As a subject matter expert in literature, I can provide insight into the phrase "For whom the bell tolls."

The phrase "For whom the bell tolls" is a metaphorical expression that suggests a sense of shared mortality and interconnectedness. It originates from the work of the English poet John Donne in his work "Devotions upon Emergent Occasions," specifically from the line, "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main." Donne's meditation continues with the idea that when a bell tolls for a funeral, it is a reminder that each person is part of the larger human community and that the death of one is a diminishment to all.

This concept was later popularized by Ernest Hemingway in his novel titled "For Whom the Bell Tolls," which is set during the Spanish Civil War. In the context of the novel, the phrase underscores the theme of the interconnectedness of all people and the impact that individual actions can have on others.

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for whom the bell tolls definition. An expression from a sermon by John Donne. Donne says that because we are all part of mankind, any person's death is a loss to all of us: ��Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.��read more >>