ipl-logo

The Story Behind I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day

4320 Words18 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Paper on life during the civil war

The Story Behind “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s life around the time of the Civil War was less than easy. Death and injuries in the family weighed upon him. But the poem he wrote on Christmas Day in 1863 shows the hope he found that right would prevail. Henry loved his wife, Fannie, and it was hard on him when she died. Her death was the result of getting her clothes caught on fire while, with hot wax, she was sealing an envelope. Hot wax had fallen onto her dress. Before Fannie noticed what had happened, it had been fanned into a flame by some wind coming from an open window of their house. Henry tried to put the fire out. First he attempted to do that with a rug, then he tried to put out the hot flames with his own …show more content…

Death and injuries in the family weighed upon him. But the poem he wrote on Christmas Day in 1863 shows the hope he found that right would prevail. Henry loved his wife, Fannie, and it was hard on him when she died. Her death was the result of getting her clothes caught on fire while, with hot wax, she was sealing an envelope. Hot wax had fallen onto her dress. Before Fannie noticed what had happened, it had been fanned into a flame by some wind coming from an open window of their house. Henry tried to put the fire out. First he attempted to do that with a rug, then he tried to put out the hot flames with his own body. But Fannie passed away the next day, and because of his own burn injuries and also his grief over his loss, Henry was not able to attend her funeral. Because of facial burns, Henry grew a beard to help hide the marks. Then two years later, Henry’s son Charley left home to fight in the Civil War but didn’t ask for permission to do so from his father. When Henry was questioned by Captain W. H. McCartney when Charley was trying to apply as to whether he could be a soldier, Henry gave permission for him to do

Show More
Related
886 Words | 4 Pages

At the moment Henry thought that it was the right choice to fight for the independence, although getting independence seemed highly impossible. Yet he fought because life without liberty was no way to live. He thought there was no point of living a life where we are being governed by other people. We cannot do things per our will. We would have to follow others’ rules and regulations on how we should live a life.

Read More
431 Words | 2 Pages

After the assailant inflicted the wounds on her, he set fire to her bed. The room filled with smoke which alerted the townsfolk, Helen's body was recovered but one side of her was badly burned.

Read More
555 Words | 3 Pages

At that moment, he began to speak his zenith “Liberty or Death” speech. In 1777, Henry ended his mourning period by marrying Dorothea Spotswood

Read More
1058 Words | 5 Pages

According to Vaughn, “Henry gave ‘unwearied endeavors to serve the freedom and happiness of our common country’” (Vaughn, 1997, p.

Read More
880 Words | 4 Pages

In the beginning of the story Henrys doubt and struggle to find courage seriously affects his faith in himself. He joined the army because he was drawn to the glory of military conflict; considering war a sort of accessory. In the book it states, “He had read of marches, sieges, conflicts, and he had longed to see it all.

Read More
794 Words | 4 Pages

One day while the kids were at school and Velma went to the laundromat , she returned to find her house on fire and Thomas died from smoke inhalation . Velma’s suffering appeared short after another misfortune continued. A few months after Thomas died another fire broke out this time destroying the home. Later Velma and her children fled to Velma’s parents and waited for the insurance check.

Read More
1145 Words | 5 Pages

In chapter seven, Jim told him that if the regiment fought, he would fight too. This is what he did and by doing so, was mortally wounded. Henry looks up to Jim and appreciates his bravery. Another event that had a large effect on Henry was the battle in chapter seventeen. In this chapter we see a whole new side of Henry that we have never seen before.

Read More
921 Words | 4 Pages

This is a clear sign that Henry was not prepared to enlist in the war and was. A true hero would have stayed through it all and would have never given up. At the beginning of the story when only wanted to go against what his mother said, he was immature and misunderstanding. Henry’s mother told him, “Henry, don’t be a fool” (Crane 4). Even though his mother attempted change his mind, the next morning he set out to enlist.

Read More
530 Words | 3 Pages

One day, she got hungry and decided to make herself a hot dog. Her mother was in another room, completely oblivious to what was happening in the kitchen, so when things went south for Jeannette, Rose Mary was not quick to jump to the rescue. Even after Rose Mary saw that her daughter was on fire, she moved slowly as if nothing was wrong. Rose Mary took her time while walking to the neighbor’s house to ask to borrow their car. Jeannette recalls that the neighbor was more panicked about the situation than Rose Mary.

Read More
917 Words | 4 Pages

He would run away and hide out in the woods. Just to avoid the war. This was extremely cowardice of him and selfish. Once he got over that fear of dying, Henry set an example for all to hear his story. He ran in the front line across the battlefield as a soldier.

Read More
961 Words | 4 Pages

When the fire is attempted to be put out by neighbors with a tub of water and tomatoes, it only makes things worse, “The water did put out the flames, but it also made steam, which seared to sealing all that was left of the beautiful Hannah Peace” (76). Unlike with Plum, who had water (kerosene) poured on him to start a fire, Hannah’s fire is put out by water. Nonetheless, destruction and death follow when Plum burns to death and Hannah’s death is accelerated from the water’s steam. This showcases how even when putting out a fire, water acted as a dangerous element, harming Hannah in the end.

Read More
1186 Words | 5 Pages

“Only two weeks ago, he had beaten fwadaus for spilling a pitcher of milk. She’d fallen and hit her head, knocking herself unconsciously for thirty seconds. She’d come to still lying on the floor as her uncle was shouting at her auntie not to help her.” This shows how physical abuse of her uncle pushed fwadaus to take bad decision of burning her

Read More
789 Words | 4 Pages

The Envious Friend Jealously drives people to unthinkable and incomprehensible actions that is understood least of all by those responsible for it. John Knowles wrote a novel called A Separate Peace that takes place in New Hampshire. Gene, the narrator of A Separate Peace, is a conformist, genius, but envious southern boy that plays an important part in this novel. A Separate Peace depicts how Gene’s envy and imitation of Finny affect him, his relationship with Finny, and his achievement of peace.

Read More
458 Words | 2 Pages

The soldiers the books talk about are both from the north, so we never truly understand what the southern soldiers are thinking or going through. Henry and Charley were both volunteers for the union. The soldiers, both had injuries, even though they got them in different ways they still had injuries while being it the union army. Where there are so many resemblances that this is what it is like for most of the soldiers.

Read More
254 Words | 2 Pages

In Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, ‘The Bells’, he repeats the word ‘bells’ over and over again. Why does he do this? Does the repetition have a clear purpose, or was it perhaps a whim? In as early as the first stanza, we can see the repetition of the word ‘bells’.

Read More

More about The Story Behind I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day

Related Topics

Open Document