Mathew Arnold :An Introduction

Matthew Arnold is regarded as one of the most influential poets, sage writers, and critics
of the Victorian era (1). The son of Thomas Arnold, the renowned headmaster at
England’s influential Rugby School, Matthew led an intellectually engaging childhood
(2). In 1828, after relocating with his family from Lalehem on the Thames to Rugby,
Warwickshire Arnold had the opportunity to interact with the famous poets Arthur
Clough and William Wordsworth. At the age of nine, Arnold was placed under the
educational guardianship of his uncle, Reverend John Buckland, with whom he spent a
year. But, eventually he returned to continue his educational vows along with his
brother, Thomas (2). Enrolling in the Rugby School at age 14, Arnold received his first
literary recognition for the publication of his award-winning lyrical poem “Alaric of
Rome.” Continuing his education at Balliol College, Oxford, Arnold was the recipient of
the Newdigate Prize, an undergraduate English award, for his ode “Cromwell.” In 1844,
he graduated from Oxford with a second-class degree in literae humaniores. Soon after
his graduation, Arnold was briefly employed as a master at the Rugby School before
winning a fellowship at Oriel College. In 1851 he received a promotion as a member of
Her Majesty’s Inspector of Schools. It was during his time as a fellow that Arnold wrote
the majority of his poetry (3).

In 1849, Arnold published a volume of verse poems entitled "The Strayed Reveller" and
Other Poems under the pseudonym A. The volume explored the poet’s spiritual choices
and relationship between God and nature (2). The collection was harshly criticized and
was soon removed from bookstore shelves. Fellow Victorian William Rossetti said that
Arnold’s “verse can be read as prose” (4). Later in 1851, Arnold penned his
collection Memorial Verses as an ode to the fallen poet William Wordsworth. Arnold
married in April 1851 and continued to write poetry. He published "Empedocles on Etna"
and Other Poems in 1852. The poems in that volume dealt with the “crisis of youths”
and the need to define a true self (5). Poorly received, it was soon removed from
circulation, although two poems, "To Marguerite,” a poem about a long lost poetic muse,
and “Tristram and Iseult,” the first modern English re-telling of the classic twelfth-century
French romance, remained examples of Arnold’s Romantic poetry (6).

Arnold’s first poetic success soon came with the publication of his collection Poems: A
New Edition in 1853. Included within this publication is one his most famous poems
“The Scholar-Gipsy,” which chronicles the journey of a young Oxford student who
abandons his education to join a band of gypsies. The poem marks the beginning of
Arnold’s critique of his own desire to “preserve the self from the corrosive world…” (7).
Heavily focusing on the trope of man’s psychological journey to find peace within his
inner self, the collection represents Arnold’s move towards what can be regarded as a
modernist poetic approach (7). While most of Arnold’s poems were published between
1851 and1853, his best-known poetic work remains his 1867 poem, “Dover Beach” (9).
Towards the end of the 1850’s Arnold’s role as a critic began to take predominance over
the production of poetry. In reality, Arnold only dedicated a quarter of his life to poetic
production. Accompanying his appointment to his position as a Professor of Poetry at
Oxford in 1857 (2), Arnold published a collection of his own lectures on various
translations of Homer entitled On Translating Homer (10). The collection provided
literary criticism through its debasement of modern translations and its promotion of the
poetic adaptation and defense of historical writing style of Homer (10). In these lectures,
Arnold further relates that many modern translators did not possess the necessary
“gifts” to reproduce such historical work (10). Arnold’s advance into prose continued
with the release of his 1865 Essays in Criticism, where in the chapter titles “Criticism In
The Present Time” he depicts an era where literary criticism exists as “spiritual work”
that has kept man from self-satisfaction (11). Arnold extended his literary critiques to the
social sphere in his 1869 collection of critical essays, Culture and Anarchy (12). One of
Arnold’s most famous prose works (3), its essays focus around the idea that culture
could aid present societal difficulties thanks to its consistent pursuit of perfection. Arnold
further discusses that this pursuit of perfection promotes the continued production of
new thoughts (13).

In the decade that followed Arnold released more critical works on literary, social, and
religious topics, including Literature And Dogma (1873) that urges man to remember
God “as the Eternal Power” (14). Known by many as the first modern critic, Arnold’s
work is still widely read among contemporary students (15). Retiring form his post as an
educator in 1886, Matthew Arnold died of a sudden heart attack in 1888.

Notes

[1] Willinsky, John. "Matthew Arnold's Legacy: The Powers of Literature."

Research in the Teaching of English 4th ser. 24 (1990): 343-61.
[2] Jonson, William S. "Introduction." Selections From The Prose Works Of
Matthew Arnold. By Matthew Arnold. Cambridge: Riverside, 1913. 7.
[3] Arnold, Matthew. "Bibliographical Introduction." Poetical Works of Matthew
Arnold. N.p.: Norwood, 1897. 1-23.
[4] Rossetti, Michael William. Rev. of The Strayed Reveller. The Germ 1850: 90.
[5] Friedman, Norman. "The Young Matthew Arnold 1854-1859." Victorian Poetry
4.9 (1971): 406.
[6] Ranum, Ingrid. "A Woman's Castle Is Her Home: Matthew Arnold's Tristan
and
Iseult as Domestic Fairy Tale." Victorian Poetry 47.9 (2009): 403.
[7] Oram, William A. "Arnold's “Scholar-Gipsy” and the Crisis of the 1852
Poems."
Modern Language Quarterly 45.2 (1984): 144-150.
[8] O'Gorman, Francis. "Matthew Arnold's ‘The Buried Life.’” ANQ 21 (2008): 42-
4.
[9] Schow, H. Wayne. "Arnold's Dover Beach." Explicator 1.57 (1988): 42-43.
[10] Arnold, Matthew. "One Translating Homer: Lecture I." Lecture. On
Translating
Homer: Three Lectures Given at Oxford. Oxford.” 1861. Victorian Prose
Archive. <http://www.victorianprose.org>. Web.
[11] Arnold, Matthew. "The Function of Criticism." Ed. Walter Pater. The Function
of
Criticism At The Present Time And An Essay On Style. New York: Macmillan,
1895. 44.
[12] Storey, John. "Matthew Arnold." Culture Theory and Popular Culture: A
Reader.
Dorchester: Doreset, 1998. 8.
[13] Arnold, Matthew. Literature and Dogma: An Essay Towards a Better
Apprehension of the Bible. New York: Macmillan, 1914. 297. Web.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Annan, Noel. Introduction. Matthew Arnold Selected Essays. London: Oxford
UP, 1964. 10.
TM/HWS/ENG 214

