Question

In this excerpt from "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold, which two lines or sets of lines suggest that the speaker has undergone a loss of faith?
The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore

A.
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.

B.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,

Retreating, to the breath

C.
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

D.
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;

E.
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,

Where ignorant armies clash by night.

Answer 1

Answer:

The two lines or sets of lines that suggest that the speaker has undergone a loss of faith are:

B.

But now I only hear

Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,

Retreating, to the breath

E.

And we are here as on a darkling plain

Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,

Where ignorant armies clash by night.

Explanation:

These sets of lines are the ones that suggest the loss of faith because of the vocabulary that is being used in them, such as "melancholy", "darkling plain", "clash by night", all of this words or expressions expose a sense of sadness and lack of hope coming from the speaker, setting the mood of the poem.

Answer 2

Answer:

E.  And we are here as on a darkling plain

Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,

Where ignorant armies clash by night.

D. 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;

Explanation:

Dover beach uses many tones in his description. The aim of this is to illustrate the relationship between the sea and faith in their effect on humanity. However, his tome keeps changing, but the message remains the same. The poet uses metaphors to create more drama for the reader.

In the start, the poem has a serene start but ends with an ominous tone. This, therefore, shows that the message of the poet is unconventional that is without any rhyme.