Conceit in Dickinson's poetry
Analyzing the technique of ‘conceit’ in ‘Hope’ by Emily Dickinson
Poem: “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 - I’ve heard it in the chillest land - And on the strangest Sea - Yet - never - in Extremity, It asked a crumb - of me. ( Franklin, R.W. 1999 [1891])
The metaphor is a literary figure that consists on saying something that is not literally true, but communicates something that is true. There are different varieties of metaphor and ways to convey meanings. A metaphor can be considered as carrying over or as transference, also metaphors
have been seen as arguments, creative acts or just decoration. The intended meaning in the metaphor is called ‘tenor’ and the term that is used with connotations to create an image is called
‘vehicle’. The interaction between vehicle and tenor evokes a meaning. One of the functions of metaphors is to evoke an aesthetic or emotional effect, even when in some cases it is required certain background knowledge and imagination for a better understanding. Among the different varieties of metaphor, the one analyzed here, the ‘conceit’ owns its singularity to its main basis as an extended kind of metaphor, consisting on comparing two elements that otherwise would not have been considered any similar. Usually many conceits prevail in poetry and are used in other cases. What conceits do is mixing and transforming ideas and images in non-expected ways. In the case of the poem ‘Hope’ the conceit works as the central theme of the poem, consisting on a complex comparison between an abstract and a concrete idea. The idea of hope works as the tenor of the metaphor, the main element, while the image or idea of a
Poem: “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 - I’ve heard it in the chillest land - And on the strangest Sea - Yet - never - in Extremity, It asked a crumb - of me. ( Franklin, R.W. 1999 [1891])
The metaphor is a literary figure that consists on saying something that is not literally true, but communicates something that is true. There are different varieties of metaphor and ways to convey meanings. A metaphor can be considered as carrying over or as transference, also metaphors
have been seen as arguments, creative acts or just decoration. The intended meaning in the metaphor is called ‘tenor’ and the term that is used with connotations to create an image is called
‘vehicle’. The interaction between vehicle and tenor evokes a meaning. One of the functions of metaphors is to evoke an aesthetic or emotional effect, even when in some cases it is required certain background knowledge and imagination for a better understanding. Among the different varieties of metaphor, the one analyzed here, the ‘conceit’ owns its singularity to its main basis as an extended kind of metaphor, consisting on comparing two elements that otherwise would not have been considered any similar. Usually many conceits prevail in poetry and are used in other cases. What conceits do is mixing and transforming ideas and images in non-expected ways. In the case of the poem ‘Hope’ the conceit works as the central theme of the poem, consisting on a complex comparison between an abstract and a concrete idea. The idea of hope works as the tenor of the metaphor, the main element, while the image or idea of a
Bibliography: Source texts: Dickinson, Emily 1999 [1891]. ‘Hope’ Reprinted in R. W. Franklin. The Poems of Emily Dickinson. New York: Harvard University Press (1999). Research on the topic: Baym, Nina. (4th ed.) The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2437-2443. Hawkes, T. ‘Metaphor: The Critical Idiom.’ London: Methuen (1972). Internet 1: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gale . Consulted 02.01.2014