Illustrating Nature in “Dover Beach” by Mathew Arnold and “Calm is all Nature as a Resting Wheel” by William Wordsworth

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Both the poems “Dover Beach” by Mathew Arnold and “Calm is all Nature as a Resting Wheel” by William Wordsworth; are nature poems written by poets of the Romantic era. Both poets use clear imagery to convey the theme of nature being magnificent, calm and peaceful. In the poem “Dover Beach” by Mathew Arnold, the poet starts off by describing the setting; a nightly scene at the seaside. He sets a scene of peace and beauty. He states that the sea is “calm” to give the reader a picture of how peaceful and quiet the seaside is at that very moment. He goes ahead to show us that the night is bright and “fair”which means it’s beautiful. The night looks beautiful because of the light that “gleams” and later goes and also because of the moon. The night air is so lovely that the poet doesn’t want to experience it alone and calls the lover to come and join him as he appreciates “the sweet night air”. Arnold describes the night air as “sweet.” He goes ahead to invite the lover to come and smell the fresh air and its sweetness and tranquillity. The poet uses “sweet is the night air” to show us how lovely and peaceful the night looks and smells when everywhere is filled with clean and smokeless air. The poet makes the seaside look like a cool and calm place on that night. Then, the poet uses “Listen” so as to shift the reader’s attention from visual imagery to auditory imagery. The beauty of nature can not only be seen, but can also be heard. The poet uses listen with an exclamation mark, to grab the reader’s attention, leaving the reader alert and eager to hear what he has to say.He goes ahead to mention the “grating roar of pebbles”which is a harsh sound produced by the pebbles as they are moved by the roaring waves that “draw ... ... middle of paper ... ..., nature removes his stresses of life and provides peace and comfort. The poet keeps repeating“home” to emphasize on the point that harmony can only be found and felt while at home.“oh! Leave me to myself,” the writer is all alone in nature with no one around to console him.When the writer is sad, he prefers isolating himself but being surrounded by nature which takes away his pain and sorrows. It is clear from the poem that the writer experiences some relief when surrounded by nature and it’s only in the beauty of nature the writer can spend time thinking about.The poet successfully conveys nature as harmonious In both poems “Dover Beach” by Mathew Arnold and “Calm is all Nature as a Resting Wheel” by William Wordsworth, both poets use explicit imagery to make their poems an incredible work of literary art, in conveying their appreciation and love for nature.

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