Freshmen Lit 2021
#15, Lori Gallo, Period 5, 11/24/20, Day B
The aim of today’s lesson was “How does Edgar Allan Poe’s, “The Bells” convey and reinforce the meaning of the life cycle through his choice of poetic sound devices?”
We started class with a “Do Now” activity that allowed us to work in groups and earn points for our team. The objective was to think of as many types of bells as possible in two minutes, which included things like school bells, church bells, and doorbells. This was not only a fun team activity, but it provided a transition into the focus of the lesson, which was analyzing “The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe.
We started by spirit reading the text “Oh Woe is Poe” which chronicled the perilous life of poet Edgar Allen Poe. Between losing all of his loved ones as a child to tuberculosis and his poverty-stricken adult life, Poe’s life was nothing short of miserable, despite being such a renowned poet for his time. Even in the case of classic poets like Poe, researching an author's past can give readers more insight into how their experiences shaped their work; In the case of Poe, having a life full of death and despair lead him to write poems that were often very gloomy and macabre.
During the next segment of the lesson, we reviewed the following poetic sound devices:
Euphony: Euphony comes from the Greek word for “well-sounding” and is used to describe words that have a harmonious, melodic, and pleasant sound, and is used to give the overall subject of a poem a positive connotation. Euphonious sounds can include vowel sounds, consonants such as l, m, n, r soft f, and soft v, and semi-vowels such as w, s, y, and th or wh.
Here’s an example of euphony in “Ode to Autumn” by John Keats:
In the line “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” the words “season” “mists” “mellow” and “fruitfulness” are all examples of euphony.
Cacophony: Cacophony is the opposite of euphony (coming from the Greek word for “bad sound”) and is used to describe words that sound harsh or discordant. This can be used in poems to convey feelings of anger, fear, chaos, and violence as well as loud, unpleasant noises. Examples of cacophonous sound can include explosive consonants (k, t, g, d, p, b, q, c, x, ch-, sh- etc...) and hissing sounds like ch- and sh-.
Here’s an example of cacophony in “The Jabberwocky” by Lewis Caroll:
In the line “Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!” the words “Jabberwock” “jaws” “bite” and “catch” are all examples of cacophony.
Alliteration: Alliteration is when consecutive words in a line begin with the same letter or consonant sound. (Example: Jackrabbits jump and jiggle jauntily)
Here’s a great video on alliteration! → https://youtu.be/brQfY8VtmyA
Onomatopoeia: Onomatopoeia are words that imitate the natural sound of things (Examples: “pop” “bang” and “buzz”)
Here’s a great video on onomatopoeia → https://youtu.be/0ST_SEOPcrk
Rhyme: Rhyme is the repetition of similar sounds in two or more words, (commonly seen in the last syllable) in a way that is pleasing to the ear and/or creates a sense of rhythm. Rhyme can be broken down into two main types:
Perfect rhyme occurs when the stressed syllables of two or more words, along with all subsequent syllables, share identical sounds. Examples of perfect rhymes can include “fair” and “hair” or “long” and “song.”
Imperfect rhyme (sometimes called “slant rhyme) occurs when words share similar sounds that are not quite as precise as a perfect rhyme. Examples of imperfect rhymes can include “frown” and “uptown” or “tone” and “poem”
Repetition: Repetition is the repeating of words, phrases, lines, or stanzas, which are often used to emphasize a feeling or idea, create rhythm, and/or develop a sense of urgency. (Example: Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!”
Here's a great video on rhyme & repetition → https://youtu.be/URuMb15CWJs
After reviewing the above poetic sound devices, we were reading to dive into our class reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Bells.” We read along with an audio recording of the poem, in order to truly understand the tone and mood of each stanza.
After our class reading, we started with an in-depth analysis of each stanza, by filling out a chart to identify the denotation and connotation of each stanza, as well as the literary devices used, and analyze what effect these devices had on the overall mood and tone of the poem.
Here is a summary of what I gathered:
Stanza I:
Stanza I describes silver bells and associates them with feelings of pleasantry and cheerfulness. First off, this tone is developed through the use of euphony through words such as merriment, tinkle, heaven, crystalline, and delight. This also ties into the concept of poetic diction, as Poe chooses very specific words to describe the bells as well as their setting. Stanza I also includes some onomatopoeia through the words “jingling” and “tinkling” to describe the sounds of the silver bells. In terms of rhyming, the stanza has both perfect rhymes, (as seen in words like “wells” and “bells”) as well as some imperfect or slant rhymes (like “tinkle” and “oversprinkle”) Additionally, this stanza includes some examples of repetition such as in the line “How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle” or in the repetition of the word bells in lines 12 and 13.
