Help analyzing this poem?

Question

This is the poem.I need to write a paper on it:
Ringing The Bells
bye Anne Sexton
And this is the way they ring
the bells in Bedlam
and this is the bell-lady
who comes each Tuesday morning
to give us a music lesson
and because the attendants make you go
and because we mind by instinct,
like bees caught in the wrong hive,
we are the circle of the crazy ladies
who sit in the lounge of the mental house
and smile at the smiling woman
who passes us each a bell,
who points at my hand
that holds my bell, E flat,
and this is the grey dress next to me
who grumbles as if it were special
to be old, to be old,
and this is the small hunched squirrel girl
on the other side of me
who picks at the hairs over her lip,
who picks at the hairs over her lip all day,
and this is how the bells really sound,
as untroubled and clean
as a workable kitchen,
and this is always my bell responding
to my hand that responds to the lady
who points at me, E flat;
and although we are no better for it,
they tell you to go. And you do.

Please help. I don't know where I can find analysis on this poem, and I'm sort of confused about it.

Answer 1

The author is in a mental institution (lounge of the mental house) and commenting on probably a recreational activity (music lesson) of a bell chorus. (every Tuesday morning)

She fails to indicate any emotion about it but seems to be responding because she knows that a response is required. She may be on medication and unable to give any other response(we mind by instinct)

There are women in a circle with a leader. When they are pointed to by the leader, they ring their bell. ( the authors bell is e flat) of this she is consciously aware

She allows the reader to know that there are some strange and mundane behavior and attire among the women (a woman who picks at the hair over her lip all day-senseless repetitive motion) (hunched girl may be scared or deformed) ( person in grey dress/probably old and grumbling)

Author does not see how this activity helps any of them but does it anyway perhaps she has given up trying to make sense out of why they must participate. (caught in the wrong bee hive)( attendants make you go)

She has written this to possible sources of help for person in mental institutions. She wants something meaningful to be done with their care that makes sense to help them, not just pass away the time. The tone is grave, somber, and fleeting as she must move to the next activity and is unsure how long this clarity of thought ( untroubled and clean sounding) will be with her. As, for the most part, the only acceptable behavior is doing as you are told.

It raises a lot of question about what she did not say and why, when your every move is observed and monitored.

This is sad but true. She wanted you to feel her desperation and despondency. Maybe you can figure out a way to help.

Hope that helps.

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Answer 2

The scene of this poem is a bell choir in a mental institution.
The woman writing the poem is clearly insane.
There is no defined meter or rhyme scheme as I see it.

The rhythm of the poem is interesting because of the way that the start of so many lines begin with "who," "and," "that," and "to." So the form that the poet has chosen sounds like the natural rhythm of an insane person talking. The lines are short and choppy giving it a sort of fractured feel to the poem. The only simile in the poem comes in the eighth line so there is a realism that is brought forth by the poet. I very much like poetry that shows the reader a fractured reality without much commentary on it. So if there is a deeper metaphor being presented I certainly don't detect it.

Anne Sexton was a poet who suffered from mental disease and took her own life. So it might be hard to separate her life and her poetry. SInce I don't know what the scope of your paper is and I don't know if this fact will help you.

I hope this is a good start.

Thanks for the question.

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