Comparison between Matthew Arnold’s ‘Dover Beach’ and ‘A Modern Sappho

Comparison between Matthew Arnold’s ‘Dover Beach’ and ‘A Modern Sappho

Matthew Arnold’s ‘Dover beach’ is an iconic piece of poetry marking a turning point in literature in which new ideas and theories on what’s out there or not out there are voiced. Romance is a key theme within the poem, however there is a distinct loneliness paired with it also as the language used does touch on romance as the ‘sweet night air’ is mentioned along with Arnold’s line ‘ah, love, let us be true.’ Despite these tender lines there is no audible response from the lover we assume Arnold is speaking to, with the use of words such as ‘Come’ and ‘Listen!’ we could read that although the lover is there the they are distant from one another. 

     Dover Beach also holds a large sensation of entrapment as the land is set up as the antithesis of the sea which Arnold is looking out at. The land is described as ‘moon-blanched’ which gives a sense of it being blank and dead, as Arnold looks out at the sea in contrast we see it described as ‘glittering’ and ‘gleam[ing]’, he seems to be yearning for the freedom of the sea, the freedom and life- to break away from the dead earth he is stranded upon. We could also see this as a metaphor for how Arnold may feel trapped within love as he is with his partner perhaps in person, but not in spirit. 

     The water is a common theme throughout Arnold’s poetry, we also see it mentioned in ‘A Modern Sappho’ where we are told of the 'river'. Water in both poems seems to have some form of metaphorical meaning. In 'Dover Beach' the sea seems to represent an unattainable freedom, yet it also holds a sense of vast emptiness, perhaps even a lack of point to life itself. We can almost taste the sense of some form of mid-life crisis, that there is nothing left to aim for in life after settling down and marrying. The imagery built up in the description of the water 'withdrawing' and 'retreating' can be taken in such a way that we could see an illusion of Arnold's life being washed away before his very eyes. The idea of the water being drawn away shows a certain nakedness and vulnerability to Arnold, his life is stripped of all challenge and meaning, and perhaps this is what he believes the world to be like when we look beyond it. The idea that something so large and empty holds a great deal of power could be representative of how the world itself has power over those within it, yet its intentions and the natural law it follows are shallow and cruel. In 'Dover Beach' the reference to water is built up to form a distinctive sense of isolation, yet in 'A Modern Sappho' this water is used with the mention of a 'boat' which could signify travelling or moving towards some form of conclusion 'let me pause, let me strive, in myself make some order'. This moment of speaking to himself shows us as the readers that there is a great amount of grief being felt by the narrator, a sheer uncertainty, and once again the sense of being alone. 

     'A Modern Sappho' already tells us a great deal within its title alone. Sappho being the Greek poet who flung herself from the top of a cliff after being unable to cope with the pain of her unrequited love. The use of the word 'modern' is referring to the poet himself- bringing in a sense that he is very much an incarnation of Sappho and destined for the same fate. Modern also hints that perhaps Arnold is beyond his time and feeling out of touch with the present world. 

     Building further upon the reference to water and the sea in Arnold's 'Dover Beach' we read of the 'Sea of Faith'. The 'Sea of Faith' is capitalised, stressing the importance of both of these ideas brought together, in some senses we could see this as personifying the sea and the concept of faith. There is a certain ambiguity as to whether this faith is of a religious standpoint or in relation to the topic of love. If we see it in a biblical sense then we might further take the idea of being alone on the world to say that as there is nothing out there for us, there can be no omnibenelovent God either. We can conclude that all we really have on this earth is our faith, and without our faith we have nothing. 

     The form of each poem is extremely different. In 'Dover Beach' the poem is written in the shape of waves going down the page, the structure is firm and every line in every verse follows a pattern of one short line, two longer lines, then one short and another two longer. Every line adheres to this rule and each line across each verse in the pattern are nearly exactly the same length. This shows a very firm and rigid, yet repetitive structure, reflecting the monotony and repetition of society and the waves of the sea. 'A Modern Sappho' has a very different form, set out again in a very firm and unchanging structure that runs throughout. The image of the poem laid out on page holds an instantly recognisable poetic picture, the couplets make the words instantly recognisable as a classic poetry form. This could be linking back to Sappho, the ancient Greek poet who is mentioned in the title. The firm structure which also appears in the form of this poem could be representing a sense of being unable to change what is fixed- in this case the fact that the woman he loves is in love with somebody else.

     The dichotomy of structure between both poems is represented clearly in the varying sentence structure. 'Dover Beach' uses a great deal of enjambment which builds up a sensation of flowing and of everything leading back to the same point, returning over and over to the sense of hopelessness and being trapped in an unbreakable chain of events. In juxtaposition 'A Modern Sappho' has a very disjointed style of sentence structure, the poem begins as very broken up by the use of hyphens, reflecting a very raw and painful feeling of grief. The short sharp points which the poem commences with shows the thoughts of a turbulent mind with rushing thoughts that both seem to be growing and dying down as the poet slowly seems to realise that this fate is unchangeable and he is destined to be alone. We see the pace of the poem changing as the use of hyphens die down and are replaced with commas, making the poem seem slower and calmer, yet more defeated. 

     The use of language in Arnold's poetry is very bittersweet, romance touches the surface at points yet at times will become drowned out by the overwhelming sense of a lack of worth and doubt. In 'Dover Beach' the language used sets a very tranquil scene, words such as 'calm', 'full', 'gone' and 'vast', hint at the ideas of life being over. Pessimism riddles 'A Modern Sappho' as the words used reflect Arnold's empty and lonely state. The words used in the first half of the poem are monosyllabic and blunt, exposing a very emotionally fragile and raw emotion 'gone', 'still', 'pause', 'weep', 'cold' and 'gloom' are just a few of these words used to paint the bleak picture of hopelessness and powerlessness that Arnold seems to be experiencing. The strain on the word 'will' is highly noticeable as it is the only word in the whole of the poem in italics, this places emphasis on the feeling of having no confidence, hope or self worth 'let my turn, if it will come, be swift in arriving!' Arnold seems very much out of control in his poem 'A Modern Sappho' perhaps driven mad by jealousy and tortured by the scenes he describes, he describes his heart as 'Foolish' the word capitalised for emphasis as he accuses his heart 'dost thou quiver?'- this shows him questioning his own emotions, blaming them and unable to control them.

    

     The syntax in 'A Modern Sappho' is very awkward indeed, bearing light on Arnold's turbulent emotions. The syntax used in 'Dover Beach' is far more controlled and ordered showing a more thought-out and well-meditated outlook whereas 'A Modern Sappho' seems far more rash in comparison. 'A Modern Sappho' incorporates both the use of anaphora and syntactic parallelism where lines such as 'Let me pause, let me strive' , 'I shall suffer, I shall weep' and 'their love, their passion' show a controlled use of repetition for impact upon the reader. 

     The themes themselves in each poem stand as contrasts, too, as in 'Dover Beach' Arnold is with his lover, yet in 'A Modern Sappho' he is alone and out of love as his love is unrequited. The similarities however link where we see in both poems, with lover or not he still seems to be feeling alone as this overpowering sense of not knowing what life's purpose is, or whether there is one at all seems to haunt Matthew Arnold constantly.