"The Bells" was written by Poe in 1848, but it was not published until December, 1849, some three months after his death. It is an irregular ode comprised of four numbered movements that vary in length, each one longer than its predecessor, each dedicated to a successive stage in the human life span, and each having its own type of metal bell. The poem is filled with alliteration, assonance and monosyllabic rhymes, and the reader cannot help but be struck by the sheer pace of its rapid lyrical flow.
"The Bells" is spoken (almost sung) by an unidentified and unobtrusive narrator...
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