"The Sea of Faith was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore"
The above quote is from "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold. The poem contains an extended metaphor. The religious world is compared to the coast the speaker is currently standing on. The first stanza talks about the coast. The third stanza contains similar images, but these images are referring to the relgious world. When the relgious faith was in its prime, it was "round earth's shore." Now it is only a long, melancholy roar. The prevalence of the faith is retreating and people are becoming thin in their beliefs and commitment. The speaker wants the religious faith to remain beautifully in front of us like the "land of dreams" that can be seen off the coast. The last few lines reveal the current sad state of the faith. These lines contain images in sharp contrast with the beauty of the coast because the author wants to show how unappealing the thought of no religious faith is. It gives readers a taste of the path the world is headed toward, away from the beauty of having faith, into a world of darkness and struggle. The metaphor is effective because it shows the beauty of strong religious faith with something that most can relate to and see the beauty upon hearing the description.
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