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Let& #39;s talk about BELLS 
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***a thread***
Bells have long been used throughout history - to celebrate, to warn, to commemorate, & to communicate. One of the most prominent connections with bells has been in relation to death and dying - - 1/
***a thread***
Bells have long been used throughout history - to celebrate, to warn, to commemorate, & to communicate. One of the most prominent connections with bells has been in relation to death and dying - - 1/
The passing bell (mentioned in Wilfred Owen& #39;s infamous poem & #39;Anthem for Doomed Youth& #39;) was rung immediately after death as a signal for prayer. "What passing bells for these who die as cattle?" Owen wrote - 2/
"Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles& #39; rapid rattle can patter out their hasty orisons"...
His point was that there was no honour in death for these young men, a far cry from the glory that was promised them... 3/
His point was that there was no honour in death for these young men, a far cry from the glory that was promised them... 3/
Have you paid much heed to the bells that Dickens draws our attention to in Stave 1 of the novella? We all note the significance of bells in & #39;Macbeth& #39; - the ringing of the bell within; the "knell for Duncan". What about the knell for Scrooge? https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤔" title="Denkendes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Denkendes Gesicht">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔔" title="Glocke" aria-label="Emoji: Glocke"> 4/
In Stave 1, the narrative voice informs us that & #39;the ancient tower of a church(& #39;s) ... gruff old bell was always peeping slyly down at Scrooge out of a Gothic window in the wall& #39;. Could this perhaps signify that Death (represented here by the bell) has its eye on Scrooge,&that 5/
that night was the day (or night) of reckoning (as it were)?
Of course, in the same stave, once Scrooge is home, a solitary bell begins to (quite spontaneously) ring throughout the house,followed by the subsequent ringing of every bell in the house,prior to Marley& #39;s entrance.6/
Of course, in the same stave, once Scrooge is home, a solitary bell begins to (quite spontaneously) ring throughout the house,followed by the subsequent ringing of every bell in the house,prior to Marley& #39;s entrance.6/
Bells were long since credited for the ability to summon the spirit world. In dreams, the home represents the Self - so perhaps Scrooge& #39;s inner-self, his subconscious, is summoning the assistance of the spirits. But of course, there is the possibility that these bells are 7/
indeed Scrooge& #39;s passing bells, or his knell; that this night will be his last upon this earth - either literally or figuratively.
With this in mind, it is interesting to consider that Dickens uses the semantic field of Death in his first descriptions of Scrooge - 8/
With this in mind, it is interesting to consider that Dickens uses the semantic field of Death in his first descriptions of Scrooge - 8/
the & #39;low temperature& #39; he carries about with him; the & #39;ic(y)& #39; conditions of his office space; his & #39;thin blue lips& #39; and & #39;frosty rime& #39; on his eyebrow. Could the message be that Scrooge (on the inside, at least) is already dead? Or, in any event, not truly living? 9/
Of course, what follows is a fast-track healing programme, with divine intervention, & Stave 4 presents us with an appeal (via the narrative voice) for Death to & #39;set up thine altar here& #39;, in order to honour the death of this man who, beneath it all, was & #39;open& #39;, & #39;generous& #39; & 10/
& #39;true& #39;.
Scrooge dies. And a new Scrooge is born. "I& #39;m as light as a feather",he declares in Stave 5. "I am quite a baby".He has been given a new lease of life, life that is & #39;springing forth from the wound& #39;https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🌱" title="Setzling" aria-label="Emoji: Setzling">
So there you have it! A knell for Scrooge (but a good one!)https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="đź””" title="Glocke" aria-label="Emoji: Glocke"> https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="đź’™" title="Blaues Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Blaues Herz">11/11
Scrooge dies. And a new Scrooge is born. "I& #39;m as light as a feather",he declares in Stave 5. "I am quite a baby".He has been given a new lease of life, life that is & #39;springing forth from the wound& #39;
So there you have it! A knell for Scrooge (but a good one!)
