Hope is the thing with feathers

'Hope' is the thing with feathers: Poem

Let's discuss the background and context of the poem.

Biographical Context

Emily Dickinson was born in 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts. '"Hope" is the thing with feathers' was written in 1961, following a decade of death in Emily Dickinson's life. During this period, many of Dickinson's contemporaries died, including her cousin, Sophia Holland and friend, Benjamin Franklin Newton. Some believe that the poem was composed by Dickinson to give herself comfort and reassurance during this time. This poem was published in 1891, following the poet's death in 1886.

Historical context

'Hope' is the thing with feathers' was written in 1861, at a time when the Second Great Awakening was occurring in America. This was a Protestant revival movement and was popular among Dickinson's family and friends. Emily Dickinson was raised Calvinis; however, she ultimately rejected religion as a teenager. Despite this, religious themes are still prevalent in her poems, including 'Hope' is the thing with feathers'. This is apparent in this poem, as hope is a central idea in Christianity and so this movement may have influenced how she describes it.

Literary context

Emily Dickinson’s work is heavily influenced by the American Romantics. During this movement, Dickinson focused on exploring the power of nature and how it can affect the human mind. In '"Hope" is the thing with feathers', Dickinson uses nature to describe hope, showing the influence that the Romantic movement had on her work.

Emily Dickinson's 'Hope' is the thing with feathers

'Hope' is the thing with feathers: summary

So what is the poem about?

Stanza One

In the first stanza of the poem the speaker states that hope is a creature with feathers that lives in the soul. The animal sings an unending, wordless song.

Stanza Two

The speaker in the second stanza of the poem discusses the conditions she hears the birdsong in. She states that the song can be heard even during storms and that the song keeps people warm.

Stanza Three

In the final stanza, the speaker states that she has heard the bird sing in especially cold places and very strange seas. The poem ends with the speaker stating that even in the most extreme conditions, the creature has never asked for anything in return.

'Hope' is the thing with feathers: structure

The poem has three stanzas. Each stanza is comprised of four lines - this is called a quatrain.

Form

'"Hope" is the thing with feathers' is a lyrical poem, as it expresses the personal feelings of the speaker regarding hope.

The poem is also sometimes described as a definition poem. Definition poems introduce the concept it is trying to define in the first line.

Rhyme

The poem has a rhyme scheme. The first two stanzas are written as an ABAB rhyme scheme; however, in the first stanza there are slant rhymes.

In the example below, 'feathers ' is a slant rhyme with 'words' while 'soul' is a slant rhyme with 'all'.

The ABAB is clearer in the second stanza as the rhymes are perfect. For example, 'heard' rhymes with 'Bird' and 'storm' rhymes with 'warm',

While the final stanza changes to be an ABBB rhyme scheme as seen below, where 'land' has no rhyme while 'Sea', 'Extremity' and 'me' rhyme with each other.

Dickinson changes the rhyme scheme during the poem to represent how hope can be transformative for the human soul. The poem starts with slant rhymes. Yet as the speaker begins to feel more hopeful, this change is seen in the poem as the rhyme scheme uses more perfect rhymes.

Meter

The poet also uses the common meter (lines alternate between eight and six syllables and are always written in an iambic pattern) in the poem. Common meter is used in both Romantic poetry and Christian hymns, which both have influenced this poem. As hymns are typically sung at Christian funerals, Dickinson uses the meter to reference this.

'Hope' is the thing with feathers: literary devices

What literary devices are used in this poem?

Imagery

Dickinson uses the imagery of a bird and its song to represent the emotion of hope in the poem. This imagery is seen throughout the poem as the speaker details how the song persists even through difficult conditions. The imagery of the birdsong is important as it portrays how even without words, this song (or what it represents) will positively and deeply affect the human spirit.

In this particular quote, enjambement is used to connect the two stanzas together. This furthers the imagery of birds in the poem, as it reflects the fluidity of the birdsong. The birdsong is so strong that it can not be restricted by a gale or a stanza and so bursts out of the form.

Anaphora

The speaker in is experiencing hope and joy and is using anaphora to create a list of circumstances where the birdsong will continue.

Dickinson repeats the words 'And' and 'That' at the start of these lines to emphasise the point. The anaphora is used to show enthusiasm, as the speaker excitedly describes how the birdsong can be heard even during a storm. It extends the power of hope, as it is the accumulation of the repeated 'and', which emphasises the reach that this emotion has on the soul.

Pathetic fallacy

In the poem, Dickinson frequently references the weather when the speaker describes the persistence of the birdsong. Here, the weather represents moments of emotional turmoil or difficult times that the speaker must endure.

The harsh conditions include a storm, the extreme cold, and the speaker states that the bird song will persist in these scenarios. Dickinson uses this to show that even in hard emotional times, hope will still be present.

Dashes and caesuras

Dashes are one of the most recognisable features of Emily Dickinson's work as she commonly uses them in her poetry. They are used to create pauses throughout the poem (or caesuras). In '"Hope" is the thing with feathers -', the dashes are used to place emphasis on the phrases that are placed after, or around the dashes.

Enjambement

Dickinson contrasts her use of dashes and caesuras by also using enjambment (one line continuing into the other, with no punctuation breaks). By mixing these three devices, Dickinson creates an irregular structure to her poem that mirrors the irregularities of life.

'Hope' is the thing with feathers: metaphor

Much of this poem is written in the form of an extended metaphor (where the metaphor continues throughout the entire poem). As the speaker attempts to redefine what hope is, she uses a metaphor to imagine the emotion in the form of a bird and its song. Birds are often used to symbolise hope, freedom, and peace and so they are used to represent how the emotion of hope can make people feel.

'Hope' is the thing with feathers: meaning

This poem focuses on the power of hope. The speaker is attempting to reimagine what hope may look like in a physical form, explaining how it can positively impact people when they are struggling.

The speaker's tone in this poem is hopeful as she tries to give a physical description to hope. Even when the speaker mentions times of trouble or sadness, the tone of the poem remains positive as she remembers that hope persists.