Who is the Emily Dickinson-
Emily Dickinson was known as the "Belle of Amherst", and was one of the most highly-regarded poets ever to write. She was born in December of 1830 to a well-known family, living in the small farming town of Amherst, Massachusetts. As a child, Dickinson regularly attended her family's church, where New England Calvinism surrounded her. As a young woman she was fun, witty, and extremely intelligent. As Dickinson grew older, she became more reclusive. She eventually turned away most visitors who came to see her, and often times locked herself in her room for days at a time. She even stopped wearing clothes that had any color, and dressed only in white. She was even buried in a white casket. Emily died on May 15th, 1886.
Influences on her work-
Emily Dickinson's background itself, Calvinism, was the major underpinning of nineteenth-century Amherst society. This New England faith, called Puritanism, was based on the idea of man as being sinful and completely at the mercy of a loving but arbitrary God. Salvation was received by predestination (completely God’s will), but acceptance of God's will, through Christ, was necessary for peace of the soul. Worldly success and religious faith were taken as signs of salvation. During this period, however, faith began to wear thin, and was replaced by material success. During this period Romanticism, a movement based on 1) imagination and escapism, 2) individuality, 3) finding spirituality in nature, 4) looking for the past for wisdom, and 5) finding a hero in the common man, began to take hold in America. Many of Dickinson poems reflected this Romantic movement. In addition, Dickinson used metaphors that assigned physical qualities to the feeling of “hope”, and symbols (or objects) to represent an entirely different meaning that was much deeper and more significant.
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -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.
Summary of the Poem-
Dickinson uses Romanticism in her poem, “Hope is the thing with feathers”, to escape from the issues in her own world, to a spiritual place in nature where she finds comfort to her soul. This poem uses the metaphor of a bird, the thing with feathers, to represent the “hope” of escaping to a better life. She also uses the “soul” as a symbol of our inner being, where our hope perches, or is found. In addition, Dickinson uses the imagery of feathers in our mind to create “hope”. Feathers represent the “hope” that will enable us to fly away or escape to a new beginning, or to even a new hope.
Analysis of the Poem-
Throughout the poem, Dickinson uses metaphors, symbols, and imagery to to help describe why “Hope is the Thing With Feathers.” She uses a metaphorical description of a bird as“hope, the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul”. She is using her imagination to escape from struggles in society and life, to find answers through spirituality in nature. The “soul” is a symbol of our inner being or individuality, where our hope perches, or is found. Dickinson also uses the imagery of feathers in our mind to create “hope”. Feathers represent the “hope” that will enable us to fly away or escape to a new beginning. “And sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all”. This line in the poem means that regardless of what we may believe or realize, or what happens to be going on in our life, hope is eternal or always there. “And sweetest in the Gale is heard”. This line infers that hope finds its greatest meaning and success when times are toughest, or when the wind is blowing the hardest, the song of hope is heard the loudest. “And sore must be the storm, that could abash the little Bird, that kept so many warm”. This line indicates that it would take a catastrophic hardship to dash the comforts or warmths of hope, and what it provides. That sometimes though we can be the destroyer of our own such hope, afflicting pain not only to ourselves, but also to others.“I’ve heard it in the chillest land, and on the strangest Sea”. This line suggests that hope is eternal and everywhere, and regardless of the hardship it exists for everyone. “Yet never in Extremity, it asked a crumb of me”. This line alludes to the fact that no matter how extreme the conditions, hope asks for no favor or anything in return, not even a single crumb. That hope is free and will never end, as long as we don’t let it.
Poem Connected to Dickinson & Romanticism-
This poem reflects many of Dickinson’s childhood experiences and religious upbringing, as well as the Romantic movement occurring in America during this time period. Dickinson sought to escape from individual hardships through the use of her imagination, along with finding spirituality through nature. She so artistically portrayed this “hope” that was metaphorically described as a bird, the imagery of the thing with feathers, that perches, or rests within each of our souls.
Study Questions about Poem-
1. How did religion affect Dickinson’s poem?
2. How did Dickinson’s life experiences affect her poem?
3. How does Dickinson’s poem reflect the Romantic movement?
4. What events were taking place in America to fuel the Romantic movement?
5. Why is “hope”a Romantic quality?
Study Question Answers-
1.One of the main religions in the New England region during this time was Calvinism, which stresses that people are saved through God's grace, not through their own merits. The most famous of Calvin's ideas is his doctrine of predestination, that God will determine who gains salvation. This poem references Biblical themes, especially as it relates to the soul. Religion may have also influenced Dickinson’s need to rely on something other than perhaps her own merits or the confinements of religion itself, through something such as “hope”, to find away to escape and express emotions of individuality. This poem expressed such virtues.
2. Dickinson’s life evolved from one of energy, fun, wit, and intellect in her youth, to one of withdrawing from society later in her adulthood. I believe that this reclusive behavior strongly influenced her need to escape from the realities of the world, relying on her imagination and nature to find her spiritual answers, such as was reflected in this poem.
