Comparison Dover Beach and Dover Bitch

A man stands on the cliffs of Dover, looking out at the ocean. He is self-absorbed and experiencing feelings of dejection. This man goes on for stanzas uttering thoughts to himself, at least that is what one could surmise from the indifferent tone. Then, when the reader is convinced that the man is simply philosophizing out loud to himself, the man addresses for the first time another party. That party is a woman, one that …

…longer within that which is the realm of acceptance. Considering both the introspection and romanticism of "Dover Beach," it is fascinating to think that Mr. Hecht needed only to twist the word tones, alter the gender roles, and change the setting to completely deconstruct everything that Matthew Arnold had tried to say. Similarly with many parodies it is amazing how detrimental words can be in one context and how arbitrary they can be in another.