Hope is the thing with feathers...
The Emily Dickinson poem below is my mother's personal mantra and my favorite Dickinson poem as well. Have a look and read the question that 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,
It asked a crumb of me.
Please pick one of the metaphors in this poem (essentially, you can pick any line here) and explain your interpretation of it. Please also explain to what extent you agree/disagree with Dickinson's interpretation of hope. Feel free to incorporate any personal stories to back up your thoughts.
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.
Please pick one of the metaphors in this poem (essentially, you can pick any line here) and explain your interpretation of it. Please also explain to what extent you agree/disagree with Dickinson's interpretation of hope. Feel free to incorporate any personal stories to back up your thoughts.
posted by Kristin L at 2:46 PM
9 Comments:
“And sings the tune--without the words." I think that this metaphor is saying that hope can’t be seen or represented, like words can be, but it is always there. It never stops singing, and carries the same tune, for your entire life. It is always there for you to fall back on. I agree with Dickinson’s interpretation of hope, because hope never asks for anything in return. It is always there giving when you need something to rely on. When no one else is there, there is always hope that it will get better, because eventually, it can’t get any worse. No matter who you are, or where you are, hope will always accompany you.
I, like Amber, really liked the line(s): And the sweetest in the gale is heard;/And sore must be the storm/That could abash the little bird/That kept so many warm. I also agree that the little bird is hope. I think that what Emily Dickinson is trying to get across by these lines is that it takes a LOT to "abash the little bird", and so hope will go on. I agree with her on that, because no matter how much it seems like all is lost, you find that all you need to do is open your eyes, and everything looks a little brighter (more hopeful).
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“Hope is the thing with feathers/ that perches in the soul…” this line caught my attention. It exemplifies that hope is not concrete and can escape at any moment with out a word. To me feathers seem silent and allow a bird to float away. The little bird is hope that is naïve to the pains and sorrows of the world looking for no approval. I agree with this because hope seems to come and go and is from both extremes, shallow and uncertain, and profound and definite.
I, like Karla, like the lines, “I’ve heard it in the chillest land, / And on the stangest sea.” I think these lines are saying that hope can be found anywhere. It doesn’t matter where a person is or who they are. Hope can inspire anyone. It can come in strange situations. Hope comes when it knows a person needs it. All a person has to do is look for it. It will never go away if a person doesn’t want it to. I agree with this poem. It is a great description of hope.
"Yet, never, in extremity, / It asked a crumb of me". Out of all the lines within this poem, I felt the strongest connection with this one. Through this line I believe it sums up the essence of hope. Hope is not a tangible thing it's something many of us rely on to get through each passing day. With that in mind, this line is saying that even in the toughest times of life, hope is always there as a crutch or a shoulder to lean on without asking for anything in return. It's comforting to know such a thing exists. I most definitely agree with Dickinson's interpretation of hope. I think that the way she describes it as an untouchable but easily attainable "thing" is right on the money. Also the way she talks about how it keeps people warm and is accessible even in the darkest times brings me a unique comfort that I never realized hope had until reading this poem.
The first line is this poem is, "Hope is the thing with feathers--That perches in the soul". This line in the poem is the one that I understood the most. I interpreted this line as Emily Dickenson saying that no matter what happens in life or the hardships that you go through, you will always have hopes and dreams. I think that she was saying that you should try to reach your hopes and dreams. I think she refereed to hope as a bird because hope can be something that can make you sore to great heights.
“I’ve heard it in the chillest land, And on the strangest sea” is my pick for best lines and I agree with the people that say that these lines signify that hope can be found anywhere. I also think that hope is never lost either it is just out there in YOUR own sea and we must not let our hope get stranded out at sea. Partially because a rescue team costs a lot of money these days, but also we need all hope with us at all times.
"Hope is a thing with feathers..." this line jumped out to me. It symbolizes hope with a bird. It can be beautiful like and angel and soar in the clouds and be respected by many and wanted by all. It can bring up your spirits and make you feel good. On the other hand, hope can be like a volture. Hated by all and all fear it. It can be ugly when it lets you down and lets you fall to the dirt. "Hope is a thing with feathers"
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