“Hope” is the thing with feathers - (314)
BY EMILY DICKINSON
“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.
Identify what type of figurative language each of the underlined sections
is. Explain how the author uses the underlined sections to develop theme
within the poem.
1. “Hope” is the thing with feathers
It is a metaphor because it is comparing hope to a bird without using like or as. The theme of the poem is that hope is always there. The figurative language helps develop the theme because birds are something that are always around no matter where you are, so comparing hope to a bird shows that it is always around.
2. Yet – never – in Extremity, / It asked a crumb – of me.
