dover Beach”.
Q: What does the light on the French coast symbolize in “Dover Beach”?
A: The light on the French coast symbolizes fleeting moments or opportunities in “Dover Beach”.
Q: What does the phrase “the world, which seems To lie before us like a land of dreams” mean in “Dover Beach”?
A: This phrase means that the world appears to be full of possibilities and beauty, but it is actually filled with uncertainty and lacks joy, love, light, certitude, peace, and help for pain.
Q: What does the phrase “And we are here as on a darkling plain Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight” mean in “Dover Beach”?
A: This phrase means that we are in a world full of confusion, struggle, and uncertainty, much like a dark, desolate plain.
Q: What does the phrase “Where ignorant armies clash by night” mean in “Dover Beach”?
A: This phrase means that conflicts and struggles in the world often arise out of ignorance and occur without clear understanding or purpose.
Q: What does the speaker find in the sound of the sea in “Dover Beach”?
A: The speaker finds an eternal note of sadness in the sound of the sea.
Q: What does the speaker recall about Sophocles in “Dover Beach”?
A: The speaker recalls that Sophocles heard the same sound of the sea and it brought to his mind the ebb and flow of human misery.
Q: What is the main theme of “Dover Beach”?
A: The main theme of “Dover Beach” is the loss of faith and the resulting uncertainty and chaos in the world.
Short Answer Questions
Q: How does the speaker in “Dover Beach” describe the sea and what does it symbolize?
A: The speaker describes the sea as calm with a full tide under the fair moon. The sea in “Dover Beach” symbolizes the ebb and flow of faith in the world. The constant movement of the waves represents the cyclical nature of faith, which waxes and wanes over time.
Q: What is the significance of the reference to Sophocles in “Dover Beach”?
A: The reference to Sophocles, the ancient Greek playwright, suggests that the ebb and flow of human misery, represented by the sound of the sea, is a timeless and universal concept. It connects the speaker’s contemporary world with the ancient world, emphasizing the enduring nature of human suffering.
Q: How does the speaker in “Dover Beach” view the world and how does this view contrast with the initial serene setting of the poem?
A: The speaker views the world as a place of struggle, confusion, and uncertainty, where conflicts arise out of ignorance. This view contrasts sharply with the initial serene setting of the poem, which depicts a calm sea and a peaceful night. This contrast reflects the speaker’s feelings of disillusionment and despair about the state of the world.
Q: What plea does the speaker make to his beloved in “Dover Beach” and why?
A: The speaker pleads with his beloved to be true to one another. In a world that lacks joy, love, light, certitude, peace, and help for pain, the speaker finds solace in the personal love he shares with his beloved. This plea underscores the theme of finding personal meaning and connection in a chaotic and uncertain world.
Q: What is the “Sea of Faith” and what does its “melancholy, long, withdrawing roar” represent in “Dover Beach”?
A: The “Sea of Faith” represents a time when faith was strong and widespread. Its “melancholy, long, withdrawing roar” symbolizes the decline of faith in the world. The speaker laments this loss of faith and the resulting uncertainty and chaos it brings.
Q: How does the imagery in “Dover Beach” contribute to the poem’s themes?
A: The imagery in “Dover Beach”, particularly the serene sea and the chaotic battlefield, serves to contrast the beauty and calmness of nature with the confusion and struggle of the human world. This contrast underscores the poem’s themes of loss of faith, love, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world.
Q: What does the phrase “And we are here as on a darkling plain Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, Where ignorant armies clash by night” mean in “Dover Beach”?
A: This phrase means that we are in a world full of confusion, struggle, and uncertainty, much like a dark, desolate plain. The “ignorant armies” that “clash by night” represent conflicts and struggles that arise out of ignorance and occur without clear understanding or purpose.
Q: How does the speaker in “Dover Beach” use sound to convey his thoughts and feelings?
A: The speaker uses the sound of the sea, specifically the grating roar of the pebbles which the waves draw back and fling, to convey his thoughts and feelings about the ebb and flow of human misery. The sound brings an eternal note of sadness and serves as a reminder of the enduring nature of human suffering.
Q: What is the tone of “Dover Beach” and how does it change throughout the poem?
A: The tone of “Dover Beach” starts off as serene and peaceful, reflecting the calm sea and tranquil night. However, as the poem progresses, the tone becomes more melancholic and despairing, mirroring the speaker’s feelings of disillusionment and despair about the state of the world.
Q: How does “Dover Beach” reflect Matthew Arnold’s concerns about the Victorian era?
A: “Dover Beach” reflects Arnold’s concerns about the decline of faith and the erosion of traditional values in the face of a changing world, which were common concerns during 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.