Fundamental Concepts in Mathew Arnold’s Poetry

Matthew Arnold's first phase of life is as a poet; his second phase is as a critic Arnold's link with
poetry will explain the factors governing his vision of life. Poetry holds its mirror to life; life also
gets reflected through poetry; poetical mind does its interpretation through the various
vicissitudes of life. Arnold's poetry is very much concerned with life. Arnold, perhaps more than
any other poet of his time, saw life around him and was deeply affected by the changes that
were occurring. The various changing scenes of Victor~an society leave their deep impressions
on the mind of Arnold. Fountain of poetry springs frotrl his observation of life around him.
Fraser Neiman observes, "His poetry has validity because, at it best (for example, in 'Callicles'
song of 'Cadmus and Harmonla', 'the Forsaken Merman', 'The Scholar Gipsy', 'Thyrsis', 'Dover
Beach', 'Stanzas from the Grand Chartreuse') Arnold's imaginatively created world gives us
emotions and generates the ideas on which it invites us to reflect."' ' Fraser ~elmm, &tthew
.&mold (New York Twaync Publishers Inc , 1968) 58-59 Arnold emphasizes proximity to life as
required qual~fication to a poet This is clear in the essay on "The Function of Criticism". where
he remarks. " ... and quit these considerations which are apt to become too abstract and
impalpable, - everyone can see that a poet, for instance, ought to know life and the world
before dealing with them in poetry; and life and the world being in modem times very complex
things, the creation of modem poet, to be worth much, implies great critical effort behind it;
else it must be a comparatively poor, barren, and short-lived effort. This is why Byron's poetry
had so little endurance in it, and Goethe's so much; both Byron and Goethe had a great
productive power, but Goethe's was nourished by a great critical effort providing the true
material for it, and Byron's was not; Goethe knew life and the World. the poet's necessary
subjects much more comprehensively and thoroughly than ~~ron."~ The above quotation
provides the needed explanatton about the relationship of life and poet. Arnold's idea of poetry
is deeply rooted in life. In the words of Lionel Trilling " ... the close relationship between
Literature and life which Arnold perceived and explained gave him his hold upon his readers."'
Arnold was at his advantage to have more opportunities of favourable situations for large
experience out of life than his coternporaries like Carlyle, Ruskin and Dickens For example, his
duty of school Inspector exposed him to ' Stefan Coillinl, ed. Matthew Arnold Culturt. and
Anarchv and other Wntinns. (Carnbridgc Cambndge UP, 1993) p.29. ' L~onel Trilling, Matthew
Arnold. 1982 ed. (Oxford. UP, 193')) p. 192. various classes in society; and his extensive
bavelling also gave him wlder perspective. Thoughts and feelings matter in poetry as ~tsubject
matter During the Victorian period there were the same tendencies in Vogue. There were
certain group of poets. Some of them much cared for thought elements predominantly more;
the other group, for idealistic notion. Emotions, love for beauty, flights of imagination coloured
the latter group of poets Matthew Arnold makes his stand clear to his readers that he wrote
poetry to find an outlet for the ideas which he had acquired through rich experience of life, and
through w~de readings. As G. Robert stance puts it, "The approaches that Arnold makes in his
poems on poetry are noticeably different from either Tennyson's or Brownmg's like Browning -
in this one respect at least-hold's interest is fundamentally intellectual "4 To Arnold poetry was
not pastime, he had rather serious concern of life he did not escape from life, he rather mingled
with it and recreated beauty out of it. In the words of Nirmaljeet, "Carlyle Ruskin Arnold and
Keble all concerned with eternal values of life."5 Arnold's serious concern about life can be seen
in an example of a poem namely, 'Dover Beach.' In this poem Amold give the description of the
tranquil English Channel of Dover, glowed with moonlit The waves of the sea advancing or
retreating give rise to the contemplative thoughts. These thoughts are concerned with religious
faith, wh~ch is receding. The serlous concern is -how to preserve this faith. Arnold's own
solution lies in his poetical line. "Ah, love, let us G Robert Stance. Matthew Amold (Pr~nccton
Pr~nccton 1967). P 14 ' NlnalJeet Oberol. Matthcw Arnold as a Crltlc. Crcatlvc Ncw L~tcraturcs
Scr 04 (Nru Delhl Creatnve Books, 1995) h be true'. As G-Robert stance says, "For Arnold
aesthetic and critical ~deas are ultimately the same . . ."' Therefore, the Romantic scene and
the philosophical musings are blended together in 'Dover Beach' poem Arnold's critical
sensibility is part and parcel of his poetry as well as this prose, so, the definition - poetry is the
criticism of life. The definition meant that Arnold did not isolate literature from other types of
knowledge. The basic function in Arnold's concept - the criticism of life. is critical activity. It is
Arnold's deep interest in life led him to the field of poetry, h~s presentation of life is
characterized by critical force. By the cr~tical power he acts as an interpreter of life, showing
the goodness, greatness and charm of life. Arnold's vision of life mainly rest on the phrase
'criticism of life' With reference to the essay on "Joubert", ~t means encornpassit~g the whole
of literature. In the essay on Wordsworth, it is a constant reference to hfe, with the question
'how to live'. This 'criticism of life', really involves the whole of literature and life. The basic
function involved in the criticism is critical activity. In the words of Arnold, 1 said: "Of literature
of France and Germany, as of the intellect of Europe in general, the main effort for now many
years, has been a critical effort; ' Roben Stance, Matthew Arnold The Poet as Humiu~lst
(Prlnccton Prlncaon UP. 1967). p I6 62 the endeavour, in ail branches of knowledge, theology,
philosophy, history, art, science, to see the object as in itself it really is."' Arnold imbibed the
critical sens~hility In greater degree and therefore, we find his poetry characterized by this
feature. Therefore G Robert Stance says, "Potential in hold the poet is the greatest critic of his
age ... so that from the 'The Strayed Reveller' and other poems to the volume of 1867. we find
many poems - serving not only as examples of sound practice, but as ~nstrutnerits of critical
exploration and definition."' hold's phrase 'Criticism of life' strikes a classical balance of
imagination by reason'. It also gives a sense that aesthetic is inseparable from morality. Thus, it
seems that poetry caters to the spiritual need in man. It IS the crossover to the question 'how
to live'. Therefore Arnold in his essay on "The study of Poetry" says, 'The future Poetry' is
immense because in poetry where it is worthy of ~ts high destinies, our race, at time goes on,
will find an ever surer and surer. stay ... The strongest part of our religion today is tts
unconscious poetTy '' From the quotation in the preceding paragraph, it becomes clear that
Arnold elevates poetry to the place of religion. Again in the words of Arnold, his essay on '
Matthew Arnold, 'The Funct~on of Cntlclmm at th~ Present Tlmc' The En~ll~sh Crlt~cal
Tradltlon, eds S Ramaswarn, and V S Setunman lYX6 cd Vol 2 (Madras Macmtllan lndta Ltd,
1978) p 17 "stance 15 'Matthew Arnold .The Study of Poetn' Poetry and Cr~tlclsm of Matthew
Ar~iold Ed A Dwlght Culler (Boston Houghton, 1961) p 306 "The Study of Poetry", he says, "The
best poetry is what we want; the best poetry will be found to have power of forming, sustaining
and delighting us, as nothlng else can."1° The above function of the poetry can be performed
successfully, if the poetry is of the highest order of excellence. Therefore. while regarding
