Bells for John Whiteside’s Daughter

1. Bells for John Whiteside’s Daughter By John C. Ransom

2. Her wars were bruited in our high window. We looked among orchard trees and beyond Where she took arms against her shadow, Or harried unto the pond The lazy geese, like a snow cloud Dripping their snow on the green grass, Tricking and stopping, sleepy and proud, Who cried in goose, Alas, But now go the bells, and we are ready, In one house we are sternly stopped To say we are vexed at her brown study, Lying so primly propped. For the tireless heart within the little Lady with rod that made them rise From their noon apple-dreams and scuttle Goose-fashion under the skies! Bells for John Whiteside’s Daughter by John C. Ransom recitation There was such speed in her little body, And such lightness in her footfall, It is no wonder her brown study Astonishes us all.

3. Biography of John Crowe Ransom • Born on April 30, 1888 in Pulaski, Tennessee • son of John James Ransom, a Methodist minister, and Ella Crowe Ransom • Raised in a strongly religious though also open-minded household • The precocious Ransom entered Vanderbilt University in Nashville at age fifteen. Graduated in 1909 • Ransom was in service as an artillery officer in France during World War I, there until departure for Kenyon College in Ohio in 1937. • Originally interest lay more in philosophy than in literature • Exposure to free verse as a member of the Fugitive literary group inspired him to write poetry • Ransom’s poems explore the ironies of human existence as they are manifested in the domestic scenes of daily life • The death of a small child, for example, is for him a dramatic instance of the fate that awaits us all • Can be seen expressed in “Bells for John Whiteside’s Daughter” • Died July 3, 1974 in Gambier, Ohio

4. Over-all meaning • Author doesn't want the reader to connect to the emotions in the poem • This leads to the conclusion that this poem is not really about the death of John Whiteside’s daughter, but instead about death in general, hence why she's not addressed by name, simply "White's daughter" • Ransom, is simply walking us through the experience of an unforetold death. • experiencing death itself is tragic though, Ransom shows us that throughout a person's death, those who really knew them, do not remember for their flaws but for their cherished memories. • To achieve this, Ransom stumbles the meter and uses literary devices. • Death is unexpected to everyone, and yet we know it is there, we never cease to be astonished by seeing it laid in front of us.

5. continuing • Some examples would be; Alliteration, similes, irony, and metaphors. • Speaker is representing the whole community throughout the poem. • Poem is meant to make you realize how fragile life is. • As well as to realize that we must support each other in moment of grief. • In addition we must not refuse death, but acknowledge its presence and accept the loss of a loved one, we are only human and no matter how rich or how poor, neither how young or old, we do not know when we must leave this world.

6. Type of Poem • Free Verse • Elegy Rhyme Scheme For each stanza, the first and third lines rhyme, and the second and fourth lines rhyme. However, only the last two letters rhyme in lines: 1 and 3, 13 and 15, and 17 and 19. MeterThe meter is atypical. • Iambic trimeter • Iambic pentameter • Iambic tetrameter Symbols • The green grass symbolizes life. • The sleepy geese and the comparison of their feathers to snow symbolize death. • The little girl, who is full of life, chases the geese into the pond, suggesting that she, like most children, does not dwell on or fear death. Structure

7. continued AlliterationLines 1, 2: There was such speed in her little body, / And such lightness in her footfall Line 10:green grass Line 14:rod that made them rise Line 18:stern stopped Line20:primly propped Irony 1. The livelylittle lady is now lifeless. 2. Though she was anything but stiff and formal while alive, she lies "primly propped"(line 20) at her funeral.

8. Enjambment between line 3 & 4 • Meter: 1st line is iambic pentameter, 2nd line is tetrameter. 3rd line is tetrameter, 4th line is trimeter • Diction: • Was- sets the grim tone signifying that the poem starts off in past tense looking back in nostalgia. • Brown study- state of deep thought but also a term for a corpse. • Astonishes- shocked and surprised but in a negative tone First Stanza “There was such speed in her little body, And such lightness in her footfall, It is no wonder her brown study Astonishes us all.”

9. allusion ; “Took arms against” (line 7): These words appear to allude to those used by Shakespeare's Hamlet when, in his famous soliloquy, he considers whether to “take arms against a sea of troubles or, by opposing, end them” (3. 1. 66). Hamlet's main flaw was his indecisiveness. The little girl, by contrast, does not deliberate; she acts. • enjambment lines 2 and 4 • neighbors have the memories of how she was full of joy and curiosity • describing the fun and games the little girl engaged in on a daily basis • she had a vivid imagination and made up many games that the community saw her through their windows Second Stanza “...Her wars were bruited in our high window. We looked among orchard trees and beyond Where she took arms against her shadow, Or harried unto the pond…”

10. SimileLine 9: The lazy geese, like a snow cloud (comparison of the geese to a cloud) • MetaphorLine 10: Dripping their snow (comparison of goose feathers to melting snow) • Enjambment Line 1 • Symbolism The green grass, which symbolizes life, is getting covered by snow, which symbolizes death. Third Stanza “...The lazy geese, like a snow cloud Dripping their snow on the green grass, Tricking and stopping, sleepy and proud, Who cried in goose, Alas,...”

11. Stanza written in the past tense • Enjambment • Lines 1 to 2; “little Lady” • Lines 3 to 4; “scuttle Goose-fashion” • Metaphor • Lines 2 to 4; Continuation of geese to death metaphor • Symbolism • Line 3; Apple symbolizes life • Meaning of stanza: This stanza is meant to continue describing the little girl’s life while also describing life in general. The words: “tireless heart”, “dreams”, and “under the skies” give an idea of mortality. This is significant because it follows the theme of the fragility of life. Fourth Stanza “...For the tireless heart within the little Lady with rod that made them rise From their noon apple-dreams and scuttle Goose-fashion under the skies!...”

12. Allusion in line 17. • Now go the bells (line 17): These words may allude to the following famous lines from Meditation 17 of John Donne's Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions: "...Each man's death diminishes me, For I am involved in mankind.Therefore, send not to know ..." • Sternly: doing in a strict, or severe manner • Vexed: Annoyed, frustrated, worried • Acceptance of death • "We are ready..." Another example of the final recognition death. In addition, implying that others members of the community and also ready for acceptance. Fifth Stanza “But now go the bells, and we are ready, In one house we are sternly stopped To say we are vexed at her brown study, Lying so primly propped.”

13. Get Ready... For The Quiz

14. #1. What war did the Author serve as an artillery officer in France? #2. At what age did Ransom enter Vanderbilt University? #3. Is the meter atypical? #4. What does the green grass symbolize? #5. What type of tone is “astonishes” written in? #6. In the first stanza the enjambment is in between what two lines? #7. What Shakespeare poem did the second stanza allude to? #8. What type of poem is “Bells For John White’s Daughter”? #9. Define vexed? #10. Was the speaker of the poem close to john White’s daughter?