An Analysis of

Edgar Allan Poe’s

“The Bells”

by
Faith Reann R. Bruno
Princess Cheezie Ville Costales
John Mavric Ventura
Emmanuel C. Zapanta

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The Bells

“The Bells” is a poem by American poet and author Edgar Allan Poe,
which was written in May 1848 and not published until after his death in
November 1849. It is divided into four stanzas of unequal, increasing length:
the first stanza has 14 lines, the second 21 lines, the third 34 lines and the
fourth 44 lines. Since each of these stages in life is of different length and
emotional impact, each stanza has unique properties.

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, editor, and literary critic. He
is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of
mystery and suspense. He is generally considered the inventor of detective
fiction.

Poe’s work as an editor, a poet, and a critic had a profound impact on

American and international literature. In addition to his detective stories he
is one of the originators of horror and science fiction. He is often credited as
the architect of the modern short story. He also focused on the effect of style
and structure in a literary work: as such, he has been seen.

Poe is regarded as one of the first American writers to become a major

figure in world literature. He was unusual in that he strived to earn his living
through writing alone, which resulted in a life of financial hardship and near
poverty.

Poe’s Writing Style

Edgar Allan Poe has a unique and dark way of writing. His mysterious
style of writing appeals to emotion and drama. Poe’s most impressionable
works of fiction are gothic. His stories tend to have the same recurring theme
of either death, lost love or both.

Poe has a brilliant way of taking gothic tales of mystery and terror and
mixing them with variations of a romantic tale by shifting emphasis from
surface suspense and plot pattern to his symbolic play in language and
various meanings of words. Poe uses a subtle style, tone, subconscious
motivation of characters and serious themes to shift his readers towards a
demented point of view. This is the unique tactics Poe utilizes that makes
him an impressionable writer and poet.

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 ANALYSIS

I. SPEAKER
The speaker is not talking to us about himself or speaking in the first-
person. Our group also noticed these things:

1. The speaker likes the nighttime.

We end up with this conclusion because all four stanzas of the
poem contain the word “night.”
2. The speaker pays a lot of attention to small details.
We end up with this conclusion because we thought that he
probably spent a lot of time thinking about meanings of different
bells.
3. The speaker really likes sounds.
We end up with this conclusion because he put so much effort to
recreate sounds into words.
4. The speaker likes sharing sounds with us.
We end up with this conclusion because we noticed that every
beginning of each stanza contains the statement “Hear the ____
bells!”

II. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

A. ONOMATOPOEIA
- the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is
named
 I,4 (tinkle, tinkle, tinkle)
 I,11 (tintinnabulation)
 I,14 (jingling, tinkling)
 II,19 (ring out their delight)
 II,31 (swinging, ringing)
 III,42 (shriek, shriek)
 III,58 (twanging)
 III,59 (clanging)

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  III,62 (jangling)
 III,63 (wrangling)
 III,69 (clamor, clangor)

B. ALLITERATION
- the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of
adjacent or closely connected words
 I,10 (Runic rhyme)
 II,25 (sounding cells)
 III,38 (tale of terror/turbulence tells)
 III,45 (frantic fire)
 III,47 (desperate desire)
 III,49 (now to sit or never)
 III,52 (terror tells)
 III,54 (clang and clash)
 IV,75 (melancholy menace)
 IV,83 (muffled monotone)
 IV,85 (human heart)
 IV,97 (Runic rhyme)
 IV,101 (Runic rhyme)
 IV,107 (Runic rhyme)

C. ASSONANCE
- repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in non-rhyming
stressed syllables near enough to each other for the echo to be
discernible
 I,3 (merriment their melody foretells)
 I,5 (icy air of night)
 I,11 (tintinnabulation)
 I,14 (jingling and the tinkling)
 II,15 (mellow wedding bells)
 II,20 (molten-golden notes)
 II,22 (liquid ditty)
 III,50 (pale-faced)
 IV,75 (melancholy menace)
 IV,84 (glory/rolling)

D. PERSONIFICATION
- the representation of an abstract quality in human form
 I,7 (All the heavens seem to twinkle)

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  IV,76 (For every sound that floats)

III. RHYME
First Stanza

1 Hear the sledges with the bells— a

2 Silver bells! a
3 What a world of merriment their melody foretells! a
4 How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, b
5 In the icy air of night! c
6 While the stars that oversprinkle b
7 All the heavens, seem to twinkle b
8 With a crystalline delight; c
9 Keeping time, time, time, d
10 In a sort of Runic rhyme, d
11 To the tintinabulation that so musically wells a
12 From the bells, bells, bells, bells, a
13 Bells, bells, bells— a
14 From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells. a

Second Stanza

15 Hear the mellow wedding bells, a

16 Golden bells! a
17 What a world of happiness their harmony a
foretells! c
18 Through the balmy air of night c
19 How they ring out their delight! e
20 From the molten-golden notes, f
21 And all in tune, e
22 What a liquid ditty floats e
23 To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats f
24 On the moon! a
25 Oh, from out the sounding cells, a
26 What a gush of euphony voluminously wells! a
27 How it swells! a
28 How it dwells a
29 On the Future! how it tells a
30 Of the rapture that impels g
31 To the swinging and the ringing a
32 Of the bells, bells, bells, a
33 Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, a
34 Bells, bells, bells— a
35 To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!

