It's a really really strong inversion of the contemporary element of church bells. Perhaps because we've grown somewhat disconnected from the actual usage of church bells for a funeral; the frequent usage of the bells as foreshadowing or to symbolize imminent death of the perspective the audience is supposed to take on is completely incongruent to its usage here.

Perhaps in the most famous modern example Metallica's song "for whom the bell tolls" has the perspective people hearing the bell roll for themselves as they die foolishly for a piece of ground. However, this to me, seems only possible because of that disconnect from their purpose. The bell tolls are a carrier of news rather than a harbringer of your impending doom.

I hadn't read this poem before, or at least I don't remember reading it, so this seems a very novel usage of the concept.

I love how the poem takes on this fresh existence entirely because life has morphed and moved on around it.

Sincerely, thank you for sharing.

[–] Egon@hexbear.net 2 points 3 months ago

Hey you're very welcome and thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this.

I imagine Metallica aren't referencing the poem, but the Hemingway novel of the same name. The novel starts out with referencing this poem though, which is a kind of fun 1-2. Maybe that novel is what changed the idea of "for whom the bell tolls"?