poetry we must have a sense of the best, the really excellent and the strength ofjoy that IS to
be drawn from it. While dealing with subject-matter, Arnold, first of all sheds spasmodic
approach to poetry. Spasmodies wanted modem poets should deal with modem subject. And
they believed that the inferiority of a subject can be hidden by the superiority of the
expression. But according to Greeks and Arnold, matter and manner should be excellent as no
amount of make up can h~de the ugliness beneath. Thus Arnold remarks, "The superiors
character of truly and seriousness, in the matter and substance of the best poehy, is
inseparable from the superiority of diction and movement marking its style and manner.""
Arnold's idea of poetry IS deep rooted in life. He had more opportunities or favourable
situations to have large experience out of life than his contempol like Carlyle, Ruslan and
Dickens. For example, his duty of School Inspector exposed '' Matthew Arnold 'The study of
Poetry" Ed Cullcr 307 " Matthew Arnold "The study of Poetry" Ed Cullcr 314 him to various
classes in society; and his extensive haveiling gave him wider perspective. In the words of Lionel
Trilling, ".. the close relationship between literature and life which Arnold perceived and
explained gave h~m first hold upon his readers."I2 Arnold's approach to life was not
fragmentary. There was a compressive look at life at its various facts. He was interested in life
as a whole. There is an example of some poets, who were occupied only with some particular
aspect of life. Tennyson, for example, dealt with problems of faith, democracy and war;
Browning engaged himself with Psycholog~cal insight and philosophical, profundity; Arnold
then, was interested in l~fe as a whole The whole of life, but not slice of it forms the bas~c
tenet of Arnold's critical writings. As Joseph Carroll writes, "The fundamental source of Arnold's
critical importance is his own sense that literary theory must not be isolated from other types
of knowledge, that it must take its place withln a comprehensive vision of man's place in nature
and in histoly. His individual perceptions and judgments have weight precisely because they are
not merely the expression of an amorphous "Lionel Trilling, Matthew Arnold (Oxford. OUP,
19x2) 192 65 sensibility, but rather formulating within a continuous effort to g~ve shape and
definition of the whole range of human experience."" There is an impact on the mind of Arnold
by Greek Philosopher in viewing life steadily and whole. Arnold's approach - the whole view of
life - takes him toward the un-blurred vision, that can be called his steadiness of vision. This was
possible when he contemplated on the whole rather than fragmentary. With this steady or
consistent outlook at-life, according to Arnold, a poet is able to arrive at a unity; and the hue
poet sees such unity. As G. Robert Stance puts it, "But Arnold also suggests that by achieving
this unified vis~on the poet penetrates to essential underlying realities and arrives by this
means at something like vis~on of t~tality."'~ The obverse idea of the wholeness is also
welcome, because it 1s viewed by German Idealists as the organic principle. According to this
organic principle reality is the living whole and its parts embody the pattern of the whole.
About the two systems of approach Stance remarks, "This melding of two diverse traditions
represents the unifying activtty that is essential to Arnold's Theory". Amold recognized such
combination in German poet, Goethe, as an example of wholeness of vision, the poet~c
achievement. This unifying or synthesing aspect characterize Amold's Works. The main business
of a poet, according to Arnold, in his words, " ... the grand work of literary genius is a work of
synthesis and " ~oseph carroll, introduction, he Cultural Theor, of Matthcw Arnold (Berkclcy.
Univcrsity of California Press, 1982) p.XIII. Stance 3 1 exposition, ... of dealing divinely with
these ideas, presenting theory in the most effective and attractive combinations, making
beautiful works with them, in short."" Even Greeks considered the total impression of a work
more important than the parts and Arnold agreed with them. This agreement shows Arnold
cared for harmony and completeness in things. Thus poetic truth of high seriousness and style
of poetic beauty go together. We have to accept the truth of saying - truth is beauty and
beauty, in turn, truth. Poetic beauty deal with what Arnold called "fascinating felicity", the
'perfection of liveliness", the "natural magic". Both poetic truth and poetic beauty are the two
ways of interpreting l~fe - one on moral basis and another way is that of the natural magic. The
two ways are timely mingled with each other in Arnold's theory of poetry. Arnold's concept of
poetry is governed by the fundamental qualities, namely, poetic truth and poetic beauty. This
vision of Arnold's poetry is akin to Aurobindo over-head poetry-mantra. The best fonn of
poettcal expression IS mantra. According to Aurobindo the mantra arises from the vision -
vision of the soul - a true creator and the true hearer. Vision IS the intuitive perception In the
words of V K Gokak, "One of the things that intuition does for us IS to reveal the real that lies
hidden behind the actual."'" Arnold really possessed this wand vision of life for his poetry. This
can be better comprehended m comparison with Aurobindo's poetical vision. " Matthew Arnold
"Tho Function of Cr~tlc~sm ' rds S hmaswamv and V S Scturman 1'1-20 l6 v K G0kak, Intcaral Vie
of Pootn An lndlan Pcrsoect~vc (Nc\b Delh~ Abhlnav Publ~cabons, 1975) 13 In order to know
the grand concept of poetical viston of Arnold, Arnold's poetical vision is referred here.
Aurobindo's recurring theme in literary criticism with an unmistakable insistence - that poetry is
essentially an activity and expression of the soul. This statement echoes with holds statement
in course of his essay on Thomas Gray. While pronouncing judgement on the poetry of Dryden
and Pope. Arnold said. "The difference between genuine poetry and the poetry of Dryden, Pope
and all thew school, IS br~efly this; genutne poetry IS concerned and composed in the soul. The
difference between the two kinds of poehy is immense." Vision ltself charactertse g~ft In a poet
Aurobindo has made clear-cut distinction behveen gifted poet, a man of v~sion and an
intellectual poet, a man of wit. Therefore poetry without vision can be enlivening, even brilliant,
hut tt cannot be great. Hence. vision is an essential character in a poet of the high order, as
discrimination is to the philosopher and observation to the scientist. V K Cokak highly speaks
this benefit as. "What moves us and elevates us IS the poetry conceived in the soul that which
cornes a heart-easing utterance. and prepares us for a new and unexpected revelat~on of
reallty.In Arnold's poetical vision anticipates Aurobindo's poetical vision. But Aurobindo
developed the vision out of his own spiritual experience, but he does not owe anything to
Arnold to this Therefore, S R Prasad in passing reference in " Matthew Amold 'The study of
Poetry'' Ed Cuiicr 329 " Gokak 1 1. his critical essay says, "The reference to Arnold here should
not. however, lead us to think that Sri Aurobindo's spiritual view of poetry is derived from
Arnold's dictum. No, it is entirely his own experience and expression .... The fact being so. 1
referred to Arnold here only to show there is a very close and real afflnity between him and Sri
Aurobindo, when they both put so much stress on the soul element in poetry and not prove
that Sri Aurob~ndo derives his critical outlook on the point from Arnold or for that matter, any
other European Writer ..."'" Poetry conceived in soul or in spirit leads us further to his famous
concept. culture. This embodies Arnold's comprehensive vision of life. Nirmaljeet Oberoi aptly
remarks as, "Arnold's outfjt as a critic of l~terature and life was really thorough as he had learnt
