“The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe is one of his more well-known poems, after masterpieces like “The Raven”, of course. “The Bells” is most often interpreted as an allegory for the seasons of life, from the beautiful silver bells of youth to the frightening iron church bells that toll old age and death. The eeriness of the subject matter of the poem becomes evident when the reader realizes that this poem was submitted for publication by Poe in 1848, and was published shortly after his death in 1849. The poem deals with themes like fear of death, and the inevitable progression of the life cycle from youth to death.
Beware! “The Bells” synopsis below does contain spoilers! This summary is meant to be a helpful recap for students after they have read the poem. Or, a useful refresher for teachers to help them decide if they would like to use this poem in the classroom.
The poem is split up into four parts. In the first section, the speaker describes the merry and beautiful tinkling sounds of silver bells. He says that they foretell a world of merriment, and they have a distinct melody. The silver bells are like stars in the sky. In the second section, the speaker describes golden wedding bells. These bells, too, ring out a golden harmony that foretells of a beautiful future for the married couple. The third section changes its tone, focusing on brazen alarm bells. They scream out in terror, and they clang and clash rather than provide a musical quality like the previous sets of bells. There is a definite feeling of despair and fear at the angry sounds of these bells. The fourth section describes tolling iron bells. These bells are menacing and they bring to mind images of ghouls and their wicked king. The iron bells sob, moan, and groan, much like the bells of a churchyard during a funeral.
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Storyboard That is an excellent tool for students to create fun and engaging projects as a culminating activity after finishing a novel or poem. In addition to our premade activities, here are some ideas that teachers can customize and assign to students to spark creativity in individual students, pairs, or small groups for a final project. Several of these ideas include Storyboard That templates that can be printed out or copied into your teacher dashboard and assigned digitally. All final projects can be printed out, presented as a slide show, or, for an extra challenge, as an animated gif!
Extend and enhance your students' knowledge of Poe and his works by conducting an Author Study. Students can research more about Edgar Allan Poe, read his various stories and poems and make connections to his life and the time period. Students can use storyboards to analyze his work, his style, prevalent themes and more!
"Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.”
- Edgar Allan Poe, "The Fall of the House of Usher", 1839
Edgar Allan Poe was an American short-story writer, poet, critic, and editor. He is internationally known as a literary genius. Some of his most famous short stories and poems, like "The Bells", are dark tales of grief, mystery, macabre and the supernatural.
Some of the most famous works by Edgar Allan Poe in order of their publication are: "The Fall of the House of Usher" (1839), "The Masque of the Red Death" (1842), "The Pit and the Pendulum" (1843), "The Tell-Tale Heart" (1843), "The Black Cat" (1843), "The Purloined Letter" (1844), "The Raven" (1845), "The Cask of Amontillado" (1846), and "The Bells" (1848). All are considered literary classics today.
Poe was born January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. His life was fraught with tragedy from an early age. His father, David Poe, Jr. abandoned the family when Poe was just a baby. Poe's mother, English-born Elizabeth Arnold Poe, was a well-liked actress who tragically died of tuberculosis when Poe was only 3 years old. He carried an image of his mother throughout his life.
Poe was taken in by John Allan, a successful tobacco merchant in Richmond, VA and his wife, Frances Allan. While Poe was sadly separated from his siblings William and Rosalie, he was afforded the opportunity of a good education and was doted upon by Mrs. Allan, who had no children of her own. Poe showed great promise with writing at an early age but was discouraged by his foster father who preferred he go into the family business.
It is said that Poe had a loving relationship with his foster mother but sadly, Mrs. Allan, too, died of tuberculosis when Poe was a young man. Poe had a difficult relationship with his strict foster father. Mr. Allan helped Poe attend the University of Virginia for one year and later the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, but otherwise he and Poe had a tumultuous relationship. Mr. Allan did little to help Poe financially and even left Poe out of his will. Despite his talents as a writer, Poe struggled with money, gambling, alcohol, and poor health throughout his life.
At the University of Virginia, Poe impressed his classmates with his talents as both a writer and an artist. While away at school, Poe's fiancee, Sarah Elmira Royster became engaged to another. Heartbroken, in 1827, Poe moved to Boston where he published his first pamphlet of poems followed by another volume in 1829 in Baltimore. In 1833, Poe published the short story, "MS. Found in a Bottle" and in 1835, he became the editor of the "Southern Literary Messenger" in Richmond. Having finally found a stable profession, Poe was then married to his much younger cousin, Virginia Clemm.
