The Bells & Anabel Lee

The Bells & Annabel Lee

Poetry

• Analyze the structure and sound devices in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem The Bells.
• Identify the poem's mood changes and connect them to the symbolism of the different types of bells.
• Explore how Poe uses repetition, alliteration, and onomatopoeia to create rhythm and convey meaning.
• Discuss how the poem reflects Poe’s broader thematic concerns, including time, death, and the passage of life.

Learning Objectives

• How does Poe use sound and rhythm to enhance the meaning of The Bells?
• What do the different types of bells in the poem symbolize, and how do they reflect the stages of life?
• How does Poe manipulate mood and tone throughout the poems, and what effect does this have on the reader?
• How does The Bells fit into Poe's larger body of work and recurring themes?
• How does Poe portray love and loss in Annabel Lee?

Essential Questions

Alliteration, onomatopoeia, and repetition are powerful literary tools that enhance the auditory experience of a text, deepen the emotional impact, and draw attention to key themes and ideas. By recognizing and analyzing these sound devices, readers can gain a richer understanding of a writer's craft and the emotional resonance of their work.

POW!

Sound devices are techniques used by writers to enhance the auditory quality of their work, often in poetry but also in prose. These devices engage readers' senses, make the text more memorable, and create emotional effects. Three common sound devices are alliteration, onomatopoeia, and repetition.

Introduction to Sound Devices in Literature

Example

• Setting: Describing a dark, stormy night or a cheerful sunny day can set the mood for the story.
• Word Choice (Diction): Choosing words with certain connotations can influence how readers feel. Words like “gloomy,” “haunted,” or “whispering” create a mysterious or fearful mood, while “bright,” “joyful,” and “melodious” create a happy or peaceful mood.
• Imagery: Vivid descriptions that appeal to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste) help establish the mood. A sentence like “The eerie howl of the wind echoed through the empty, darkened streets” sets a much different mood than “The soft breeze carried the sweet scent of blooming flowers.”

How Writers Create Mood:

What is Mood?

Mood refers to the emotional atmosphere or feeling that a writer creates for the reader. It’s how the story, poem, or passage makes you feel as you read. Writers use descriptive language, settings, and specific word choices to evoke certain emotions in the reader.

Mood in Literature

Example

• Diction (Word Choice): Formal or informal language, complex or simple words, and emotionally charged or neutral words all contribute to the tone. A sarcastic tone uses biting, ironic language, while a serious tone uses straightforward and direct language.
• Sentence Structure: Short, choppy sentences can convey urgency or anger, while long, flowing sentences might indicate a reflective or calm tone.
• Details and Point of View: The narrator’s perspective and the details they choose to include or omit can reveal their attitude. A first-person narrator might have a conversational tone, while an omniscient narrator might have a more detached, neutral tone.

How Writers Convey Tone:

What is Tone?

Tone refers to the writer’s attitude toward the subject, characters, or audience. It’s the way the writer expresses their feelings through their writing, which helps the reader understand how they should feel about the topic or characters. Tone is conveyed through the author’s word choice, sentence structure, and stylistic elements.

Tone in Literature

While mood and tone are closely related, they are not the same. A story might have a joyful tone but create a reflective mood in the reader. Alternatively, a text with a sarcastic tone could produce a humorous or critical mood.

• Mood is how the reader feels while reading the text.
• Tone is how the author feels about the subject or characters, as expressed through their writing style.

Mood vs. Tone: What's the Difference?

Answer

Answer

Passage 2: Children laughed and ran through the fields, their bright voices carrying on the warm breeze. The sun shone down from a clear blue sky, illuminating the vibrant colors of the flowers that dotted the landscape. Nearby, birds chirped cheerfully, filling the air with their sweet melodies.

Passage 1: The heavy rain beat against the windows as the sky darkened. Thunder rumbled in the distance, growing louder with each passing minute. Inside, the fire crackled weakly, casting long shadows across the empty room. A cold draft slipped through the cracks in the door, making the air inside feel as chilly as the storm outside.

Read the following passages and identify both the tone and the mood:

Practice Exercise: Identifying Mood and Tone

Read the following poem excerpt and look at the examples of alliteration, onomatopoeia, and repetition. Then, analyze how these sound devices affect the mood of the poem. Excerpt from Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven: "And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain, Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;"

• Alliteration: Look for repeated consonant sounds, such as the "s" sounds in "silken," "sad," and "uncertain."
• Onomatopoeia: Identify any sound words, like "rustling," that mimic the sound they describe.
• Repetition: Notice the repeated phrase "filled me" and how it creates a rhythmic, hypnotic effect.

When reading a text, especially poetry, look for:

• Alliteration: Notice repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of nearby words. Ask yourself why the author chose to repeat these particular sounds. What effect does it have on the tone or mood?
• Onomatopoeia: Look for words that mimic sounds, especially in scenes of action or nature. Consider how these sound words help bring the text to life and how they affect your emotional response.
• Repetition: Pay attention to any word or phrase that is repeated. Ask why the author repeats it. Does it emphasize an important theme, idea, or emotion? Does it create rhythm or build tension?

