Hope is the thing with feathers - (314)

BY EMILY DICKINSON
Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops - at all And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard And sore must be the storm That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm Ive heard it in the chillest land And on the strangest Sea Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
Introduction
Emily Dickinson was a reclusive American poet. Unrecognized in
her own time, Dickinson is known posthumously for her unusual
use of form and syntax.
Born on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts, Emily
Dickinson left school as a teenager to live a reclusive life on the
family homestead. There, she filled notebooks with poetry and
wrote hundreds of letters. Dickinson's remarkable work was
published after her deathon May 15, 1886, in Amherstand she
is now considered one of the towering figures of American
literature.
Because Emily Dickinson lived much of her life inside, her poetry
focuses on her inner struggles.
Dickinson defines hope by comparing it to a bird (a metaphor) .
Dickinson is using metaphor of a small bird to carry her point that
hope stays alive within us despite all of our troubles and, like a
small bird that sings in the face of the strongest wind and most

powerful storm, hope never asks for anything from us--it is just
there to help us when we need it.
Stanza one
Hope is a "thing" because it is a feeling; the thing/feeling is like a
bird. Dickinson uses the standard dictionary format for a
definition; first she places the word in a general category
("thing"), and then she differentiates it from everything else in
that category. For instance, the definition of a cat would run
something like this: a cat is a mammal (the first part of the
definition places it in a category); the rest of the definition would
be "which is nocturnal, fur-bearing, hunts at night, has pointed
ears, etc. (the second part of the definition differentiates the cat
from other all mammals).
How would hope "perch," and why does it perch in the soul? As
you read this poem, keep in mind that the subject is hope and
that the bird metaphor is only defining hope. Whatever is being
said of the bird applies to hope, and the application to hope is
Dickinson's point in this poem.
The bird "sings." Is this a good or a bad thing? The tune is
"without words." Is hope a matter of words, or is it a feeling about
the future, a feeling which consists both of desire and
expectation? Psychologically, is it true that hope never fails us,
that hope is always possible?
Stanza two
Why is hope "sweetest" during a storm? When do we most need
hope, when things are going well or when they are going badly?
Sore is being used in the sense of very great or severe; abash
means to make ashamed, embarrassed, or self-conscious.
Essentially only the most extreme or impossible-to-escape storm
would affect the bird/hope. If the bird is "abashed" what would
happen to the individual's hope? In a storm, would being "kept
warm" be a plus or a minus, an advantage or a disadvantage?
Stanza three
What kind of place would "chillest" land be? Would you want to
vacation there, for instance? Yet in this coldest land, hope kept
the individual warm. Is keeping the speaker warm a desirable or

an undesirable act in these circumstances? Is "the strangest sea"

a desirable or undesirable place to be? Would you need hope
there? The bird, faithful and unabashed, follows and sings to the
speaker ("I've heard it") under the worst, the most threatening of
circumstances.
The last two lines are introduced by "Yet." What kind of
connection does "yet" establish with the preceding ideas/stanzas?
Does it lead you to expect similarity, contrast, an example, an
irrelevancy, a joke? Even in the most critical circumstances the
bird never asked for even a "crumb" in return for its support.
What are the associations with "crumb"? would you be satisfied if
your employer offered you "a crumb" in payment for your work?
Also, is "a crumb" appropriate for a bird?
Themes
Hope is frail, but strong.
The words feathers and little show the frail physical side
to the bird and hope. But hope, like the bird, cannot be
defeated. It can survive any climate or extremity, no matter
how severe.
Hope never fades.
Hope always appears in the soul, no matter what the crisis.
Dickinson shows this in the fourth line: and never stopsat
all. Hope is faithful.
Hope is unselfish
Hope never asks for anything in return, not even a crumb
Hope is brave and fearless.
The bravery of the bird is evident because it shows up in all
climates, whether stormy or chilly. This shows that hope will
always appear, no matter how much danger or despair
torments the human spirit.
Dickinson rejoices that hope is always present
The use of an endless song to stand for hope is a form of
celebration.
Style
Analogy: Analogy is a parallel situation which continues over a
number of lines. In this poem, the bird stands for hope. The words
feathers, perches, sings, and crumb show that the bird

image continues throughout the poem. Analogy is a form of

continuous comparison.
Symbol: The bird is also a symbol for the optimism of the soul, as
it refuses to surrender to despair.
Contrast: The sweet sound of the bird contrasts with the harsh
sounds of the storm or gale. Sore and sweetest are a good
example of dissimilarity or contrast.
Punctuation: Dashes allow the reader time to think and feel, like
after the first line. The reader tries hard to imagine feathers stuck
to hope. This seems weird until the words perches and sings
reveal the image of a bird. The dashes create the impression of a
struggling voice, as if a violent wind is carrying some of the words
away from the listeners ear. The dashes help to make the poets
voice in the poem seem remote or distant, as if she is speaking
from another dimension.
Simple diction: Even though the word order is strange, most of
the words are simple. They consist mainly of one or sometimes
two syllables. The first stanza illustrates this. The simple diction or
word choice shows the down-to-earth nature of hope. The only
word, extremity, that breaks this pattern is a good word choice
because it shows the difficulties that hope can overcome.
Tone: There are tones of mystery, respect, praise and
amazement. Overall, the tone or attitude of the poet is
reassuring.
Atmosphere: There are some frightening and creepy images of
harsh climates, like strangest sea, in the poem. But the bird and
hope overcome this and provide an optimistic mood overall.
Dickinson succeeds in creating a haunting atmosphere with the
wordless tune of the bird and its sudden arrival as it perches in
the soul.
Alliteration: Phrases like strangest Sea and without the words
create music in the poem and strengthen the impact of the
images.