Comparing Dover Beach, Carlyle, And Matthew Arnold

The Victorian era for poetry and literature was an important step along the rocks of English development. Among such writers were those famous ones such as Thomas Macaulay, Thomas Carlyle, and Matthew Arnold. They wrote about the world that they lived in and all the changes that were rapidly modifying the earth. Matthew Arnold wrote a poem titled Dover Beach in which he expressed his views and Thomas Carlyle wrote The Condition of England in which he expressed his views in the form of an essay. While the writers chose different vessels of communication, Carlyle would likely agree with Arnold’s writing on the aspects of the importance of nature, the falling of the figure of God, and the overall essence of the Victorian age. Arnold wrote about respect for nature that Carlyle would agree with. In Dover Beach, Arnold has

Arnold’s writing metaphorically states that the faith of the people has fallen because of the innovation of mechanisms. He writes, “The Sea of Faith/Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore/But now I only hear/ Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar” (Arnold ln 21-22 24-25). Through this he is saying that while religion is still around, it is starting to decline and becoming more in the background of society. Carlyle would agree with this wholeheartedly because it was something that he believed was happening himself. In his writing he put, “Have we actually got enchanted, then; accursed by some God?” (Carlyle pg 1020 ln 117). Carlyle himself is questioning the faith and religion of the people. Asking a question such as that can led to the inference that Carlyle does not think to highly of religion. This goes hand in hand with Arnold’s observation that the world is lacking in faith. Both of the writers would agree that the industrial revolution changed the world in a way for an idolization of machines and the degradation of