To Marguerite Analysis

Archit Shukla
C. Srygley
AP Literature and Composition
9 January 2012

To Marguerite by Matthew Arnold Analysis

Yes! in the sea of life enisled,
With echoing straits between us thrown,
Dotting the shoreless watery wild,
We mortal millions live alone.
The islands feel the enclasping flow,
And then their endless bounds they know.
But when the moon their hollows lights,
And they are swept by balms of spring,
And in their glens, on starry nights,
The nightingales divinely sing;
And lovely notes, from shore to shore,
Across the sounds and channels pour—
Oh! then a longing like despair
Is to their farthest caverns sent;
For surely once, they feel, we were
Parts of a single continent!
Now round us spreads the watery plain—
Oh might our marges meet again!
Who order'd, that their longing's fire
Should be, as soon as kindled, cool'd?
Who renters vain their deep desire?—
A God, a God their severance ruled!
And bade betwixt their shores to be
The unplumb'd, salt, estranging sea.

Initial: To Marguerite, a poem by Matthew Arnold, seems as though a poem describing the isolation and lonely nature of islands. Lines 12-16 state that islands have been in despair due to their drifted and isolated nature; however, they were once whole and part of one continent. This can be directly compared to human society such that individuals may seem connected and united but are perhaps isolated as islands. In terms of style, the poem distinguishes specific words and sections through italics and some word arrangements are strange and confusing.

Paraphrase:

Within a sea of life,
Straits of echoes between us.
A sea or shoreless watery wild,
We humans live alone.
The islands feel the embracing flow,
And finally the never-ending bounds or found.

But when the moon shines an empty light,
And islands are swept by relief of spring,
And in their valleys, on starry nights,
The nightingales divinely sing;
And lovely notes, from shore to shore,
Across the sounds and channels pour;

Then begins a longing despair
Is to their farthest caverns sent!
For surely once, they feel, we were
Parts of a single continent.
Now round us spreads the sea—
O might our lives meet again!

Who forced that their longing’s love
Should be, as soon as kindled, hate?
Who makes useless their deep desire?—
A God, a God separated a rule;
And offer a shore between them
The unplumb'd, salt, estranging sea.

SWIFTT:

S: The sentence structure Arnold uses is complex and punctuation-heavy. Yet, some short, concrete sentences are used to add emphasis to specific details. The use of dashes and commas to add detail where needed and to leave the reader with a sense of connection between two people.
W: In terms of diction, the author adds opposing elements including heat and cool as well as separate and together. Some word usage is emphasized using italics, while many words can be overlooked. The diction is not archaic and some use of alliteration and word emphasis is used. Complex vocabulary is not a key in this poem.
I: Imagery is present throughout the poem with specific depictions of island breakage and a free-flowing sea. The imagery also portrays a sense of abandonment and isolations through island formation. The subtle reference to a lost love is also portrayed.
F: Use of figurative language is not heavily used in this poem; however, similes including “a distance like the sea” are used to emphasize the couple’s longing.
T: The tone of this poem is—in a sense—a feeling of sorrow and abandonment. The author seems to portray traits of the isolated island but with regards to his isolation to his loving counterpart.
T: The underlying theme of this poem is isolated nature and divisions through natural senses. Secondly, a theme could be the loneliness of separation in relationships.

Final: Initially, I felt the entire poem dealt with the division and isolation of islands through natural and artificial causes. However, as my analysis continued, I found a connection with a lost attachment with another person. This connection was obtained throughout multiple metaphors the author uses. The style of the poem as well as the diction is advanced and contains many subtle messages. I initially felt that there were references to abandonment in society; however, with regards to the title and overall tone of the poem, I assume the poem is meant to describe a life of two that could have been but never was.