Can you imagine life with out hope?
I think Emily Dickinson may have used hope a lot in her life and that’s why she wrote this wonderful poem, to inspire those without hope to give them a perspective from a beautiful bird that hope can change your life in any way you dream it.
I choose to analyze the famous poem “hope” by Emily Dickinson, Such an interesting and mysterious poet she lived her entire life in Amherst, Massachusetts, only two of her poems where published in her life time, she died in 1886, she was never married and live most of her life as a recluse.
In this poem Dickinson uses imagery and metaphors to describe, “hope is the thing with feathers.”
Stanza One
In the poem “hope” is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson, I love how Dickson compared the idea of hope as a bird or “feather” I think the feather symbolizes freedom as in with hope you can fly away and be free, it examines the ideas of hope as a free spirit. She uses an imaginary metaphor to describe why hope is the thing with feathers.
In the first line she uses a bird to create a clear image of a free spirit, a bird flying freely reaching what ever it wants, by using hope as a bird this metaphor is saying if you have hope you can fly to where ever it is you dream of. By giving hope feathers it gives the reader an idea or illusion of hope flying freely. By hope having feathers it is like a free home, flying to a new place.
The Essay on Skid Row Poem Birds Long
In the spring of 1950 my Guggenheim Fellowship ran out, and I found myself on Skid Row. I had two choices open to me: I could enter a religious order or go back to my job. I approached the Benedictines and then the Franciscans, but nothing jelled with either of them. From their point of view, I was too new a Catholic-before undertaking religious life the Church prefers a two year interim after ...
In the second line that says “That perches in the soul” I believe she means the hope comes from the spirit, from very deep down in your heart. She is using another metaphor comparing a bird sitting on its perch, as our spirit is or where hope sits.
In the third line where Dickinson speaks of singing a tune without words, that never stops at all, I see the song as being hope, that the bird is continuously singing its praise of hope even without knowing the words or the meaning of the song, giving us all hope that even if we don’t know the song or the words we too can sing a song of hope.
Ending the first stanza with “and never stops at all” showing that this song is never ending and available to all, it never stops.
Stanza Two
“And sweetest in the gale is heard” tells of the birds song as the sweetest of all songs, “And sore must be the storm” showing that when we need hope the most, through the worst of life’s storms, we can still hear that sweet song of hope.
In line seven Dickinson shows that without hope we could be crushed by the storm, again showing a metaphor. I believe it means that without hope you would be without wings, no way to soar above your conflicts or hope of escaping, without hope its like you have a broken wing and cannot fly anywhere.
The antagonist of the poem is the one who could abash the little bird, taking away all hope, representing problems of the world the negativity, stress, financial, relationship difficulty’s of everyday life, being the hammer bearing down on us, causing pain and discomfort.
In line eight that says “That kept so many warm” means that hope has brought people through a lot of things, through the cold and hurtful times. Hope is like a blanket in the winter you need it to stay warm without it you will freeze to death.
Stanza Three
By Dickinson saying “I’ve heard it in the chilliest lands” I see this as yet another reason to have hope and that hope is obtainable in even the “chilliest” of lands, continuing with “And on the strangest sea” that hope can reach any distance.
As Dickinson ends her poem with “Yet, never, in extremity, it asked a crumb of me.” Dickinson shows us hope is free it doesn’t coast a thing, that it comes from within, not at a store or a mall, hope is what you make it, it dose not run away from you, its there when ever you need or want it, you don’t need money to use it, all you need is the right mind set then you can just take it out of your pocket and use it whenever you need it, its that simple.
The Essay on Life Is a Dream
Historical background: Spain was united after the Moorish occupation (711-1400s). However, it also left Spain as a cultural powerhouse in Europe which was still largely medieval in 15th century. Spanish philosophers and scholars exerted strong influence and their craftsmen were well known across Europe. Ferdinand and Isabella united Spain and by 1492 expelled the Moors entirely form the country. ...
As you can see hope is the only thing you need, fear is the opposite. Hope doesn’t cost anything, all you need is a little faith and all your dreams will come true, hope is a free gift so why not use it every second of every day. Hope is used in even the saddest places to make them happier. The poorest person with hope is happier than the richest without hope. Some of the richest people used hope to get where they are now with just a little bit of faith and hope, that is all you will ever need in life, because it provides you with everything you will ever need.
Hope exists for everyone; there is not one-person that can’t use hope. I use hope everyday and I’m extremely happy. If you have hope you can fly to your dreams in life, for example when we were all little someone asked us what we wanted to be when we grow up and no matter what that kid said he or she didn’t have a doubt in their mind that they were not going to be what they dreamed but as we get older we start to loose hope and focus more on “reality”. But the Dickinson shows us how to escape reality and dream a little. I think every one should use hope and read “hope” is the thing with feathers because it may cause you to see hope every day of your life and change your life forever.
