Ring Out, Wild Bells
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out thy mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
What is your reaction to the first reading of this poem?
Sound Devices
A. How many beats do you hear in each line? Is the rhythm consistent throughout the poem?
B. Provide one example of each of the following:
Alliteration
Assonance
Repetition
Internal Rhyme
End Rhyme
Near Rhyme
C. What is the rhyme scheme of this poem? Is it the same throughout?
Figurative Language
A. What form of figurative language is primarily used throughout this poem?
B. What is the literal meaning of “ring out, ring in?” Explain the author’s choice of words.
Poem Analysis
1. Read each stanza separately and find the main idea/topic that each stanza is expressing.
Write your answers in the box provided beside the stanza.
2. Describe the mood of the poem. How does it make you feel? Provide at least three key
words or phrases that help to create the mood of the poem.
3. How does the poet feel toward the subject/topic of his writing? Describe the tone. Give at
least three examples from the poem to support your answer.
4. What repetition do you see throughout this poem? What impact does the repetition have
on the effect of the poem?
5. What kind of future does the speaker visualize? Explain your answer with support from
the poem.