Comment 20 of 61, added on April 23rd, 2009 at 12:34 AM.

Alright. Let me start with a disclaimer. No one but Poe will ever have
the exact right interpretation. I do not claim to have miraculous
knowledge, only hours and hours of examination and more that one critical
analysis paper for my AP class on this poem. Also it is CRITICAL to keep
in mind that Poe's works were heavily swayed by his own belief system.
Background information on the author will help you immensly on your journey
to truth. The silver bells do NOT represent Christmas. Poe was very
anti-religous and it tickled me that it was actually suggested that he
identified himself with Christ. Poe lived in the 19th century. During
that time it was customary to ring silver bells at a baby shower as a
symbol of a good and long life. The first two stanzas are very similar.
They promise "merriment" and "happines" and if you notice center around the
future. Line three of both stanzas makes use of the word "foretells,"
typically associated with foreshadow. But is this joy and wonder of youth
really the foreshadow of the future? Take a closer look. When do the
stanzas take place? Midnight, an unheard of time to celebrate both a baby
shower or a wedding. Go ahead, take a look, see how many times night is
referenced. Night may represent many things, most commonly, death. This
is the true foreshadow. The silver and gold bells with their promises of
the future represent human expectation. Night represents fate. Poe is
using this beautiful metaphor to assert that even from birth we are doomed
to death. Also (in his opinion), love is doomed to death as well. Are you
with me so far? Now on the stanza three, the brazen bells. There is a
major shift of focus that ocurs in this stanza. The emphasis is no longer
placed on the future but the present. The word "foretells" is replaced by
just "tells" and the word "now" also appears in the stanza. Stanza one and
two essentially set up the conflict between human expectation (hope) and
fate. Battle lines were drawn beneath the flowery language and staza three
passionately relates the results. What has the life become? Can hope ever
outweigh fate? According to Poe, no. That is why the brazen bells tell of
despair. The fourth stanza contains neither a prediction or relation, but
rather, a reflection. Iron typically represents vast strength. Notice too
for the first time the bells (iron) are given a pronoun "he." Alll the
other bells are still referred to as "the." This alsone suggests the
superiority of the iron bells. Additionally, "he" is given yet another
name: the king. Throughout the entire fourth stanza "he" is the only happy
character. He is "merry" while the other bells "sob," "moan," and "groan."
Why? The king is fate. He is secure. He can be merry and laugh at the
foolish toil of hope. Hope cries out because it knows the battle is lost
and, recognizing fate as THE king, resolves to worship in him in it's
sadness. That, if you didn't know, is what a paean is, a song of praise or
worship. What does Poe say there is left for one to do, now that hope is
dead, and dark fate has emerged triumphant? Sit. Sit and think. "What a
world of solemn thought their monody compels!" line 82. There is no use in
struggling against fate, in the end, every action of a human life is
completely meaningless, what will be will be, regardless. This is not
suprising. Poe was a fatalist. Please i would love responses. Tell me
what YOU think. If you disagree, speak out! I'd be more that happy to have
a discussion with you. If you want to ask me a question, go for it! Oh
and btw this has absolutely nothing to do with my own personal beliefs.
This is Poe's poem, Poe's worldview. I, in fact, strongly disagree with
him.

Mere from United States

Comment 18 of 61, added on October 29th, 2008 at 7:24 PM.

i love this one i remember saying some of it in fifth grade!!! its soooo
amazing you should really learn because i have never forgotten it =)!!!!

Madeline from United States

Comment 16 of 61, added on February 19th, 2006 at 3:09 PM.

I really enjoy reading Poe's work. A teacher introduced Edgar Allan Poe to
me in 8th grade. I have read "The tale tell heart" and "The Raven". I do
have a difficult time analzying his work though. It is just hard for me to
figure out what he is trying to say. But reading The bells over and over
just made me jump to a conclusion that this is all a bio. of his life...

Mitze from United States

Comment 14 of 61, added on January 10th, 2006 at 9:09 AM.

THIS IS THE BEST POEM EVER

Andrew from United States

Comment 12 of 61, added on December 5th, 2005 at 9:16 AM.

I saw someone post that this poem sounded like a song. Well it is a song!
Someone wrote a song using the first part of this poem and I'm singing it
in my choir. It's a really pretty song and the words fit so well!

Taylor from United States