See Beyond The Eye: Edgar Allen Poe’s Bells

In love, we are told to only trust someone who can see the sorrow behind your smile, the love behind your anger, and the reason behind your silence. In literature, we are told to read between the lines, see the sidelines, and understand the opposing meanings to an author’s words. And while many are able to accomplish these tasks, most fail to apply this concept to all portions of life. In today’s day and age, men and women have developed this horrible habit of simply accepting the assumption and failing to dig deep to find the true problem, or root of the cause. In Edgar Allen Poe’s Bells, the concept of there being more than one outlook present, is shown.

Edgar Allen Poe’s Bells, is a prime example of how many things have multiple sides, as opposed to just one. In Bells, Poe speaks of bells and how sometimes the bells bring great joy and times of praise and compassion, however, they also can signify something deeper. In part III Poe writes, “Brazen bells! What a tale of terror now their turbulency tells! In the startled ear of night How they scream out their affright! Too much horror to speak, they can only shriek,” then Poe adds, “What a tale their terror tells of despair!” After signifying the beauty in the bells, Poe also brings the distress of the bells into light. Poe discusses of the horrible ‘terrors’ the bells speak of through their songs of suffering.

In Edgar Allen Poe’s Bells, devastating times of grief are expressed through the sounding of the bells. In section IV of Poe’s Bells, Poe writes, “For every sound that floats from the rust within their throats, is a groan. And the people- ah, the people- They that dwell up in the steeple, all alone.” In this passage, Poe is putting the rumors of a...

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Tolkien once made a statement that was pure genius; she said, “Not all who wander are lost.” She made this remark because so many thought that because someone wasn’t on a distinctive track, that they didn’t know where they were going, and this is not true. She stands behind the thought that just because a situation appears to be a certain way, doesn’t mean that it really is. We see Edgar Allen Poe exercise this thought process as well in his poetry of Bells. Poe expresses the idea that maybe the bell that you thought signified life, actually signified death. The smile you thought meant joy, actually means heartache. The frustration you thought was from anger, is actually from love. Maybe the truth is not welcoming, but rather painful. Maybe one day you will remember to see beyond the eye, and realize that the bells symbolize someone’s suffering… Maybe.