from his Greek masters like Sophocles to see life steadily and see it whole. This comprehensive
view of life enabled him to be a really enjoyable critic of literature and saved him from being
colourless and rigidly scientific."" Arnold's concept-grand application of Ideas to life directly
implies the relationship of life and literature. The grand application of ideas to life means trying
to achieve the state of excellence, which 1s achieved In poetry. The best poetry always exhibits
in its aesthetic beauty, such an excellence can also be achieved in the day to day life of human
beings To see the beauty of life in its excellence is the cultural and moral excellence This is the
consistent vlew of l9 s R prasad, L,~=w Cr~ttc~srn of Srl Aurobu (Pntna Bhnrat~ Bhavan
Publ~shcs, 1974) P 19 '' Obero~ 26 Matthew Arnold as a poet and critic. As G. Robert Stance
puts it, "The word consistency is meant to connote those realizable qualities of Arnold's poetry
which I have tried to understand and define. and also to suggest the tendentious purpose of
this study - to affirm that Arnold's whole imaginative enterprise is a consistent effort to apply
ideas to life."" From the preceding consideration one thing becomes clean that Arnold from the
very beginning of his dandyism period of poet to the senous critical period tries to preserve the
consistent effort to apply ideas to life Therefore G. Robert Stance says, "By approaching the
poet through his ideas one necessarily sees how the same problems occupy him from the
beginning to the end of his career", Although early phase of hold's poetry was rooted in his
dandyism, but it was not a hurdle to h~s serious views in poetry Lionel trllllng points out to this
view as, "But in 1849 he is twenty seven and still ~oyous and h~s friends are puzzled by the
Strayed Reveller that has just appeared."22 Joseph Carrol also points out the link between
poetry and prose as, "Arnold's early poems establish the spiritual plight to which all of his later,
prose work responds."" Arnold's poetic exploration is wider and broader. That means Arnold's
poetic v~sion is tantamount to Aurobindo's vision, as referred in the foregoing pages. In other
words this exploration endows Arnold with comprehensive out look at life and ~ts infinite
possibilities. " Stance I 1 22 Tnlllng 35 " Joseph Carrel, Introduct~on, The Cultural Thcow of
Matthcw Arnold (Arnold (Bcrklcy Un~vers~ty of Cahfornla Press, 1982) Arnolds poetic theory
may be criticized for not keeping up its pace with practice. G. Robert Stance clarifies this point
as. "He knew. better than anyone else, that his poems did not fulfill his own criteria. his job was
to avold false poetic practice and aspire toward the ideal of excellence he had defined."" Th~s
view speaks of the future possibilities of the poetry, similar to the concept of overhead poetry
of Aurabindo. Before attempting Arnold's concept of culture, it is worthwhile to look at e brief
analysis made by V K Gokak in this following way. V K Gokak while defining cultural concept
present the following view as, "It is well known that the anthropologists who claim to have
culture as their special field of study are themselves not agreed on the connotation of the
word. Anthropolog~sts like Weber and Maclver are inclined to make a distinction between
culture and civilization, restricting civilization to science and technology and culture to
philosophy, religion and the arts. But Kroeber uses the word 'culture' as the customaly term
applicable alike to high or low production of societies. 'Civilization' is used as a term for the
larger and richer cultures, canying an overtone of high development of a specific soc~et~".~~
Arnold's concept of culture stands for the latter part of vlew in the above quotation. We
encounter new concept of culture in his literary intelligence hav~ng a great concern for life. His
stress on qualities of mlnd and spirit in literary culture '' Stance 5. '' V.K. Gokak, India and World
Culture (New Delh~ Sah~tya Akadem~, 1994) 1-2 has expanded scope of literary criticism. Basil
Willey comments too on this literary specific culture with reference to Arnold's book "Culture
and Anarchy" as, "Estate ergo vas perfect! Was the motto of Culture and Anarchy of ~t may vely
well stand as the motto of Arnold's whole message."2" In the preceding quotation Arnold's core
thought of culture is 'perfection'. It is the pursuit of perfection. In the words of Arnold: "Culture
IS then properly described not as having its origtn in curiosity, but as having ~ts origin in the
love of perfection; it is study of perfection. It moves by the force, not merely or primarily of the
scientific passion for pure knowledge, but also of the moral and social passion for doing
good."27 This perfection at which culture aims must be general perfection, harmonious
perfection. This perfection is able to afford peace, as "...the peace and satisfaction which are
reached as we draw near to complete spiritual perfection, and not merely to moral perfection,
or rather to relat~ve moral perfection."2H Arnold's concept of culture is not superficial. It is not
in the state of havmg but in becoming. To have means, it will not be able to turn out an
individual into that form of refined form of culture. Then Arnold says, "...And perfect~on which
- " Bas11 Wlllev, Nineteenth Ccntun Studies 1980 cd (London < nrnbr~dgc LJnsvcrs~t\ Press,
1949) 252 27 Matthew Arnold, '*Culture and Anarchy" Ed Colllnl 59 '' Matthew Arnold, "Culture
and Anarchy'' Ed Colllnl 68 consists in becoming something rather than in havlng something, in
an inward condition of the mind and spirit, not in an outward set of circumstances....."" The
perfection is one in which the character of beauty and intelligence are both present and which
unites the two noblest of things namely sweetness and light. Arnold attributes these characters
to poetry as "In thus mak~ng sweetness and light to be characters of perfection, culture is of
like spirit with poeby follow one law with Culture has its motto In the following words of Bishop
Willson: "To make reason and will of God prevail." From this, it 1s clear that culture is not the
frivolous and useless things which Mr Bright, Mr Frederic Harrison, and many other liberals
were apt to call it. Culture gets much benefit from Hellenism, ~t lets free flow of fresh thoughts
of stock notions. Culture believes in right reason and in a paramount best self Therefore, it
encourages a centre of power In the form of the best self, a state. The idea of the something
the best endowes Arnold with superlor critical sensibility. As Arnold says, "But criticism, real
criticism, is essentially the exercise of the very quality. It obeys an instinct prompting it to try, to
know the best that is known and thought in the world, irrespectively of practice, politics and 29
Matthew Arnold, .'Culture and Anarchy" Ed. Colllnl 62 '"atthew Arnold, "Culture and Anarchy"
Ed Collinl 67 everything of the kind; and to value knowledge and thought as they approach. This
best, without the intrusion of any other considerations whatever." Arnold assigns a sacred duty
to criticism to create an intellectual and spiritual atmosphere in society. He wants critical effort
to be impartial business. Arnold observes the phenomenon as. " ... in order to avail itself of the
field now opening to it, and to produce fruit for the fixture, it ought to take the rule may be
summed up in one word - disinterestedness. And low is criticism to show disinterestedness? By
keeping aloof from what is called 'the practical view of things,'" by resolutely following the law
of its own nature, which is to be a free play of the mind on all subjects which it touches." From
this consideration, it becomes clear that Arnold was in possession of comprehensive view of life
with sharp critical sensibility. 3' Matthew Arnold, "Function of Cntlclsm' Ed Collln~ 35 '2
Matthew Arnold. "Functloo of Cnt~c~sm' Ed Colllnl 77