Overall, these poetic devices are used to reinforce the cheery, whimsical tone of the bells as well as the setting around them. Through the use of euphony, onomatopoeia, and poetic diction, the author is able to create visual and auditory imagery of a cold winter night and the musical quality of the silver bells. Additionally, the rhyme and repetition help create a melodic rhythm which further enhances the pleasant, cheerful vibe of the silver bells.
Stanza II:
Stanza II describes golden bells and associates them with feelings of joy and celebration. Similarly to stanza I, this tone is shown through the use of euphony, which can be seen in words like mellow, delight, harmony, floats, and of course the word “euphony” itself. These words also give the golden bells a positive connotation, as Poe does not simply say the bells make a loud sound, but rather that “a gush of euphony voluminously wells” which is just one example of how the poem's word choice (diction) ties into its tone. Furthermore, the golden bells are described using onomatopoeia as seen in the line “To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!” where rhyming and chiming are examples of onomatopoeic words. Stanza II also includes a lot of rhyming words such as bells, foretells, cells, wells, tells, dwells, and impels, which further develop the melodic quality of the golden bells, mentioned earlier. Additionally, the author utilizes repetition in lines 18-20 of this stanza by repeating the word bells; There is also an example of anaphora in the repetition of “how it” in the lines “How it swells! How it dwells!”
The use of the previously mentioned poetic sound devices work to establish the joyous celebratory tone of the stanza, as well as capture the melodic quality of the golden bells. Through the use of euphony and onomatopoeia, the author is able to create a pleasant tone that captures the joy of the wedding celebration. Additionally, the rhyme and repetition of the stanza provide a musical quality to the poem which imitates the euphonious melody of the golden bells.
Stanza III:
Stanza III describes brazen bells and associates them with feelings of fear and chaos. This tone is developed through the use of cacophonous words such as shriek, danger, clamorous, and clangor, which imitate the unpleasant sound of these bells. This stanza also includes onomatopoeia through words like twanging, clanging, jangling, and wrangling. Additionally, the author utilizes repetition in lines 31-33 by repeating the word bells. In terms of rhyming, this stanza has many rhyming words that are very close together such as night and affright, speak and shriek, and higher and desire. This stanza also has some examples of alliteration, as seen in the line “What a tale of terror their turbulency tells” which repeated the “T” sound. Lastly, this stanza introduces some figurative language through the use of personification as seen in the line “How they scream out their affright!”
These poetic devices are used to reinforce the chaotic tone of the stanza. The use of cacophonous language and onomatopoeia help to emphasize the dreadful sounds of the brazen bells. Additionally, the repetition, alliteration, and rhyming all work to give the poem a fast-paced rhythm which captures the sheer chaos of the scene. The added element of figurative language through personification makes the overall stanza more vivid and allows readers to better understand the sound of the bells.
Stanza IV:
Stanza IV describes iron bells and associates them with feelings of sorrow and despair. Similarly to stanza III, the author used cacophony to emphasize this tone through words like solemn, menace, and shiver. The author also utilizes repetition by repeating the words bells, knells, and time in various lines. This stanza also includes many examples of perfect rhymes such as moaning and groaning, floats and throats, and steeple and people. Lastly, alliteration is used in certain phrases like “melancholy menace” “muffled monotone” and “runic rhyme.”
In stanza IV, these sound devices are used to give the Iron Bells a more solemn and melancholy feeling. Although it is not as chaotic as stanza III, cacophony is used through words like “menace” and shiver” to show readers that these bells are not associated with positive feelings. Also, the rapid repetition of the bells at the end of the stanza act as a sort of crescendo to the poem, as it encapsulates all the complexities of the bells and what they represent.
We then answered the following questions as independent work:
Analyze the first two stanzas. How do they compare, in terms of similarity?
