Edgar Allan Poe

Biography
- Born in Boston in 1809
- Parents died before he was three and was subsequently raised in the John Allans home
- Went to University of Virginia in 1825 but was forced to leave due to inadequate financial
support from his step-father
- Eventually enlisted in the army and published his first collection of poetry
- After marrying his his cousin Virginia Clemm in 1836, he received an editorship at The
Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond
- Lost consciousness in early October and was never able to regain full consciousness.
Died on October 7, 1849
- American author, poet, editor, and literary critic considered part of the American Romantic
Movement
- Characterized by a heightened interest in nature, emphasis on the individuals
expression of emotion and imagination, rebellion against established social rules
and convention
- Acknowledged as a master of Gothic atmosphere and interior monologue
- Known to use onomatopoeic effects, visual imagery, and metaphor
Stanza I
- Silver sleigh bells are associated with happiness/ youthfulness
- Alliteration of w and m provide pleasing sounds (line 3)
- Uses tinkle to produce sound of bells
- Onomatopoeia
- Assonance and alliteration occur in the vowel sound of i and consonant
sound of k
- makes the text flow/ streamlined sound
- tinkle, oversprinkle, tinkle
- icy, time, rhyme
- Tintinnabulation-The ringing or sounding of bells. A jingling or tinkling
sound as if of bells.
- Onomatopoeia
- Repetition of the word bells
- Increases the excitement of the poem
Stanza II
- Introduces golden wedding bells
- Gold has a connotation of wealth/luxury
- More tranquil setting
- Balmy night compared to icy night
- Assonance of o creates a peaceful sound
- molten-golden notes
- Turtledoves help create the romantic atmosphere
- What a gush of euphony voluminously wells
- The pleasing and sweet sound can be seen by the end rhymes
- Rhymes help keep the quick pace
- Compares this poem to bells
- rhyming and chiming of the bells
Stanza III
- Brazen bells (alarum bells)
- suggests loud and harsh sounding bells
- alarum, terror, turbulency have negative connotations
- Alliteration of t sound creates uneasiness
- tale, terror, turbulency, tells
- Shift in the nighttime setting
- scream out their affright
- The bells are ringing out of tune
- Introduces the situation of a fire
- The clamorous bells unsuccessfully appeal to the mercy of the fire
- deaf and frantic fire, leaping higher, higher, higher
- personifies fire
Stanza III
- clang, clash, and roar used to create the unpleasant sound of these
brazen bells
- What a horror they outpour on the bosom of the palpitating air!
- suggests that these bells are used to produce fear
- Yet the ear, it fully knows
- Synecdoche- everyone who hears the bells
- Twanging, clanging, jangling, wrangling
- The repetition of bells in this situation create a sense of urgency
Stanza IV
- Iron bells
- crude type of metal
- associated with primitiveness, basic elements of life and death
- What a world of solemn thought their monody compels!
- solemn thought and monody connects the bells to a funeral
- Rust within their throats
- personifies the bells and gives them a creepy voice
- And the people
- The bell ringers are portrayed as evil because they feel a glory in so
rolling on the human heart a stone
- Repetition of tolling
- onomatopoeia
Stanza IV
- The king of the ghouls rings the iron funeral bells joyously
- paean- a joyous song
- merry bosom, he dances and he yells
- rolls, rolls, rolls, rolls, rolls
- develops a link between rolling over the human hearts
- Repetition of time
- establish theme of life and death
- Repetition of bells
- The bells seem to be the victims to the demand of the ghoulish ringers