Hope is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickenson

Emily Dickinson, Hope is the thing with feathers

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.

Analysis

About the title:

–Dickinson did not give titles to her poems, so the first line is always given as the title.

–Her poems are also given numbers, and this poem is number 314.

–This poem is a ‘definition poem’ – a poem in which the speaker sets out an abstract noun (hope) and discusses in in concrete terms / images (the bird).

Tone:

Optimistic

Light-hearted

Grateful

Themes:

Hope resides in the human heart/soul and springs eternal.

Resilience.

The ability to stay positive in the darkest times.