Hope Is The Thing With Feathers By Emily Dickinson
Hope is a recurring topic found all throughout history. It is found in the ancient tale of Pandora and her box, where hope is the only good thing that comes out of the box, as well as the “I Have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr, telling of his hope for a nondiscriminatory world. Hope also is the topic of Emily Dickinson’s poem titled “Hope is the Thing with Feathers,” which goes as follows:
'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, …show more content…
It asked a crumb—of Me.
In addition, to further understand this poem, one can look at Dickinson’s life and how it is reflected in this poem.
She was born on December 10, 1830 as Emily Elizabeth Dickinson in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her paternal grandfather, Samuel Dickinson, was well known as the founder of Amherst College. Her father worked at Amherst and served as a state legislator and her mother was Emily Norcross. Emily Elizabeth had two siblings, an older brother William Austin and a younger sister Lavinia Norcross.
Emily Dickinson received her education at Amherst Academy (now Amherst College) for seven years and the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary for one year. She was an excellent student, despite missing much of the school year due to illness and depression. She left the seminary in 1848 after 1 year of staying there, and it is believed that her depression and sickness caused her departure from school.
Dickinson only shared select poems with close friends, but she was not publicly recognized during her lifetime. The first volume of her work was published in 1890 after her death in Amherst in 1886 from Bright’s …show more content…
disease.
Analysis: This poem metaphorically compares Hope to a bird.
The lines “sings the tune without the words/And never stops at all” symbolizes Hope as something someone feels, no matter what circumstance they are facing. The second stanza says Hope is most intensely felt in a “storm,” in other words, times of despair. When Dickinson says “the little Bird/That kept so many warm,” she implies that Hope gives people comfort. In the third stanza, she says she has heard it everywhere “in the chillest land and strangest sea” meaning Hope is universal, and everyone can feel it, and that seems to be the theme of the poem as well. Keeping in mind the metaphor of a bird, the last line suggests that Hope gives without asking for anything in return, not even a crumb. The overall tone seems to be in respect or in awe of Hope because Hope helps people in numerous ways without anyone having to do anything in return for Hope. The rhyming pattern changes in each stanza. The first one is of an ABCB pattern, the second is an ABAB, and the final one is an ABBB. The first word of most of the lines of the poem is “and” which emphasizes the multiple qualities of
Hope.
Dickinson’s poetry was heavily influenced by the Metaphysical poetry of seventeenth-century England, which dealt with abstract concepts like time and existence. In this poem, she deals with the abstract concept of Hope. Her upbringing in a Puritan New England town, which encouraged a Calvinist, orthodox, and conservative approach to life may have influenced the depressing part of her poem, because she didn’t believe in these conventional ideas, and therefore, thought she was bad and sinful. Dickinson lived much of her life in reclusion, so her poetry focuses on her inner struggles.
Dickinson’s poetry was heavily influenced by her upbringing in a Puritan New England town, which encouraged a Calvinist, orthodox, and conservative approach to life may have influenced the depressing part of her poem, because she didn’t believe in these conventional ideas, and therefore, thought she was bad and sinful. Dickinson lived much of her life in reclusion, so her poetry focuses on her inner struggles.
Dickinson’s life and surroundings had an immense effect on her distinct poetic style. Poems such as “Hope is the Thing with Feathers,” have indeed continued to influence later poetry.
'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, …show more content…
It asked a crumb—of Me.
In addition, to further understand this poem, one can look at Dickinson’s life and how it is reflected in this poem.
She was born on December 10, 1830 as Emily Elizabeth Dickinson in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her paternal grandfather, Samuel Dickinson, was well known as the founder of Amherst College. Her father worked at Amherst and served as a state legislator and her mother was Emily Norcross. Emily Elizabeth had two siblings, an older brother William Austin and a younger sister Lavinia Norcross.
Emily Dickinson received her education at Amherst Academy (now Amherst College) for seven years and the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary for one year. She was an excellent student, despite missing much of the school year due to illness and depression. She left the seminary in 1848 after 1 year of staying there, and it is believed that her depression and sickness caused her departure from school.
Dickinson only shared select poems with close friends, but she was not publicly recognized during her lifetime. The first volume of her work was published in 1890 after her death in Amherst in 1886 from Bright’s …show more content…
disease.
Analysis: This poem metaphorically compares Hope to a bird.
The lines “sings the tune without the words/And never stops at all” symbolizes Hope as something someone feels, no matter what circumstance they are facing. The second stanza says Hope is most intensely felt in a “storm,” in other words, times of despair. When Dickinson says “the little Bird/That kept so many warm,” she implies that Hope gives people comfort. In the third stanza, she says she has heard it everywhere “in the chillest land and strangest sea” meaning Hope is universal, and everyone can feel it, and that seems to be the theme of the poem as well. Keeping in mind the metaphor of a bird, the last line suggests that Hope gives without asking for anything in return, not even a crumb. The overall tone seems to be in respect or in awe of Hope because Hope helps people in numerous ways without anyone having to do anything in return for Hope. The rhyming pattern changes in each stanza. The first one is of an ABCB pattern, the second is an ABAB, and the final one is an ABBB. The first word of most of the lines of the poem is “and” which emphasizes the multiple qualities of
Hope.
Dickinson’s poetry was heavily influenced by the Metaphysical poetry of seventeenth-century England, which dealt with abstract concepts like time and existence. In this poem, she deals with the abstract concept of Hope. Her upbringing in a Puritan New England town, which encouraged a Calvinist, orthodox, and conservative approach to life may have influenced the depressing part of her poem, because she didn’t believe in these conventional ideas, and therefore, thought she was bad and sinful. Dickinson lived much of her life in reclusion, so her poetry focuses on her inner struggles.
Dickinson’s poetry was heavily influenced by her upbringing in a Puritan New England town, which encouraged a Calvinist, orthodox, and conservative approach to life may have influenced the depressing part of her poem, because she didn’t believe in these conventional ideas, and therefore, thought she was bad and sinful. Dickinson lived much of her life in reclusion, so her poetry focuses on her inner struggles.
Dickinson’s life and surroundings had an immense effect on her distinct poetic style. Poems such as “Hope is the Thing with Feathers,” have indeed continued to influence later poetry.