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Third Stanza

36 Hear the loud alarum bells— a

37 Brazen bells! a
38 What tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells! a
39 In the startled ear of night c
40 How they scream out their affright! c
41 Too much horrified to speak, h
42 They can only shriek, shriek, h
43 Out of tune, f
44 In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire, i
45 In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire, i
46 Leaping higher, higher, higher, i
47 With a desperate desire, i
48 And a resolute endeavor j
49 Now—now to sit or never, j
50 By the side of the pale-faced moon. f
51 Oh, the bells, bells, bells! a
52 What a tale their terror tells a
53 Of Despair! k
54 How they clang, and clash, and roar! l
55 What a horror they outpour l
56 On the bosom of the palpitating air! k
57 Yet the ear it fully knows, m
58 By the twanging, g
59 And the clanging, g
60 How the danger ebbs and flows; m
61 Yet the ear distinctly tells, a
62 In the jangling, g
63 And the wrangling. g
64 How the danger sinks and swells, a
65 By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the a
bells— a
66 Of the bells— a
67 Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, a
68 Bells, bells, bells— a
69 In the clamor and the clangor of the bells!

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Fourth Stanza

70 Hear the tolling of the bells— a

71 Iron bells! a
72 What a world of solemn thought their monody compels! a
73 In the silence of the night, c
74 How we shiver with affright c
75 At the melancholy menace of their tone! n
76 For every sound that floats e
77 From the rust within their throats e
78 Is a groan. n
79 And the people—ah, the people— o
80 They that dwell up in the steeple, o
81 All alone, n
82 And who tolling, tolling, tolling, g
83 In that muffled monotone, n
84 Feel a glory in so rolling g
85 On the human heart a stone— n
86 They are neither man nor woman— p
87 They are neither brute nor human— p
88 They are Ghouls: q
89 And their king it is who tolls; r
90 And he rolls, rolls, rolls, r
91 Rolls r
92 A pæan from the bells! a
93 And his merry bosom swells a
94 With the pæan of the bells! a
95 And he dances, and he yells; a
96 Keeping time, time, time, d
97 In a sort of Runic rhyme, d
98 To the pæan of the bells— a
99 Of the bells: a
100 Keeping time, time, time, d
101 In a sort of Runic rhyme, d
102 To the throbbing of the bells— a
103 Of the bells, bells, bells— a
104 To the sobbing of the bells; a
105 Keeping time, time, time, d
106 As he knells, knells, knells, a
107 In a happy Runic rhyme, d
108 To the rolling of the bells— a
109 Of the bells, bells, bells— a
110 To the tolling of the bells, a
111 Of the bells, bells, bells, bells— a
112 Bells, bells, bells— a
113 To the moaning and the groaning of the bells. a

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a 51
bells 34
cells 1
compels 1
dwells 1
foretells 2
impels 1
knells 1
swells 3
tells 4
wells 2
yells 1
b 3
oversprinkle 1
tinkle 1
twinkle 1
c 8
affright 2
delight 2
night 4
d 8
rhyme 4
time 4
e 5
floats 2
notes 1
throats 1
gloats 1
f 4
moon 2
tune 2
g 7
clanging 1
jangling 1
ringing 1
rolling 1
tolling 1

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 twanging 1 List of Rhyme Words
wrangling 1 i 4
h 2 desire 1
shriek 1 fire 2
speak 1 higher 1
j 2
endeavor 1
never 1
k 2
air 1
despair 1
l 2
outpour 1
roar 1
m 2
flows 1
knows 1
n 5
tone 1
alone 1
groan 1
monotone 1
stone 1
o 2
people 1
steeple 1
p 2
human 1
woman 1
q 1
Ghouls 1
r 3
rolls 3

IV. SOUND EFFECTS

- The major sound effects of the poem are the repeated use of the
different kinds of bells.

