"Dover Beach" Essay

Prompt: Write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how the poem's organization, diction, and figurative language prepare the reader for the speaker's concluding response.

I selected this prompt because the overall description of the elements of Dover Beach together conveyed the author's meaning.
The speaker in "Dover Beach" conflicts over the changing beauty of nature but most importantly, the changing natures of humanity itself. The confusion and constant conflicts are shown through shifts and the usage of juxtaposition. The silent appreciation of the beauty of nature at night is overtaken by the cold waves that disturb the "tranquil bay." This contrast correlates with the theme in that sudden hatred is built against mankind towards each other as greed builds through "the high strand." The "naked shingles" symbolize the raw emotions that are hid behind the "breath of the night wind" in which most do not reveal. The reference to Sophocles sheds light to the Greek myth on human destruction which is what the author is hinting that the world is coming to: man vs man. In the context of the poem as a whole, the author is suggesting that faith in humanity needs to be restored rather than pointing fingers at others and being quick to blame.