The poem
Creep into thy narrow bed, Creep, and let no more be said! Vain thy onset! all stands fast. Thou thyself must break at last!
Let the long contention cease! Geese are swans, and swans are geese. Let them have it how they will! Thou art tired; best be still!
They out-talked thee, hissed thee, tore thee? Better men fared thus before thee; Fired their ringing shot and passed, Hotly charged —and sank at last.
Charge once more, then, and be dumb! Let the victors, when they come, When thy forts of folly fail, Find thy body by the wall!
well i think this poem is about the russian revolution because it says this poem has a lot to do with orwell's animal farm so when it says geese are swans and swans are geese it means people are people we are all the same???
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it's a great poem. When I read this poem I was focusing on the word contention and the title "the last word." Both these two elements reflect to me the nature of human. And I believe we need a perfect God - a righteous judge to stop all these "forts of folly," and give us the last word.
Analysis of Matthew Arnold Last Word
I think the poem is very serious and contains a telling reversal.
In the beginning of the poem, the poet advises himself to helplessly surrender in the face of unjust ideas.
After the reversal, which occurs just after the poetic persona recalls the better men who fared thus before thee, he realizes that to be true to his ideas (or true to himself, or true to the truth) he must take action. Fire once more even though it might lead to death (perhaps physical death, perhaps social death, if the argument is only verbal). In other words, do not give up the truth; you get the last word by action.