Hope Is the Thing with Feathers

Hope is the thing with feathers' is one of the poems wrote by American famous poet Emily Dickinson which public on 1891. This poem represents love and hope that have obvious contrast with others poems she wrote before which about nature and death. It contains three stanza and each stanza including four sentences. This essay will seek to investigate that "hope" was expressed by technique of juxtaposition which represented a feeling that existed in minds to direct and encourage people but never asking for any repayments.

First of all, we need to consider the structure of the poem. The rhymes are apparently which make the poem sounds beautiful and lead people to wonder and though if there have any relationship(similar or contrast meaning) between these words. For instance, in the second stanza, "heard" in the line one rhymes with "bird" in the line three that represents bird's tune always be heard. What is more, "sea", "Extremity", "me" has a similar rhyme in the third stanza so that it could consider as a ABBB rhyme scheme. In addition, It is easy to find out the dash in most of the end of sentences which stands for each pause and twist of mood. Besides, it also illustrates the shift of emotion that could give us a further information about this poem: In the fourth line of first stanza, the dash behind "and never stops" emphasises bird's tweets never disappear whatever it meets just like hope.

In the first stanza, It uses the metaphor to show the relationship between hope and bird. The feather symbolises soft and comfort that just like hope, is always give us warmth. It also portray and relate that the feathers as pure white that similar with hope which hardly be mixed by other negative emotions or influences. Besides, 'Hope is the thing with feathers' that the "thing" seems to be a bird which is free and can go whatever it wants by its' wings. If there are "no words", the bird could still create the melody since hope is a kind of feeling or emotion which only exists in your mind so that it is hard to give us words, actions or information. Therefore, It depends on people's mindset: if you strong enough-not only for your body but your sprit, the hope will never die that also represents the will of people. Moreover, it is clear that hope is everywhere and cannot disappear or devastate because it "perches in the soul" and "never stop-at all-" stated by Dickinson(l.1,2&1.4).

Apart from the first stanza, the second stanza uses juxtaposition portray the strong character of hope. The first line "sweetest in the Gale is heard" give us a strong contrast between the words "sweetest" and "Gale" which has opposite feeling. "Gale" is a negative word and uses the connotation that represents the hardships or adversities. This emphasises how tough the hope is that could still sing the sweetest tone through the dangerous and frighten "storm". Otherwise, the more "sore" the storm is, the "sweeter" the bird is said to be which uses the technique of juxtaposition, represents that the bird is able to sing louder than any harsh conditions(l. 2.1-2). The words "abash" and "warm" give us a strong comparison as well. It is illustrates that hope is hard to be beaten or diminished and could still guide and encourage people in a correct direction during the adversities. In the fourth line of stanza, it is said that "bird kept so many warm" which means hope help people away from the despair or others negative emotion(l. 2.3-4). It accompanies with people and give them real "hope" to warm their hearts. What is more, hope shields people under its' wings to isolate the fear and recreance as well.