What Sensory Images Do You Find in “Dover Beach?”

Answer

What sensory images do you find in “Dover Beach?”

“Dover Beach” (1867) by Matthew Arnold (1822-88) is a phenomenal poem rich with sensory images. The poem vividly brings the scene and emotions to life. These images engage the reader’s senses. This creates a powerful and immersive experience. Here are key sensory images from the poem:

Visual Imagery of the Calm Sea: The poem opens with a peaceful and beautiful visual description of the sea at night. Arnold writes, 

The sea is calm tonight.

The tide is full, the moon lies fair

Upon the straits;

This imagery paints a peaceful picture of a tranquil sea. This is enlightened by the soft, fair light of the moon. The calmness and fullness of the tide, combined with the gentle moonlight, create a relaxing and attractive scene. It captures the reader’s attention. It sets a peaceful tone at the beginning of the poem.

Auditory Imagery of the Grating Roar: As the poem progresses, the sensory experience shifts from sight to sound. It introduces a note of anxiety. Arnold describes the sound of the waves hitting the shore: 

Listen! You hear the grating roar 

Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling.

This auditory imagery describes the harsh and repetitive sound of the pebbles being dragged by the waves. The use of words like “grating” and “roar” emphasizes the rough and unsettling noise. Sophocles must have heard the same sadness and human suffering in the Aegean Sea as Arnold. So, Arnold writes,

Sophocles long ago

Heard it on the Ægean, and it brought

Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow

Of human misery;

Tactile Imagery of the Retreating Sea: Arnold also uses tactile imagery to describe the sensation of the receding sea. It evokes a feeling of loss and emptiness. The imagery of the “withdrawing roar” and “naked shingles” creates a tactile sense of the sea pulling away. It leaves the shore bare and exposed. This imagery conveys a sense of desolation and retreat. It mirrors the poem’s themes of faith and certainty decreasing away.

Through these vivid sensory images, Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach” not only paints a detailed picture of the physical scene but also evokes deep emotional responses. It enhances the poem’s overall impact.