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:


This poem by Dickinson is one of my personal favorites. Here, Dickinson uses a metaphor, comparing hope to a bird. In the first stanza, she first defines hope in a general form—referring to it as a thing. In the third line of the first stanza: “And sings the tune—without the words,” ; this stresses out the point that hope is a feeling. It is not always literally expressed with words.

In the second stanza, the first and second line speaks of a bad weather. This could be compared to bad moments in our lives. And it is usually in these moments that hope tastes the sweetest for these are the moments when we need it the most.

It is the same thing with the third stanza, the phrases “chillest land” and “strangest sea” represent obstacles. The last two lines start with “yet”. This gives the reader a chance to figure out the connection it makes to the preceding lines. The word “crumb”, here, may represent a reward or a payback as to what a “bird” (in this case is hope) may ask in return for the support offered by it.