telling the bees is a poem about which of the following course hero

What is the structure of the poem tell the Bees?

The Poem. Originally published as “The Bees of Fernside,” “Telling the Bees” is a poem of fourteen quatrains, or stanzas of four lines each. Each stanza displays abab rhyming, which means that the first line rhymes with the third and the second line with the fourth, a typical pattern for a ballad.

What was the purpose of the telling of the Bees?

Telling the bees. The telling of the bees is a traditional European custom in which bees would be told of important events in their keeper's lives, such as births, marriages, or departures and returns in the household. If the custom was omitted or forgotten and the bees were not "put into mourning" then it was believed a penalty would be paid,...

Why did Whittier include a note about “telling the Bees”?

That Whittier felt it necessary to include a note about this tradition indicates that, even in the mid-nineteen-century, the tradition of “telling the bees” was fading.

What is the rhyme scheme of tell the Bees?

Originally published as “The Bees of Fernside,” “Telling the Bees” is a poem of fourteen quatrains, or stanzas of four lines each. Each stanza displays abab rhyming, which means that the first line rhymes with the third and the second line with the fourth, a typical pattern for a ballad.

What is the tradition of telling the bees?

Yet it is in mourning rather that in nuptial celebrations that the tradition of telling the bees lingers. “Telling the bees” resonates in the poetry of twentieth-century confessional poet Sylvia Plath’s “bee poems,” a poetic sequence in her collection, Ariel.

How long is the story of telling the bees?

7 minutes. While most common in the nineteenth century, the practice of “telling the bees” about significant life events endures, albeit in a different form, to the present day. The most pervasive and affecting depiction of this tradition can be found in the New England Quaker writer John Greenleaf Whittier’s 1858 poem “ Telling the Bees .”.

Why do bees drape their hives with black cloth?

It occurred to their new owner that they hadn’t been properly put into mourning after the death of their former owner. He decided to drape the hive with black cloth, and soon after he did, the bees regained their health. There are also tales of entire bee colonies dying if the family failed to notify them of a death.

What were the bees hanging from the ceiling of the funeral tent?

As the funeral procession reached the grave, the mourners discovered swarms of bees hanging placidly from the ceiling of the tent “and clinging to floral sprays. They did not annoy the mourners—just remained immobile.”.

Why were bees important to the rituals of a wedding?

The bees were in fact so integral to human rituals that Cole notes of a wedding: “The little workers were to be informed of the event , and receive a bit of wedding cake. ”. The hives were sometimes adorned with flowers to celebrate the proceedings.

What is the tradition of decorating bee hives for weddings?

Morley (the Victorian biologist) observes that, in Brittany, it was traditional to decorate the hives for wedding celebrations with scarlet cloth, while in Westphalia, Germany, the newlyweds must introduce themselves to the bees or else they will have an unlucky marriage.

What does it mean to tell the bees?

While the traditions varied from country to country, “ telling the bees ” always involved notifying the insects of a death in the family —so that the bees could share in the mourning. This generally entailed draping each hive with black crepe or some other “shred of black.”.

What is the tradition of telling bees?

Telling the bees is a traditional custom of many European countries in which bees would be told of important events in their keeper's lives, such as births, marriages, or departures and returns in the household. If the custom was omitted or forgotten and the bees were not "put into mourning" then it was believed ...

Where did the term "bees" come from?

History and origins. Little is known about the origins of this practice, although there is some unfounded speculation that it is loosely derived from or perhaps inspired by ancient Aegean notions about bees' ability to bridge the natural world with the afterlife.

What is the custom of burying bees in Pyrenees?

In some parts of the Pyrenees, one custom includes "burying an old garment belonging to the deceased under the bench where the bee-hives stand, and they never sell, give away, nor exchange the bees of the dead.".

When did bees decorate their hives?

The decoration of hives appears to date to the early 19th century.

Do bees tell happy events?

Although the practice of telling the bees is most commonly associated with funerals, there are also certain regions in which the bees are to be told of happy events of the family, particularly weddings. In Westphalia, Germany, one custom held that newly married couples going to their new home must first introduce themselves to ...

Who wrote the book of New England legends and folk lore?

The process is described in 1901 work of Samuel Adams Drake A book of New England legends and folk lore in prose and poetry:

Can bees be invited to a funeral?

Bees could also be invited to the funeral . In cases where the beekeeper had died, food and drink from the funeral would also be left by the hive for the bees, including the funeral biscuits and wine. The hive would also be lifted a few inches and put down again at the same time as the coffin.

A Sweet Movie

This poem comes from the new movie called “ Tell It to the Bees ”, that is based on old folklore that even traces back to classical times, documented in Greek Anthology and the Middle Ages.

Some Sweet History

Many of my honeybee books have mentionings about “telling the bees.” In the book “ Bees ” by Candace Savage, she includes a poem by Katharine Tynan from 1918: