To come up with a thematic statement, quite obviously you
need to be aware of the theme of this excellent poem. If we look at this poem, we can
see that it is about the way in which the author feels the "tides of faith" are going
out from England and how that leaves him in a very vulnerable and precarious position.
The very grim, unyielding and unrelenting vision of the world that the poem ends with is
only partly tempered by the hope that true love between two people can somehow serve to
provide us with a form of meaning, however tenuous, in a world that is otherwise
characterised by "ignorant armies clashing by night," or conflict and
confusion.
Therefore, in terms of moving towards a thematic
statement for this incredible poem, you might like to think of the way in which this
poem presents us with a rather disturbing image of the world today and our place in it.
A thematic statement could therefore be something like: "Dover Beach" is a comment on
the decline of religion and faith in today's world and the kind of world we are left
with as a result." This would allow you to exlore this central theme in an essay or a
project. Hope this helps!
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