Poe was known as a harsh and combative critic at the "Southern Literary Messenger" and his stint there didn't last long. His reputation as being antagonistic was well known and he even had a feud with another famous poet of his day, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Poe bounced around, working for various other magazines and journals and in 1844 he moved to New York City with his wife, Virginia. Despite his numerous publications prior, it wasn't until he published "The Raven" in 1845 that he was finally considered a popular literary star of his day. So much so that Poe's nickname even became, "The Raven". It was published in "The Evening Mirror" where Poe worked as a critic and it became an overnight sensation. While the publication of "The Raven" brought Poe great acclaim and fame, it did not bring him any fortune. In fact, he earned a mere $14.00 for it. Having lived most of his life impoverished despite steadily working, Poe was an advocate for better wages for writers.
When Poe wrote "The Raven" he was foreshadowing the loss of his own beloved. On January 30, 1847, in a tragic twist of fate, Poe's young wife, Virginia, died of tuberculosis at the age of 24 - the same age his mother was when she died and the same cause of death as both his mother and foster mother. Poe fell into a deep depression and although he continued to work, suffered poor health, both mental and physical. Poe did manage to write an ode to his lost love called, "Annabel Lee".
Poe was known to have abused alcohol and was said to have looked pale and sickly in the days leading up to his death. It is unknown the exact cause of Poe's death. Some suspect foul play, others believe that it was actually rabies that led to his early demise. He was found delirious and semi-conscious on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland and died in the hospital on October 7, 1849 at the age of 40. Poe's final words were, "Lord, help my poor soul."
Edgar Allan Poe is remembered as a singular talent of imaginative storytelling. His works helped define the Romanticism and American Gothic Literary Movements of his time and he is recognized as one of the first authors of detective fiction. His works continue to influence many books and movies today. Despite his sorrowful life, his legacy lives on.
Sakupljajte svakodnevne predmete koji stvaraju izražajne zvukove (poput zvona, limenki, ključeva ili boca). Pozovite učenike da eksperimentiraju s stvaranjem i slojevanjem tih zvukova kako bi oponašali zvona opisanu u Poeovoj poemi. Povežite aktivnost s redcima u pjesmi i raspravite o tome kako zvuk oblikuje atmosferu i emocije za slušatelje.
Podijelite učenike u male grupe i svakoj dodijelite jedan tip zvona iz pjesme (srebro, zlatno, mjedeno, željezo). Izazovite grupe da osmisle jedinstvene zvučne efekte koristeći glasove i predmete, zatim uvježbajte njihovo izvođenje stihova zvona naglas. Potaknite kreativnost i timski rad dok se usredotočujete na to kako zvuk i ritam grade atmosferu.
Koristite mobitel ili tablet za snimanje izvedbi svake grupe. Pustite snimke i raspravite o tome kako se mijenja atmosfera svakog zvona. Istaknite kako onomatopoeia i izbor zvukova mogu utjecati na osjećaje slušatelja i književnu interpretaciju.
Neka učenici napišu kratki odlomak o tome koji je zvuk zvona bio najučinkovitiji i zašto. Poticajte ih da razmišljaju o tome kako onomatopoeia i stvarni zvukovi produbljuju njihovo razumijevanje tema i emocija u pjesmi.
"Zvonovi" Edgara Allana Poea često se tumači kao allegorija za faze života, koja se kreće od radosnih zvukova mladosti do tmurnih zvonjavi starosti i smrti. Pjesma koristi različite tipove zvona za simbolizaciju tih prijelaza.
Možete koristiti storyboarde, predloške radnih listova i grupne aktivnosti kako biste pomogli učenicima vizualizirati, analizirati i raspraviti o "Zvonovima". Storyboard That nudi jednostavne alate za stvaranje interaktivnih i kreativnih nastavnih planova.
Isprobajte aktivnosti poput stvaranja alternativnog kraja, izrade grafičkog romana na temelju pjesme, dizajniranja radnih listova ili pretvaranja pjesme u kratku dramu. Ove opcije potiču kreativnost i dublje razumijevanje teksta.
Poe široko koristi onomatopoeju u "Zvonovima" za imitiranje stvarnih zvukova zvona, što pomaže prenijeti emocije poput radości, uzbune i tuge. Riječi poput "tinkle", "clang" i "toll" uranjaju čitatelje u atmosferu pjesme.
Glavne teme "Zvonova" uključuju krug života, strah od smrti i emocionalni dojam zvuka. Pjesma istražuje kako različiti zvonovi predstavljaju faze života i izazivaju snažne osjećaje.