Littérature anglophone | Emily Dickison
Analyses littéraires et commentaires de textes en anglais
"Hope" is the thing with feathers - (314)
Commentaire et analyse du texte en anglais
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The poem is an extended metaphor changing “hope” into a feathered-bird. This bird is always present in human soul and always singing even in times of darkness. Indeed, it keeps singing especially when life gets tough in order to hold the person’s spirit tightly as well as cheer them up in times of despair.
“And sings in tune without the words
And never stops - at all -”
In other words, “hope” does not speak to us with words because it is a feeling we experience, albeit not always a rational one. Indeed, this feeling is the “sweetest” of all when we have to cope with extremely difficult and harsh situations in our lifetime. It is also worth mentioning that the poet does not use the word “bird” until the second stanza. Dickinson refused to employ a rather shallow and glib [“léger” | (disapproving, of speakers and speech) using words that are clever, but are not sincere, and do not show much thought] simile right from the start.
The analogy unfolds and develops gradually throughout the poem. E. Dickinson gives “hope” feathered- wings and ask to keep it alive in every human’s heart. “Hope” persists continuously within us, keeps us strong and alive. To some extent, this little bird of hope can be seen as a coping-mechanism since it is a way in which we behave without thinking about it to protect ourselves from unpleasant feelings or situations. It helps us get through the most difficult and harshest moments of our life.
“That kept some many warm -
Its soft and sweet singing will never fade, and the poet uses a double dash emphasis to draw the reader attention on this specific point: “And never stops - at all -”. Using imagery again, Emily Dickinson puts the stress on the far-reaching power of “hope”. “Hope” shall continue to keep us alive and strong even against the gale-force winds of life:
“And sore must be the storm – That could abash the little Bird”
According to the speaker, it would take a deadly storm of overwhelming [accablant] proportion to make “The Bird of Hope” strop singing. Thus, even when life gets tough and things are thrown at us, and the pressure is relentless [impitoyable / incessante] there will always be hope to guide us though the chaos and mayhem [pagaille].
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MAYHEM | Pronunciation, definition and example in English.- Phonology: /ˈmeɪhem/ | [uncountable]
- Definition: fear and a great lack of order, usually caused by violent behaviour or by some sudden terrible event.
- Example: The gales caused mayhem across much of the country.
Hope is indeed difficult to disturb, even when life seems shrouded in darkness. The speaker suggests that during times of adversity and despair we are capable of tapping into this incredible source of inner power which is “hope”. This aspect is reaffirmed in the third stanza, when Dickinson concludes her poem by emphasising the fact that hope retains its strength even in the harshest if conditions:
“I’ve heard it on the chilliest land – That could abash the little Bird”
“Hope” was always singing for her even in the most difficult periods of her life. Furthermore, even when things and emotions were extreme, “Hope” was still there and never demanded anything in return. A ray of hope will always be there even in the cloudiest nights.
“Yet – never – in Extremity, It asked a crumb – of me.”
The syntax: Emily Dickinson is well-known for using a lot of dashes in her poetry. It creates a particular rhythm, and some sentences or phrases are enclosed in a separate double dash. This puts a particular emphasis on meaning: “- at all -” and “- never -”.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is obvious that the very concept of hope is depicted through the famous extended metaphor of a bird. “Hope”, albeit fragile at times, is never lost – it lingers, and so long as we hold onto our life, there is always hope that things shall get better.
As the poem unfolds, the speaker elucidates the expansive power “hope” wields over us. This power gets merrier and sweeter as the storm gets mightier and relentless.
The extended metaphorical aspect of ‘Hope is the Thing with Feathers’ is an old practice used by well-known poets. Indeed, when abstract concepts are dealt with such as death, love, and hope, they are often represented by an object from nature, in this case, the feathered-bird.
To conclude, it is obvious that the very concept of hope is depicted through the famous extended metaphor of a bird. “Hope”, albeit fragile at times, is never lost – it lingers, and so long as we hold onto our life, there is always hope that things shall get better.
As the poem unfolds, the speaker elucidates the expansive power “hope” wields over us. This power gets merrier and sweeter as the storm gets mightier and relentless.
The extended metaphorical aspect of ‘Hope is the Thing with Feathers’ is an old practice used by well-known poets. Indeed, when abstract concepts are dealt with such as death, love, and hope, they are often represented by an object from nature, in this case, the feathered-bird.
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