The sea is calm to-night.

The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; - on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanch'd land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.

Sophocles long ago

Heard it on the {AE}gean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery; we
Find also in the sound a thought,
Hearing it by this distant northern sea.

The Sea of Faith

Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furl'd.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.

Ah, love, let us be true

To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.

The main theme behind Matthew Arnold's poem "Dover Beach" is the idea that earth
used to be full of faith, but change has negatively affected the value of faith in humans
and in God. In the first stanza, the speaker is describing the beauty and tranquility of the
ocean and the waves that he sees as he is observing Dover Beach. However, his
reference to the light of the lighthouse that "gleams and is gone" portays a certiain
changing for the worse (4). He no longer sees the beauty in the world, only a glimpse of
what humanity used to be. This idea is further explained in the last line of the first
stanza when the speaker says, "bring/ The eternal note of sadness in" (13-14). The tide
changing brings in this new wave of life where faith and morality gone from the earth,
which brings the speaker an eternal sadness.
In the second paragraph, the allusion of the historical figure in poetry, Sophocles,
relates to the last line in the first paragraph because he, also, was said to have heard
this same note of sadness in one of his own tragedies.
In the third stanza, the speaker refers back to the world when it was once joyful and full
of Christian faith which served as the background to humanity. However, he describes
how humans retreating from religion and morality has left behind an unlovely, secular
world.
The last stanza opens with the line, "A, love, let us be true/ To one another" (29-30). It
can be inferred that the speaker is talking to his wife due to the fact that Arnold wrote
this poem as he was observing Dover Beach while on a honeymoon with his wife. He is
telling his wife that, in the midst of all this religious destruction and secular lifestyle that
has consumed their world that seems beautiful on the surface, they must cling to
eachother and their faith.

Matthew Arnold's "Dover Beach" can often deceive readers into thinking that the
speaker is actually calm and content. However, if we dissect and examine the poem
carefully, we notice that the Arnold worries about life and its meaning. The mood of the
poem changes from one of tranquility to one of sadness. Arnold creates the mood by
utilizing different types of imagery, descriptive adjectives, similes, and metaphors. Using
these literary elements, he portrays a man standing in front of a window meditating
about the sound of the pebbles tossing on the shore as the tide goes out. Throughout
the poem, the poet seems to be afraid of what the world is becoming. From the literary
devices that Arnold employs, the audience may discover what exactly he is afraid of. In
"Dover Beach," Matthew Arnold expresses his fear of failing to find meaning in man,
nature, and religion.
Arnold's description of the sea and the naturalistic scene around him conveys his
uncertainty about nature. Although the poem begins with seemingly positive diction in
the first stanza, the mood quickly changes as the speaker uses manys more negative
words. After first describing the surroundings as "glimmering" and "tranquil," (line 5)
Arnold starts to utilize adjectives such as "grating" and "tremulous" (line 12). Throughout
the rest of the poem, he describes the landscape and nature in a disheartening way.
Arnold does point out some of nature's attractive qualities; however, he indicates that
nature's beauty hardly conceals its darkness and gloom. For example, when he writes,
"for the world, which seems / To lie before us like a land of dreams," he makes use of
the word "seems" to imply that the world is not always what it appears to be (lines 30-
31). He proceeds to explain that the world "Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, /
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;" (lines 33-34). He calls attention to
everything that wrong with the nature and the world. The last three lines of the poem
give the reader the idea that Arnold is afraid of what will happen to this world; he writes,
"And we are here as on a darkling plain" (line 35). He seems to be afraid that we are on
this world in the dark; not even nature can guide us.
Arnold's description of the sea and his use of similes illustrate his apprehension
concerning the human condition. The poem ends with a three-line simile that most likely
refers to a battle that occurred more than two thousand years ago. The battle occurred
on a "darkling plain" in Sicily where the invaders became so confused by the darkness
that they slaughtered many of their own men (line 35). Matthew Arnold alludes to a
horrible event where men killed their brethren; he expresses his belief that the human
condition is failing. It seems that he fears humans are becoming "ignorant armies,"
failing to realize who is a friend and who is a foe (line 37). In other portions of the poem,
Arnold describes the sea and the shoreline. He uses descriptive adjectives and imagery
to illustrate what the sea looks and sounds like; however, the beach seems to be
completely bare and without human existence. The only hint of humanity is "on the
French coast the light / Gleams and is gone" (lines 3-4). The speaker's failure to
mention any existence of humankind on the beach seems to indicate that he is
withdrawn from humanity. Arnold's allusions and similes express his fear of failing to
find any meaning in humankind.
One night, the speaker of "Dover Beach" sits with a woman inside a house, looking out
over the English Channel near the town of Dover. They see the lights on the coast of
France just twenty miles away, and the sea is quiet and calm.

