Poem#5

“The Bells” pg. 930

v  Complete questions 2,3,5,6

v  2a) In this poem Poe discusses fire bells, sleigh bells, wedding bells, and funeral bells.

v  B) The sleigh bells suggest a happy and innocent time. The fire bells suggest chaos and terror. The wedding bells suggest joy and happiness. The funeral bells suggest pain and grief.

v  3a) Five words that refer to the sounds the bells make are, twinkle, tinkle, shriek, clang, and roar.

v  B) Poe is very successful in capturing the sounds of the bells in his words. He is so successful because he uses very descriptive words. You can almost hear the bells ringing.

v  5a)In all four sections Poe talks about the bells and how they all ring in their own way.

v  B)The mood changes from the first two stanzas to the last two stanzas. In the first two stanzas there is joy, happiness, and a more positive feel. In the last two stanzas there is pain, sorrow, and a much gloomier feel.

v  6) The Bells could be used as evidence to support this statement because in this poem we don’t understand why Poe is writing about bells. We also don’t know what Poe wanted to share by writing this poem, but we read it anyway. We read and enjoy it because it flows well ,and people like Poe’s work.

v  List at least 3 poetic devices found in poem (Name the literary device and list the example from the poem.) EX: Simile – “And the river flows like a stream of glass” - Line 4 (from “Sympathy”)

v  Onomatopoeia- “How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle”- line 5

v  Repetition- “ From the bells, bells, bells, bells”- line 12

v  Personification-“ How they ring out their delight.”- line 19

v  Rate the poem on the following scale accompanied by a 1-3 sentence specific explanation for the rating.

v  I liked this poem. I liked it because it was very rhythmic, and it flowed well.
I also liked it because it was gloomy.

Approval Rating Scale:


Liked it! It was ok. UGH! Did not like

HW Activity: See below for assignment.

Exploring Onomatopoeia

As you read the poem, look for examples of onomatopoeia. Indicate the line number where the onomatopoeia occurs, quote the lines themselves, and explain what the word describes and the purpose that the onomatopoeia serves. Think about how the word that poet chooses matches action or item described in the poem. You need to find and explain 4 examples of onomatopoeia from the poem.

Line Numbers / Excerpt from Poem / Example of Onomatopoeia from the poem / Describes
1-5 / “Hear the sledges with the bells—
Silver bells!
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
In the icy air of night!” / tinkle / The sound of the bells
By repeating the word, the poet emphasizes that the bells are ringing several times. "Tinkle" is a happy, positive word that matches the "merriment of their melody." The bells are making a sound that the speaker enjoys.
35 / “The rhyming the chiming of the bells!’’ / Chiming / The sounds that the wedding bells make. Chiming is a happy word. It matches the feelings on a wedding day.
42-43 / “They can only shriek, shriek, out of tune.” / Shriek / The sounds of the alarm bells. Shriek is a very appropriate word to relate to a fire because there are frantic people and there is danger.
55 / “How they clang, clash, and roar!” / Clang, clash, and roar / The sound of the fire wagon’s bells.
The clang and the clashing relates well to the firemen scurrying to get water on the fire. The roar can relate to the roar of the fire.
70 / “Hear the tolling of the bells.’’ / tolling / The sound of funeral bells. Tolling reminds you of slow ringing church bells.