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Poetry Analysis

“Hope” is the thing with feathers​

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 -

 

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

​

By: Emily Dickinson

 

When I read this poem, the first image I get is people all around the world holding on to hope. This poem refers to hope as something that has feathers, can sing, and perch. This implies that hope is bird-like, and leads me to believe that the bird is the main metaphor in the poem. The mood and tone of this poem is a thoughtful thankfulness. This is displayed through the whole poem, but the last two lines really exhibit this, “Yet-never in Extremity, It asked a crumb-of me.” This poem also refers to a “storm” that could abash the bird. I think the storm is also a metaphor for people in the world that crush peoples’ hope. The message I think this poem sends to readers is that you should always have hope, and that hope is everywhere. I got this message in the lines,”That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm” and “I’ve heard it in the chillest land-And on the strangest sea.” These lines help to show that hope helps many people, and that hope can be found anywhere.

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