When the light over in France suddenly extinguishes, the speaker focuses on the
English side, which remains tranquil. He trades visual imagery for aural imagery,
describing the "grating roar" of the pebbles being pulled out by the waves. He finishes
the first stanza by calling the music of the world an "eternal note of sadness."
The next stanza flashes back to ancient Greece, where Sophocles heard this same
sound on the Aegean Sea, and was inspired by it to write his plays about human
misery.

Stanza three introduces the poem's main metaphor, with: "The Sea of Faith/Was once,
too, at the full, and round earth's shore." The phrase suggests that faith is fading from
society like the tide is from the shore. The speaker laments this decline of faith through
melancholy diction.

In the final stanza, the speaker directly addresses his beloved who sits next to him,
asking that they always be true to one another and to the world that is laid out before
them. He warns, however, that the world's beauty is only an illusion, since it is in fact a
battlefield full of people fighting in absolute darkness.

Analysis
Arguably Matthew Arnold's most famous poem, "Dover Beach" manages to comment on
his most recurring themes despite its relatively short length. Its message - like that of
many of his other poems - is that the world's mystery has declined in the face of
modernity. However, that decline is here painted as particularly uncertain, dark, and
volatile.
What also makes the poem particularly powerful is that his romantic streak has almost
no tinge of the religious. Instead, he speaks of the "Sea of Faith" without linking it to any
deity or heaven. This "faith" has a definite humanist tinge - it seems to have once
guided decisions and smoothed over the world's problems, tying everyone together in a
meaningful way. It is no accident that the sight inspiring such reflection is that of
untouched nature, almost entirely absent from any human involvement. In fact, the
speaker's true reflection begins once the only sign of life - the light over in France -
extinguishes. What Arnold is expressing is an innate quality, a natural drive towards
beauty.

He explores this contradiction through what is possibly the poem's most famous stanza,
that which compares his experience to that of Sophocles. The comparison could be
trite, if the point were merely that someone long before had appreciated the same type
of beauty that he does. However, it is poignant because it reveals a darker potential in
the beautiful. What natural beauty reminds us of is human misery. Because we can
recognize the beauty in nature, but can never quite transcend our limited natures to
reach it, we might be drawn to lament as well as celebrate it. The two responses are not
mutually exclusive. This contradictory feeling is explored in many of Arnold's poems -
"The Scholar-Gipsy" and "A Dream" are two examples - and he shows in other poems
an instinct towards the tragic, the human inability to transcend our weakness (an
example would be "Consolation," which presents time as a tragic force). Thus, the
allusion to Socrates, a Greek playwright celebrated for his tragedies, is particularly apt.

Such a dual experience - between celebration of and lament for humanity - is

particularly possible for Arnold, since mankind has traded faith for science following the
publication of On the Origin of Species and the rise of Darwinism. Ironically, the tumult of
nature - out on the ocean - is nothing compared to the tumult of this new way of life. It is
this latter tumult that frightens the speaker, that has him beg his lover to stay true to
him. He worries that the chaos of the modern world will be too great, and that she will
be shocked to discover that even in the presence of great beauty like that outside their
window, mankind is gearing up for destruction. Behind even the appearance of faith is
the new order, and he hopes that they might use this moment to keep them together
despite such uncertainty.
The poem epitomizes a certain type of poetic experience, in which the poet focuses on
a single moment in order to discover profound depths. Here, the moment is the visceral
serenity the speaker feels in studying the landscape, and the contradictory fear that that
serenity then leads him to feel. To accomplish that end, the poem uses a lot of imagery
and sensory information. It begins with mostly visual depictions, describing the calm
sea, the fair moon, and the lights in France across the Channel. "The cliffs of England
stand/Glimmering and vast" not only describes the scene, but establishes how small the
two humans detailed in the poem are in the face of nature.

Perhaps most interestingly, the first stanza switches from visual to auditory descriptions,
including "the grating roar" and "tremulous cadence slow." The evocation of several
senses fills out the experience more, and creates the sense of an overwhelming and all-
encompassing moment.

The poem also employs a lot of enjambment (the poetic technique of leaving a sentence
unfinished on one line, to continue and finish it on the next). The effect is to give the
poem a faster pace: the information hits us in rapid succession, forming a clear picture
in our minds little by little. It also suggests that Arnold does not wish to create a pretty
picture meant for reflection. Instead, the beautiful sight is significant because of the fear
and anxiety it inspires in the speaker. Because the poem so wonderfully straddles the
line between poetic reflection and desperate uncertainty, it has remained a well-loved
piece throughout the centuries.

Throughout his poem "Dover Beach," Matthew Arnold conveys his fear of failing to find
any meaning in the major aspects of life. In the poem, the speaker first looks to nature
for comfort and reassurance, but is left with and void. He seems to think that nature has
a few beautiful aspects that fail to cover its gloominess. The speaker then turns to
religion and realizes that the faith the world has is diminishing altogether. Without faith,
joy and love may cease to exist. Finally, the speaker examines humankind and the
current human condition. It seems that he thinks we are all "ignorant armies" lost in a
"darkling plain." At first glance, this poem may seem alluring and delightful; however,
with further speculation it seems to have a much more depressing mood. Essentially,
Matthew Arnold searches for some important meaning in his life, but is fearful that he
may come up short.
Work Cited
Arnold, Matthew. "Dover Beach." The Norton Anthology: English Literature. Ed. Stephen
Greenblatt and M.H. Abrams. 8th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2006.
Although the elegy originated as a very formal (in meter and rhyme scheme) lament for the loss
of a friend or an important public or cultural person, in its broader sense, the elegy also laments
the loss of something important to the world. In "Dover Beach" (1867), Arnold writes about the
loss of faith in the world at large.

The poem begins with very positive images:

The sea is calm tonight./The tide is full, the moon lies fair/Upon the straits . . . Come to the
window, sweet is the night air!

These conventionally pastoral, peaceful images establish an initial positive tone, but in the fifth
line, Arnold's tone shifts dramatically and ominously:

Only, from the long line of spray . . . Listen! you hear the grating roar/Of pebbles which the
waves draw back, and fling . . . The eternal note of sadness in. (ll.7-14)

The diction moves from the peaceful "sweet is the night air" to the harsh "grating roar/Of
pebbles," signaling Arnold's shift from pleasantries to something ominous.

That the poem is about the loss of something important is made clear in the second stanza's
reference to Antigone and Sophocles' awareness of the "turbid ebb and flow/Of human misery"
(ll.17-18). Arnold points out that just as Sophocles "heard" human misery on the Aegean Sea,
we hear it "by this distant northern sea," which is to say that human misery is everywhere and
timeless.

