The Bells Essay

The Bells Mackenzie Gates
Many types of literary devices are used to create an overall mood for each section of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Bells”. The first section starts out happy reminding people of Christmas time and many of the ways bells are incorporated with this time of year. This is followed by a joyful wedding in section two. The mood, however, then shifts for the worst in section three, turning to the terror of a fire. The fourth section finishes the poem off with death represented by the iron bells. Literary devices are used throughout each section to describe the mood and make one feel like it’s real. Section one is all about Christmas. The words “merriment” (Line 3), “delight” (Line 8), “twinkle” (Line 7), “jingling and tingling” (Line 14), and many others are used. Poe uses the alliteration, “to the tintinnabulation that so musically wells” (Line 11) to describe the sound of the bells. Naturally when he says that the sounds of the bells are musical one would get the impression that something joyful is happening. Also, in describing the bells, Poe uses, “How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle” (Line 4) as an onomatopoeia and as repetition. This makes me think of snow falling or elves tinkering with toys. “What a world of merriment the melody foretells!” (Line 3) is used as both assonance and alliteration. It shows that the silver bells in this first section emphasize the merriment of the season. The word “merriment” also corresponds with “Merry Christmas”, even further showing that this section takes place in the Christmas season. Another thing that proves this is the assonance, “In the icy air of night” (Line 5), meaning it has to be winter if the air is icy. The second line also says “Silver Bells” which many may know is a song written originally by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans for a movie set during Christmas time. The next section is describing a wedding. Symbolizing this marriage are the golden bells. Even the first line of section two says, “Hear the mellow wedding bells.” It sets this sweet, soft, happy mood and lets the reader know what’s happening immediately. “What a world happiness their harmony foretells,” (Line 3) is an alliteration that with the words “happiness” and “harmony”. Another line says, “How they ring out their delight” (Line 5), which is onomatopoeia. This whole section just radiates joy. “What a world of euphony voluminously wells!” (Line 12) is an assonance that tells how harmonious and pleasant the sound of the bells was. The section ends with “To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!” (Line 21), which wedding bells are known to “chime”. The section also mentions turtle doves and how the bride gloats (both in line 9) which are both associated with weddings. Section three is basically the core of fear and terror. It is describing a fire and how scared people were from it. One might think that instead of a fire, it’s talking about something that spreads like a fire, maybe a disease for instance. Words like “affright” (Line 5), “horrified” (Line 6), and “frantic” (Line 10) are used to describe what’s happening. “What tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells!” (Line 3) and “What a tale their terror tells,” (Line 11) are both alliterations that both mention terror. That word – “terror” – really corresponds with fire. People get scared and start to panic and everything just turns into complete chaos. Terror wreaks havoc on everything and everyone. Line ten says about the bells, “In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire” This is an oxymoron because it’s impossible to have a mad expostulation. “What a horror they outpour,” (Line 20) is an assonance used to describe the horrific sound of the bells. Onomatopoeias like “clang, and clash, and roar” (Line 19), “Twanging” (Line 23), “Clanging” (Line 24), “Jangling” (Line 27), “Wrangling” (Line 28), and “the clamour and the clangour” (Line 34) are used throughout the section to describe the bells. The iron bells represent the fourth and final section of “The Bells”. “What a world of solemn thought their monody compels!” is an example of assonance about the bells. This automatically gives one the idea that this section will be serious and sorrowful by the use of the words “solemn” and “monody”. Near the middle and the end of the section, one part repeats “Keeping time, time, time, In a sort of Runic rhyme.” This phrase appears twice in lines twenty-seven through twenty-eight and lines thirty-one through thirty-two. Then in lines thirty-six through thirty-eight it says, “Keeping time, time, time, As he knells, knells, knells, In a happy Runic rhyme.” The repetition of this is a point of emphasis. It’s signifying that people are running out of time because of the iron bells lamenting a person’s death. Some onomatopoeias used to describe the bells are “sobbing” (Line 35) and “the moaning and the groaning” (Line 44). In some ways, this can be seen as the timeline of a “fatal” romantic relationship between two people; maybe those who aren’t quite ready for a commitment yet believe that they are. Section one starts out happy and cheery, two characteristics of a new relationship. The relationship is then made permanent in section two with marriage. However, in section three truths start to come out and everything goes awry. In section four it ends with death that is celebrated by the deceased. No matter what the situation, Edgar Allan Poe was sure to include many literary devices in the writing of this poem, which were used to create and describe the overall mood of each section.