Dover Beach Versus “The Second Coming”
“Dover Beach” Versus “The Second Coming”
Yeats and Arnold, the authors of these two Poems, have taken an existential view regarding the way religion affects the society, and why there is such turmoil in nearly the same way. Each uses methods of cause and effect and by using similar style and tone with diction, varied the presentation to bring a romantic view and a gothic view of religion and the world society. The two poems have no fixed form but are modern and leave no rhyme or reason in their content. “Dover Beach” indirectly tells a story, and “The Second Coming” is quite blunt and to the point, say directly what the author wishes to tell you.
The first part of “Dover Beach” begins with a beautiful tone relating how religion has been seen in this chaotic world. It uses the vast sea as a symbol of the world in a continuum to begin and then ends, and finally tells how the speaker feels that the lack of religion has been the major cause of immorality and chaos for humans. The author tells of the destruction of all that is beautiful and then goes on into the existential view of the dark side of life with the confusion of battle. “The Second Coming” is very gloomy and gothic in telling how we continue on in chaos turning one fold of life after another, and ignorant of what we do to bring such chaotic turmoil and blaming too much religion as the background for this turmoil.
As mentioned above “Dover Beach” uses the diction of romance the sea, and the beauty he sees as he describes the world and religion. He continues on through the beginning verses and then casts a shadow with his words to the dark side of existential belief. This is seen in the beginning as he starts with a calm sea, a fair moon and then the “sea meets the moon” then transforms to “sea of faith”,” Melancholy withdrawing roar,” “Retreating to the breath” of chaos to night winds really chaotic and ends with dreams, love, joy, and light not there due to lack of religion. “The Second Coming” on the other hand, has a dark diction to start as it talks of “turning, turning”, and the second stanza begins with the theme of “Second Coming” and worldly spirits to “darkness drops again” and the...