Emily Dickinson Hope

“Hope is the thing with feathers” Analysis In Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Hope is the thing with feathers”, the author establishes hope as an eternal symbol in trying times. Dickinson writes that hope is everlasting in “the gale” (paragraph 1), “the storm” (paragraph 2), and “the chillest land” (paragraph 3). Initially, hope is personified as a “thing with feathers / that perches in the soul” (paragraph 1) instead of a bird because hope is not synonymous with a bird; hope is always there, becoming part of the person, unlike a bird which could fly away. For instance, hope is “sweetest in the gale” (paragraph 2) because hope does its best in the winds of life; hope lingers in a person despite the challenge. Furthermore, during “the storm” (paragraph
2) hope, “which kept so many warm” (paragraph 2) prevails. Hope is always present in the soul of a person during times of adversity. Lastly, the author has heard that in “the chillest land” (paragraph 3), places where hope could diminish, it has never asked for anything. Hope is attainable and never asks for anything in return. Hope has outlasted the winds and storms of life and the places where hope appears to be lost.