How to Identify and Analyze Sound Devices

"The Bells" is a poem written by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1849. It is a lyrical and evocative piece that explores the passage of time and the different stages of life through the metaphor of bells. Divided into four parts, each representing a different type of bell and the emotions or events associated with it, the poem progresses from the joyful ringing of sleigh bells in winter to the mournful tolling of iron bells in death. Through vivid imagery and sound devices like onomatopoeia and repetition, Poe creates a haunting and atmospheric work that captures the cyclical nature of existence and the inevitable march toward mortality.

Think About It

Silver Bells Braze (Brass) BellsGolden Bells Iron Bells

Take notes and make connections as you read and think about the questions presented as your read. In "The Bells," what might the different kinds of bells represent?

Think About It

Vocabulary

tintinnabulation

runic

crystalline

sledges

The Bells

impels

rapture

voluminously

Vocabulary

euphony

sounding cells

gloats

ditty

The Bells

resolute

endeavor

palpitating

expostulation

clamorous

Vocabulary

affright

turbulency

brazen

alarum

The Bells

monody

monotone

ghouls

paen

knells

melancholy

Vocabulary

The Bells

Annabel Lee

The tone of this passage is ominous and foreboding. The author uses dark imagery, such as "heavy rain," "darkened sky," and "thunder rumbled," to create a sense of impending danger or unease. The weak fire and cold draft suggest a sense of isolation and discomfort, enhancing the feeling that something bad may happen.

The mood is tense or eerie. Words like "heavy rain," "sky darkened," "thunder," and "cold draft" contribute to the tension and make the setting feel ominous.

Passage 1 The heavy rain beat against the windows as the sky darkened. Thunder rumbled in the distance, growing louder with each passing minute. Inside, the fire crackled weakly, casting long shadows across the empty room. A cold draft slipped through the cracks in the door, making the air inside feel as chilly as the storm outside.

Answer

Definition: Repetition involves repeating words, phrases, or sounds to emphasize a point, create rhythm, or enhance the emotional intensity of a text. It can occur within a sentence, across lines of poetry, or throughout an entire work.Example: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!The repeated phrase reinforces the abundance and persistence of the snow. Purpose and Effect:

• Emphasis: Repeating a word or phrase draws attention to it, making it stand out in the reader's mind.
• Rhythm and Flow: Repetition creates a rhythmic pattern that enhances the musicality of the text, especially in poetry.
• Emotional Intensity: Repeating key phrases can heighten emotional responses, such as urgency, excitement, or sorrow.

Example from Literature: In Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech, "I Have a Dream," the phrase "I have a dream" is repeated multiple times to emphasize the vision of hope and equality: "I have a dream that one day... I have a dream that my four little children will one day... I have a dream today!" The repetition reinforces the power and passion behind the message.

Definition:Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words that are close to one another in a sentence or line of poetry. It creates a rhythmic effect that can emphasize particular words, enhance mood, or make phrases more musical. Example: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. Here, the repeated "p" sound draws attention and creates a playful, rhythmic effect. Purpose and Effect:

• Focus on Words: Alliteration highlights important words or phrases.
• Mood: Depending on the sounds used, alliteration can contribute to the tone of a text. Soft sounds like "s" or "m" can create a soothing mood, while hard sounds like "t" or "k" might create tension or intensity.
• Musicality: The repetition of consonant sounds adds a lyrical, musical quality to a piece of writing.

Example from Literature: In Edgar Allan Poe’s poem The Raven, alliteration is used to intensify the eerie, melancholy tone: "Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before." The repeated "d" sounds contribute to a feeling of unease and hesitation.

Definition: Onomatopoeia refers to words that imitate or represent the actual sound of what they describe. These words help readers "hear" the sounds being described and add realism and vividness to the text.Example: The bees buzzed around the blooming flowers. The word "buzzed" imitates the sound bees make, helping the reader imagine the scene more clearly. Purpose and Effect:

• Sensory Engagement: Onomatopoeia appeals directly to the reader’s sense of hearing, creating a more immersive reading experience.
• Realism: By using words that mimic sounds, writers make their descriptions more vivid and lifelike.
• Mood Enhancement: Certain onomatopoeic words can evoke emotions. For example, "crash" or "bang" can suggest violence or urgency, while "whisper" creates a feeling of secrecy or calm.

Example from Literature: In Poe’s The Bells, onomatopoeia is used to mimic the sound of bells ringing: "How they clang, and clash, and roar!" These words imitate the loud, jarring sounds of bells, creating a chaotic and overwhelming atmosphere.

The tone of this passage is joyful and carefree. The author uses positive imagery, such as "children laughed," "bright voices," and "clear blue sky," to convey a lighthearted, happy atmosphere. The warm breeze, chirping birds, and vibrant colors of the flowers all contribute to a tone of happiness and contentment.

The mood is joyful or carefree. The bright descriptions of children laughing, the warm breeze, and cheerful birds create a light, happy atmosphere.

Passage 2 Children laughed and ran through the fields, their bright voices carrying on the warm breeze. The sun shone down from a clear blue sky, illuminating the vibrant colors of the flowers that dotted the landscape. Nearby, birds chirped cheerfully, filling the air with their sweet melodies.

Answer