Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold

Literature Lesson Plans - Sykalo Eugen 2024

Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold

Grade Level: This lesson plan is intended for High School English, ideally 11th or 12th grade.

Subject: Literature

Time Allotment: One class period (approximately 50 minutes)

Learning Objectives:

  • Students will be able to analyze the poem's structure, imagery, and use of sound devices.
  • Students will be able to identify the central themes of faith, doubt, and the challenges of living in a modern world.
  • Students will be able to discuss the speaker's relationship with nature and his feelings of isolation.
  • Students will be able to consider the historical context of the poem and Victorian anxieties.

Materials:

  • Copies of "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold
  • Whiteboard or projector
  • Markers or pens
  • Literary analysis worksheet focusing on imagery and sound devices (optional)

Lesson Procedure:

  1. Introduction (10 minutes):
  • Briefly introduce Matthew Arnold and his place in Victorian literature.
  • Mention the Victorian era's emphasis on reason, science, and a decline in religious faith.
  • Discuss the title of the poem and its connection to the English Channel.
  1. Active Reading and Annotation (15 minutes):
  • Distribute copies of "Dover Beach."
  • Have students read the poem silently, annotating:

✵ Unfamiliar words or phrases.

✵ Vivid imagery (descriptive language that appeals to the senses).

✵ Examples of sound devices (e.g., rhyme scheme, repetition, alliteration).

  1. Imagery and Sound Analysis (20 minutes):
  • Distribute a literary analysis worksheet focusing on imagery and sound devices (optional).
  • Individually or in small groups, students analyze:

✵ How do the descriptions of the sea and the cliffs contribute to the poem's atmosphere?

✵ What is the effect of the recurring sound of the "eternal note of sadness"?

✵ How does the use of light and darkness imagery reflect the speaker's emotional state?

  1. Theme Discussion (15 minutes):
  • Lead a class discussion based on the analysis of imagery and sound:

✵ What are the central themes of the poem? Consider faith, doubt, the decline of religious belief, and the challenges of the modern world.

✵ How does the speaker feel about the future? Does he find solace in nature or human connection?

✵ How does the poem capture a sense of isolation and loss of meaning?

Differentiation:

  • Provide scaffolding for reading comprehension by offering a vocabulary list of unfamiliar words or paraphrasing complex lines.
  • Offer different options for the analysis worksheet (e.g., creating a mood board depicting the imagery from the poem, tracing the use of light and dark imagery throughout the poem).
  • Allow students to choose a specific image or sound device to focus on and analyze its symbolic meaning.

Extension Activities:

  • Students can research the philosophical and religious anxieties of the Victorian era.
  • Have students write a diary entry from the perspective of the speaker's partner, responding to the speaker's feelings of doubt and isolation.
  • Compare and contrast "Dover Beach" with another poem that explores themes of faith and doubt in a changing world (e.g., T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land").

Assessment:

  • Participation in class discussions and group activities.
  • Completed literary analysis worksheet focusing on imagery and sound devices (if used).
  • Short essay analyzing the poem's use of imagery and sound devices and their effectiveness in conveying themes of faith, doubt, and the challenges of living in a modern world.
  • Optionally, a creative writing piece where students imagine a conversation between the speaker and a person who offers a different perspective on faith and meaning in life.