Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,
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.
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.
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
By comparing hope to a bird, Dickinson is able to describe an abstract idea with a concrete example. Hope is a bird and its sweet song is the voice of hope. Hope is described as a precious and essential element in life as it selflessly provides warmth to people. Despite of this poem's simplicity in its structure and vocabulary, the ideas mentioned have a much deeper meaning. With her straightfoward style, Dickinson encourages the readers to always keep an optimistic attitude even when faced with obstacles in life.
The last sentence stating that Dickinson encourages keeping an optimistic attitude during trying times is absolutely spot on. On the last assessment we had, we analyzed another poem written by her. The theme was also an enlightening one that speaks of the brighter side, as this poem seems to portray. I think that may have been a reflection of her own personal outlook on life.
ReplyDelete-A. Pruett
I admire Emily Dickinson's poems because so far out of the poems that we have read, her poems always stay positive. I like that she tries to give people life lessons or advice through her poems. Her diction is perfect to get the idea that hope is an essential aspect of our lives. She is able to show a good point of view on all aspects of life.
ReplyDelete-Amanda A.
That is a great poem. Hope truly does give people warmth and enables them to have a different outlook towards life. It's great you were able to connect with a wonderful poem by a great author.
ReplyDelete-Destiny O.
I did this poem for the poetry video and I'll say that when I read this poem, it gave me hope. No pun intended. I really like how Emily conveys hope as a bird because a bird symbolizes freedom.
ReplyDelete-Richard Won
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