He also employs repetition and rhyme to add to the musicality of the poem and to drive home the themes of life, death, and the passage of time. Throughout the poem, Poe uses vivid imagery and musical language to create a sense of sound and movement.

These bells 'groan' and 'moan' with the sound of despair and finality, reminding us of our own mortality and the impermanence of life. The final stanza features the 'iron bells,' which symbolize death and the end of life. These bells 'clang' and 'clash' with the sound of violence and destruction, evoking the devastation and loss that accompany war. The third stanza introduces the 'brazen bells,' which represent the chaos and turmoil of war. These bells 'ring' and 'swell' with the sound of prosperity and success. The second stanza features the 'golden bells,' which symbolize the more mature and refined aspects of adulthood. These bells 'tinkle' and 'mingle' with the sound of joy, evoking the carefree days of childhood. The first stanza introduces the 'silver bells,' which represent the joy and innocence of youth. The poem is divided into four stanzas, each focusing on a different type of bell and its associated mood and meaning. The theme is the passing of time in someone’s life.The poem 'The Bells' by Edgar Allan Poe is a captivating and musical piece that uses the metaphor of bells to explore themes of life, death, and the passage of time. The story shows everything a person goes through. Each time the bell would ring, a phase of a lifetime was happening. The stages of being born, married, hard times, and dying. In conclusion, “The Bells” is a poem about life and the events in life. This is when the story says, “ To the swinging and the ringing of the bells.” This is the sound of someone getting married.

Another part where the bells mean the passing of time in someone's life. That also means the narrator is waiting for someone to die. For instance, the poem says, “Keeping of time/ as he knells.” Means knelling is a bell sound that people play at a sad event or a funeral. There are different ways the narrator describes the bells for different phases. Another quote that means happiness is, “From the molten golden notes.” This shows the brightness and happiness in life. The quote is, “How they tinkle/ in the icy air of the night.” This quote means each time a bell rings there is another happy moment. The happiness in life, like when you learn something new, or you get a surprise. The next reason this poem is about life is that he happily delivers the poem. The twinkling represents the smiles of the people, another quote from the story is, “On the future how it tells.” This means they promise to stay together forever and they vow to do it with the priest. Another part where the bells are talking about marriage is when the narrator says, “The swinging and the tinkling of the bells.” This means the joy and happiness and foreverness of marriage.

The bells by edgar allan poe summary