The fourth stanza makes explicit the loss of faith, faith that used to encompass the world "like
the folds of a bright girdle furled" and now, like the tide, "retreating . . . down the vast edges
drear/And naked shingles of the world" (ll. 23-28). In other words, faith once encircled the world
(a "Sea of Faith"), but now, one only hears it as it leaves the world "naked," that is, without faith.

Given the world's loss of faith, Arnold suggests in the final stanza that the only solace is found in
the love of two people:

Ah, love, let us be true/To one another! for the world . . . Hath really neither joy, no love, nor
light,/Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain. . . . (ll. 29-34)

Arnold argues here that the world--in which faith as a guiding force is dead--can no longer
provide any sustenance to the individual, and to the extent that comfort can be achieved, it will
be found only in an individual's love for another.

The last three lines--the most quoted in all of Arnold's poems--make it clear that the world,
which he describes as a "darkling plain" on which "ignorant armies clash by night," is beyond
redemption, beyond hope, beyond faith--no longer a place where love can thrive.
Was it a dream? We sail'd, I thought we sail'd,
Martin and I, down the green Alpine stream,
Border'd, each bank, with pines; the morning sun,
On the wet umbrage of their glossy tops,
On the red pinings of their forest-floor,
Drew a warm scent abroad; behind the pines
The mountain-skirts, with all their sylvan change
Of bright-leaf'd chestnuts and moss'd walnut-trees
And the frail scarlet-berried ash, began.
Swiss chalets glitter'd on the dewy slopes,
And from some swarded shelf, high up, there came
Notes of wild pastoral music--over all
Ranged, diamond-bright, the eternal wall of snow.
Upon the mossy rocks at the stream's edge,
Back'd by the pines, a plank-built cottage stood,
Bright in the sun; the climbing gourd-plant's leaves
Muffled its walls, and on the stone-strewn roof
Lay the warm golden gourds; golden, within,
Under the eaves, peer'd rows of Indian corn.
We shot beneath the cottage with the stream.
On the brown, rude-carved balcony, two forms
Came forth--Olivia's, Marguerite! and thine.
Clad were they both in white, flowers in their breast;
Straw hats bedeck'd their heads, with ribbons blue,
Which danced, and on their shoulders, fluttering, play'd.
They saw us, they conferred; their bosoms heaved,
And more than mortal impulse fill'd their eyes.
Their lips moved; their white arms, waved eagerly,
Flash'd once, like falling streams; we rose, we gazed.
One moment, on the rapid's top, our boat
Hung poised--and then the darting river of Life
(Such now, methought, it was), the river of Life,
Loud thundering, bore us by; swift, swift it foam'd,
Black under cliffs it raced, round headlands shone.
Soon the plank'd cottage by the sun-warm'd pines
Faded--the moss--the rocks; us burning plains,
Bristled with cities, us the sea received.

Matthew Arnold

The speaker of "A Dream" recalls an experience that he suspects was only a dream.
He and someone named Martin were sailing down a stream, passing through a forest glade as
pine branches and the sun hung overhead. Trees rose from beautiful nearby mountains, and notes
of "wild pastoral music" filled the air.
Perched upon mossy rocks at the edge of the stream was a lovely cottage. The speaker watched
two beautiful women, wearing straw hats with blue ribbons, walk out onto the cottage balcony.
The women, who were Olivia and Marguerite, waved at the men. The poem is addressed directly
to the latter woman.
The couples gazed at each other for a moment before the "River of Life" pulled the vessel away
and the cottage faded from sight. The men then passed "burning plains bristled with cities," and
finally ended up in the ocean.

Analysis
This poem can be interpreted in a number of ways. Because it is so explicitly described as a
"dream" and has so much evocative imagery, one could find several ways to parse its meaning.
However, it is overall best understood in terms of Arnold's common themes of anti-modernism,
nature, and love.

The pastoral landscape is unmistakable. The speaker and Martin begin their journey in a
beautiful forest glade — as usual, beauty is represented through nature, which Arnold presents as
pure and steadfast. Equally clear is the disappointment they later find, when that landscape turns
into "burning plains bristled with cities," or in other words, a modern world tainted and changed
by society's overbearing enhancement. Leaving little room for the metaphor to be misunderstood,
Arnold titles the stream "The River of Life." It reflects that way that life has transformed even
within his lifetime from a natural, beautiful place to one overrun.

The most central episode of the poem is the brief encounter with the two women, which can be
interpreted along these lines as well. The women beckon to the men from a gorgeous little
cottage, offering them a reprieve from the swiftly-moving river of life through romance. In
Arnold's work, he usually suggests the possibility of transcendence that is nevertheless
impossible to fully realize. In this case, life (the river) simply moves too quickly, prohibiting
them from appreciating the world's full potential. They have glimpsed the possibility of escape,
but are not able to take advantage of it. The importance of the moment is reflected in the fact that
the speaker addresses the poem to Marguerite, one of the women. Clearly, that moment helps
him contextualize his life better than any others, even if he was hardly able to take advantage of
it. This fact suggests the speaker's poetic, romantic instinct.

The juxtaposition of water and fire is also a key element of this poem. For Arnold, water
represents serenity. He describes how peacefully and beautifully the stream flows through the
forest glade in the beginning of the poem, and later reaches tranquility only when at the mercy of
the sea. It is the "burning plain," or fire, that symbolizes the bad, the negative, the things that are
wrong with the world. Since, as a poet, Arnold pays such close attention to nature, it is fitting
that he incorporates much of the elements — earth, air, water, and fire — into his verse.

Finally, this poem reflects Arnold's usual spiritual, almost religious, sensibility. If the river
represents life, then the ocean - overwhelming and nothing but water - can easily be read as the
heavens. As usual, Arnold does not make an explicitly religious point, but does dream of another
realm where he might be at peace. Having gone through a river of life that briefly promised
transcendence but mostly offered fire, he only comes to peace when the river ends and he is at
the mercy of a serenity greater than he has yet known.

Matthew Arnold

What is it to grow old?

Is it to lose the glory of the form,
The lustre of the eye?
Is it for beauty to forego her wreath?
Yes, but not for this alone.

Is it to feel our strength -

Not our bloom only, but our strength -decay?
Is it to feel each limb
Grow stiffer, every function less exact,
Each nerve more weakly strung?

Yes, this, and more! but not,

Ah, 'tis not what in youth we dreamed 'twould be!
'Tis not to have our life
Mellowed and softened as with sunset-glow,
A golden day's decline!