Stanzas I and II are similar because they have very similar tones, which is a result of the common literary devices employed in both stanzas. The first stanza paints a picture of a cheery winter night and enhances this imagery through the whimsical tinkling of the silver bells. On the other hand, the second stanza describes a wedding celebration and has a more joyous and gleeful tone, which is supported by the powerful, melodic quality of the golden bells. While these two stanza paint two distinct scenes, the feelings of happiness and peacefulness are common between them both.
Now, compare the bells in stanzas 1 and 2 with the bells in stanzas 3 and 4. How does Poe’s mood shift in his poem?
Unlike the first two stanzas, stanzas III and IV both have very negative tones. While the silver and golden bells are described as having a musical quality in phrases like “molten-golden notes” and “the tintinnabulation that so musically wells,” the brazen and iron bells are described as unpleasant sounding. For example, in stanza III the brazen bells are described as clamorous, out of tune, and “screaming in affright” which is a stark difference compared to the pleasantry described in the previous stanzas. Furthermore, stanza IV describes the iron bells as inciting feelings of sorrow and despair, through phrases like “melancholy menace” and “a world of solemn thought their monody compels.” Although the fourth stanza is not as chaotic as the third, they both share the feeling of darkness and fear, which provide a clear juxtaposition to the happiness and peace mentioned in stanzas I and II.
How does Poe use sound devices to imitate the sound of bells? Compile a list of the devices you believe he used.
Poe uses sound devices to not only describe the sounds of each bell but also to describe what feelings and emotions the sounds evoke. First off, the use of rhyme, repetition, and rhythm in each stanza help to convey the distinct rhythm of each of the bells. For example, in stanza III, the short lines and quick rhymes help to convey the frantic urgency of the alarum bells. On the other hand, the lines of stanza II are longer and have rhyming words dispersed throughout the lines, which gives a more calm and mellow tone when read aloud. The sounds of the bells are also conveyed through euphony and cacophony, as euphonious words like jingling, tinkling, and merriment imitates pleasant sounds and cacophonous words like shriek, clamorous and brazen imitate unpleasant sounds. Many of these euphonious and cacophonous words also happen to be examples of onomatopoeia which creates auditory imagery for the reader.
This poem is as much about sound as it is about meaning. Why do you think Poe places a heavy emphasis on sound in this poem? What message does it help to express? How is this poem symbolically a metaphor for life?
I think Poe places such heavy emphasis on sound because it allows him to relate the bells to different emotions and tones, without explicitly stating them. For example, in stanza I Poe does not explicitly state what exactly is going on in the setting, but by talking about the “merriment their melody foretells” as well as the “tintinnabulation that so musically wells,” readers can associate the setting with feelings of cheer and joy because of the sounds made by the bells. Similarly, in stanza III, despite knowing that the bells are some sort of alarm, not much information is given on the context of the setting. However, the author describes the sound as a “clamor” and a “clangor” which causes readers to associate it with unpleasant feelings due to their connotations.
In addition to the idea of the role that sound plays in imagery, one can also argue that “The Bells is actually an extended metaphor for life. In stanza, I, the cheerful atmosphere of the silver bells can be compared to the carefree spirit of youth. In stanza II, the celebratory wedding bells can be representative of a relationship in one's life, that fills them with feelings of euphoria and joy. Stanza III marks a sort of turning point in one's life, where they experience a tragic event and are flooded with feelings of chaos and despair. Finally, stanza IV is representative of the end of one's life where the metaphorical “bells” of death begin to overshadow the happiness of one's youth, leaving them to feel sorrowful and melancholy.
Reflection:
“What did I learn? Why did I learn it? How will I use what I learned in the future?”
In this lesson, I learned more about various poetic devices such as euphony, cacophony, alliteration, and onomatopoeia, as well as how authors utilize them to enhance their poetry. By applying these concepts to my reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Bells” I was able to further improve my poetry analysis skills, and get a better understanding of how sound plays a role in the tone and rhythm of a poem. Prior to the lesson, I knew of these poetic sound devices, but most of the time I would simply acknowledge them without thinking of how they impacted the poem as a whole. However going forward, I will employ the skills I have learned in this lesson to help me break down more complex poems and understand how different poetic devices are used to build imagery. Although poetry can sometimes be overwhelming, when you break down each stanza and analyze the effect of different poetic devices, writing about themes or messages becomes much easier because you already have a deeper understanding of the poem's tone and mood
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