Arnold uses imagery to create the mood of one of his early poems, titled "Requiescat." The poem is about the death of a woman who the poet admired and held strong feelings towards. The opening lines of Requiescat describe the woman with "Strew on her roses, roses, and never a spray of yew!" The image of roses is often associated with purity and affection. The emphasis of "roses" twice reveals to the reader that the narrator had a special relationship with the woman, possibly a lover. This creates a compassionate and loving mood for the woman. However, by having the roses scattered over her body evokes an image of confusion and anger over her death. The yew, an evergreen tree

Arnold opens up "Dover Beach" by using personification to depict the initial setting, showing the "sea" as "calm" and the "moon" lying "fair." These human characteristics describe the setting as being tranquil and rather peaceful. Arnold writes the majority of the first stanza using the literary element of imagery. Apparently, the narrator is looking out at his surroundings and admiring nature. Other than the sea, there is complete silence, which conveys a serene and orderly mood. Furthermore, Arnold uses alliteration with such words depicting how the light he sees "gleams," and the cliffs as "glimmering." These words are different variations of one another, giving the sentence a repetitive effect. "Gleams" and "glimmering" are also words that often describe something that is new or pure, for example, a new chandelier. The words "gleams" and "glimmering" may suggest the narrators' new relationship with his wife/companion. Later on in the first stanza, it is apparent that the narrator is not alone when he says, "Listen! You hear that grating roar...." The narrator then describes the "pebbles" hitting the surface and how they "begin...cease...again begin." This depicts the slow and infinite deterioration of Dover Beach. The narrator's description of the pebbles using these repetitive sounds helps to undermine the otherwise peaceful scene and suggest to the speaker some unspecified, unrelenting sadness. The following line of the first stanza sets the mood for the rest of the poem saying how the constant battering from the pebbles creates an "eternal note of sadness in." Here the peaceful setting begins to subside to a saddening and somber mood. In the beginning of the poem, the narrator describes the setting as peaceful. However, the narrator apparently diverges from peacefulness to sadness and relates it as bringing the "sadness in, " apparently kicking the illusion of happiness out. The narrator realizes that life is not what it is made out to be and subsides to reality.

In "Isolation: To Marguerite, " Arnold tells of a couple separated from one another. However, the narrator is confident in their love, saying, "I bade my heart more constant be. I bade it keep the world away." The repetition of "I bade" serves to emphasize the narrators determination to reunite with his love, Marguerite. The overall mood of the first stanza is optimistic and hopeful. This is emphasized when Arnold writes that the love grew "like mine, each day, more tried, more true." The rhythm of this line is like a steady heartbeat using two words, followed by a pause with a comma. This emphasizes that the narrator as the utmost confidence in reuniting with his love and that his love for her is "true."

with dark leaves, creates an image of cruelty or darkness while the roses create an image of beauty and grace. The last few lines of the first stanza describe how the woman "reposes" into the casket and how the narrator would like to die as well, saying, "would that I did too!" This image evokes a sad and desolate mood. The narrator is alone

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2047
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)