'Tis not to see the world

As from a height, with rapt prophetic eyes,
And heart profoundly stirred;
And weep, and feel the fulness of the past,
The years that are no more!

It is to spend long days

And not once feel that we were ever young.
It is to add, immured
In the hot prison of the present, month
To month with weary pain.

It is to suffer this,
And feel but half, and feebly, what we feel:
Deep in our hidden heart
Festers the dull remembrance of a change,
But no emotion -none.
It is -last stage of all -
When we are frozen up within, and quite
The phantom of ourselves,
To hear the world applaud the hollow ghost
Which blamed the living man.

“Growing Old” as the name says is a poem where Arnold beautifully explains how it feels when one grows old. In the beginning of the poem,

he gives a wonderful question, ‘How does it feel to grow old?’ He just puts in simple words asking whether it is just loosing beauty, or

whether it is loosing the luster of the eye or just loosing the looks? Growing old is far beyond all these is what he says.

In the second stanza he asks a few questions which gets related to the internal aging, when compared to the first which says about the

external looks. Here he asks whether aging is about the feel of loosing our strength, or is it to feel that each of our limbs getting stiffer and not

experiencing the ease that it had when we were young, or is it like feeling each nerve getting week?

In the third stanza, he says that growing old is much beyond all these feelings. We never dream of ourselves getting old or how it would be

when we get old. Getting old is the first step which shows that the youth in ourselves is declining and the golden days are gone!

The next stanza says that, the world does not remain the same. At our youth, we feel that we have captured the world, but later we realize,

that was just a feel and it is no more the way we saw and we will never get those days back.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Gradually, when we get old, we will be having longer days and nothing to do and then we start just pushing each day month on month,

thinking of our past and the great times we had, realizing nothing is going to return back. It is just like being in a prison, the present would be.

We feel hard to get along, we feel very feeble, but still we hope that one day we get our past and we live in fond remembrance of the great

times and realize what we suffer now.

In the last para, the poet depicts our death, when we lay frozen and quiet, we see the world applaud the dead man and his great deeds, and

however we were always blaming ourselves when we were alive.

A great poem which describes each stages of life and beautiful described, how it feels when one gets old not being able to do things like in

youth and how one deeply desires that , they get back those days.

Matthew Arnold
Foil'd by our fellow-men, depress'd, outworn,
We leave the brutal world to take its way,
And, Patience! in another life, we say
The world shall be thrust down, and we up-borne.

And will not, then, the immortal armies scorn

The world's poor, routed leavings? or will they,
Who fail'd under the heat of this life's day,
Support the fervours of the heavenly morn?

No, no! the energy of life may be

Kept on after the grave, but not begun;
And he who flagg'd not in the earthly strife,

From strength to strength advancing--only he,

His soul well-knit, and all his battles won,
Mounts, and that hardly, to eternal life.

Matthew Arnold

Creep into thy narrow bed,

Creep, and let no more be said!
Vain thy onset! all stands fast.
Thou thyself must break at last.

Let the long contention cease!

Geese are swans, and swans are geese.
Let them have it how they will!
Thou art tired: best be still.

They out-talked thee, hissed thee, tore thee?

Better men fared thus before thee;
Fired their ringing shot and passed,
Hotly charged - and sank at last.

Charge once more, then, and be dumb!

Let the victors, when they come,
When the forts of folly fall,
Find thy body by the wall!

Matthew Arnold

Charge once more, then, and be dumb!

Let the victors, when they come,
When the forts of folly fall,
Find thy body by the wall!
Arnold advises his readers. He wants them to rise beyond the altercation, and as if it was the in the early hours of
morning, and they were incredibly exhausted, “creep” into bed, he commands. The other implication of “creep” could
be that the author is implying a need to surrender ourselves to the humiliation of giving up. But then Arnold questions,
“Vain thy onset!”, meaning, Why not give up when triumph is impossible? “All stands fast” means that no one will
budge an inch. We must “break at last,” but better to bend, to buckle under and tactically retreat, than break down
entirely.

The call for the need to be proved right, does not trump the requirement for peace, conversely establishing our
correctness. The “long contention” must cease even if that means we have to succumb to other people’s irrationality.
The narrative portrayal of hissing and tearing brings about the verbal brutality of rational wits while implying that
they’re better than the snakes or cats.

It might be irrational as to what their beliefs might be, and Arnold illustrates this with an example. They could claim
“geese are swans” but they would never admit they are incorrect. He says, that the truth will reveal itself when the
time would be right.

In the third stanza, Arnold warns us that the “better men” than ourselves have been in identical situations; more
courageous men who have “fired their ringing shot” and still been “sunk”.

In the fourth and last stanza, Arnold cries out in irritation and annoyance, in a manner as if we had denied his advice
and swore to continue, “Charge once more, then, and be dumb!” In other words, he meant, try to proceed to have one
more try and then be quiet forever. The mentions of “forts of folly” and the “body by the wall” illustrate this battle as a
siege, where the virtuous few confront the proud citadel of the many.

Arnold harks back at us, truth is so much more vital than being intellectual or influential; and the real champion is the
one who has the subtle assurance to turn the other cheek.

I don’t know whether this was the last poem that Matthew Arnold wrote but it is the last poem in the set of
poems recorded against his name in my ‘The Harvard Classics’edition.
S1 – well we all have to break sometime … leave the world that is … creep (go slowly) into your narrow
bed (perhaps a link to that wooden box which awaits) … and it’s a bit silly if we ever thought we were going
to change the world, all stands fast … we have no choice but to break.
S2 – Geese are swans, and swans are geese … well, you would have to be a goose not to know the difference,
however there are some people who never learn – no matter how hard you try to educate – so
unfortunately you must accept that others may always be a bit of a goose and not understand reality, not
know the truth, not know the beauty of the swan – so there is a plea not to continue to try to make others
understand, suggesting you are tired and maybe you need that rest … and indeed you will have no choice
but to be very still!
S3 – they hiss’d thee – well if they are a bit of a goose this is an apt statement … and if it is any comfort
others better than you have tried and failed – they sank like a drowning, appropriate considering swans
are always seen with water
S4 – OK have one more attempt, one more charge at trying to make them see that swans are swans – but
they the ‘victors’ with their faults of folly and will find your body by the wall – the wall that they have
created in not letting your message get through
Of course you may not agree with all the sentiments expressed by this poem and I am sure that you will
leave the world a better place! – but realistically there will always be some who you’ve tried to influence
that have never heeded the message you wanted to convey.

Note ( The material uploaded has been copied from different websites. Students are
advised to use it as helping material only,and develop a comprehensive understanding
of the poems and poets through further readings suggested in bibliographies at the end
of these articles.)