V. DICTION - the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or

writing

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 - The beginning of the poem has a happy tone as the writer used words
such as “twinkling” which somehow signifies happiness. However,
as the poem progresses and becomes darker, the bells roar instead
of twinkle.
- Some lines also showed a contrast from starting at a positive feeling
with a bit of negativity. This helped us understand better and feel
the suspense of what the poem is about.
- The effect of the repeated words such as “bells” helped the writer
emphasize the time of life is ending, and the clock is ticking.
- The speaker also used words that are not commonly used such as:
 Runic
 Tintinnabulation
 Ditty
 Euphony
 Voluminously
 Affright
 Clamorous
 Expostulation
 Endeavor
 Ebbs
 Monody
 Paean

VI. IMAGERY
A. VISUAL IMAGERY

“While the stars that over sprinkle

All the heavens, seem to twinkle
With a crystalline delight”

- These lines helped us understand and appreciate the beauty of the

winter night sky.

B. AUDITORY IMAGERY
“What tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells!
In the startled ear of night
How they scream out their affright”

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 - The sounds of the bells in all four stanzas helped set the tone for
each stanza/situation.

C. KINESTHETIC IMAGERY
“With the pæan of the bells! And he dances, and he yells”
- This line shows the motion or movement of the Ghoul in the poem.

D. ORGANIC IMAGERY
“What a world of solemn thought their monody compels!
In the silence of the night,
How we shiver with affright
At the melancholy meaning of their tone!”
- These lines helped us—the readers, to attach ourselves to the
solemnness and sadness of the poem.

VII. SYMBOLS
A. “NIGHT”
- The characteristic of the word “night” shifts throughout the poem.
It accompanied the characteristic of the bells as it switches from
one mood to another.
- At the beginning of the poem, night is an indication of an
inescapable death. In the final stanzas, “night” becomes the
presence of death. This word serves as a reminder that in the midst
of life, death is inevitable.
B. “BELLS”`
- The silver bells symbolize happiness, excitement or childhood.
- The golden bells symbolize celebration, joy or marriage.
- The brazen bells symbolize terror, horror and fear.
- The iron bells symbolize sadness, sorrow and death.

VIII. THEMES
A. HAPPINESS
- The first and second stanzas sing with joy and harmony.
- The last stanza shows that the ghouls felt happiness, too.
(their happiness is a dark joy that they get from despair)
- The poem implies that happiness is not just a single feeling.
B. FEAR
- The third and fourth stanzas showed us sounds and feelings of fear.
- It showed us how we can use different words to scare people.

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 - The last two stanzas draw us down into a nightmare of insanity
and fear, from which we are unable to escape.
C. DEATH
- This theme can be found in almost all of Poe’s poems and short
stories.
- In this poem, death is a hidden theme; it is never directly
mentioned.
- Death makes its presence felt in almost every line of the last
stanza; it ties things together, but it never comes out of the open.
D. ART AND MUSIC
- The poem itself is almost a piece of music, since it contains sound,
repetition and rhythm so much especially when you watch a video
performance of the poem on YouTube.
- The writer used this poem to explore the connection between
poetry and other kinds of art such as music.

E. NATURALISTIC
- The poem is not about nature but it is full of images from nature.
- The natural world in the poem changes as the mood of the poem
changes. An example of this is the moon which gives comfort but
then changes into something dark and sinister.

IX. RHYTHM
Most parts of the poem use a kind of meter called “trochaic.” That
means that the poem is made up of pairs of syllables, with the first syllable
in each pair being stressed and the second one not. (I,4)

1 2 3 4
s w s w s w s w
How they tin kle tin kle tin kle

Some parts of the poem use a “catalexis”, meaning that many lines are
missing a final syllable. (I,5)

1 2 3 4
s w s w s w s w
In the i cy air of night! -
Some parts of the poem use a “line-internal catalexis”, meaning
that the poem does not only use catalexis in the final position. (I,12)

1 2 3 4 5

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 s w s w s w s w s w
From the bells - bells - bells - bells -

X. MEANING
In simple words, each stanza of the poem deals with a particular type
of bell and seeks to establish a specific mood. The writer associated the silver
bells with merriment and excitement, while the golden bells are for
celebration and joy. Then, the brazen bells created an atmosphere of horror
and fear while the iron bells rang to announce the coming of death.

The first stanza suggests courtship, while the second one speaks about
marriage. The third stanza darkens the mood, which tells us about the
inescapable presence of terror and despair and finally the poem and life
eventually ended as the iron bells rang throughout the fourth stanza.

The first two stanzas give us a feeling of a bright future, while the next
two speak only give us a feeling of a terrible present. In the end, the only
happy character if the king of the ghouls, who dances with dark joy in the
sound projected by the iron bells.

The unusual beats, rhymes, words and imagery of the poem symbolizes
the unavoidable passing of time that leads to the end of human life.

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