3. Dickinson’s poems reflected many of the qualities and characteristics associated with the Romantic movement, such as imagination and escapism, individuality, and finding spirituality in nature. In this poem, she most definitely displays these themes.
4. During Dickinson’s life and this time period, America was ready for Romanticism. America had recently gained its independence from Britain, and was discovering its vast wilderness and frontier. There was also a breaking away of the strong confines of Puritan religion, towards a renewed hope and optimism of man’s possibilities. These events helped pave the way for Romantic literature and writers such as Dickinson to emerge.
5. “Hope”is one of the strongest emotions that we possess. It can fuel our imagination to overcome just about anything. We can use it to escape from realities, to express our individuality, to discover spirituality in simple things found in nature. These are all major themes expressed in Romanticism, and that are reflected in Dickinson’s poem “Hope is the thing with feathers”.
Useful Resources-
http://genius.com/Emily-dickinson-hope-is-the-thing-with-feathers-254-annotated
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/emily-dickinson
Review Video- https://youtu.be/yezu3G7k7OE
Emily Dickinson was known as the "Belle of Amherst", and was one of the most highly-regarded poets ever to write. She was born in December of 1830 to a well-known family, living in the small farming town of Amherst, Massachusetts. As a child, Dickinson regularly attended her family's church, where New England Calvinism surrounded her. As a young woman she was fun, witty, and extremely intelligent. As Dickinson grew older, she became more reclusive. She eventually turned away most visitors who came to see her, and often times locked herself in her room for days at a time. She even stopped wearing clothes that had any color, and dressed only in white. She was even buried in a white casket. Emily died on May 15th, 1886.
Influences on her work-
Emily Dickinson's background itself, Calvinism, was the major underpinning of nineteenth-century Amherst society. This New England faith, called Puritanism, was based on the idea of man as being sinful and completely at the mercy of a loving but arbitrary God. Salvation was received by predestination (completely God’s will), but acceptance of God's will, through Christ, was necessary for peace of the soul. Worldly success and religious faith were taken as signs of salvation. During this period, however, faith began to wear thin, and was replaced by material success. During this period Romanticism, a movement based on 1) imagination and escapism, 2) individuality, 3) finding spirituality in nature, 4) looking for the past for wisdom, and 5) finding a hero in the common man, began to take hold in America. Many of Dickinson poems reflected this Romantic movement. In addition, Dickinson used metaphors that assigned physical qualities to the feeling of “hope”, and symbols (or objects) to represent an entirely different meaning that was much deeper and more significant.
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -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.
Summary of the Poem-
Dickinson uses Romanticism in her poem, “Hope is the thing with feathers”, to escape from the issues in her own world, to a spiritual place in nature where she finds comfort to her soul. This poem uses the metaphor of a bird, the thing with feathers, to represent the “hope” of escaping to a better life. She also uses the “soul” as a symbol of our inner being, where our hope perches, or is found. In addition, Dickinson uses the imagery of feathers in our mind to create “hope”. Feathers represent the “hope” that will enable us to fly away or escape to a new beginning, or to even a new hope.
Analysis of the Poem-
Throughout the poem, Dickinson uses metaphors, symbols, and imagery to to help describe why “Hope is the Thing With Feathers.” She uses a metaphorical description of a bird as“hope, the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul”. She is using her imagination to escape from struggles in society and life, to find answers through spirituality in nature. The “soul” is a symbol of our inner being or individuality, where our hope perches, or is found. Dickinson also uses the imagery of feathers in our mind to create “hope”. Feathers represent the “hope” that will enable us to fly away or escape to a new beginning. “And sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all”. This line in the poem means that regardless of what we may believe or realize, or what happens to be going on in our life, hope is eternal or always there. “And sweetest in the Gale is heard”. This line infers that hope finds its greatest meaning and success when times are toughest, or when the wind is blowing the hardest, the song of hope is heard the loudest. “And sore must be the storm, that could abash the little Bird, that kept so many warm”. This line indicates that it would take a catastrophic hardship to dash the comforts or warmths of hope, and what it provides. That sometimes though we can be the destroyer of our own such hope, afflicting pain not only to ourselves, but also to others.“I’ve heard it in the chillest land, and on the strangest Sea”. This line suggests that hope is eternal and everywhere, and regardless of the hardship it exists for everyone. “Yet never in Extremity, it asked a crumb of me”. This line alludes to the fact that no matter how extreme the conditions, hope asks for no favor or anything in return, not even a single crumb. That hope is free and will never end, as long as we don’t let it.
Poem Connected to Dickinson & Romanticism-
This poem reflects many of Dickinson’s childhood experiences and religious upbringing, as well as the Romantic movement occurring in America during this time period. Dickinson sought to escape from individual hardships through the use of her imagination, along with finding spirituality through nature. She so artistically portrayed this “hope” that was metaphorically described as a bird, the imagery of the thing with feathers, that perches, or rests within each of our souls.
Study Questions about Poem-
1. How did religion affect Dickinson’s poem?
2. How did Dickinson’s life experiences affect her poem?
3. How does Dickinson’s poem reflect the Romantic movement?
4. What events were taking place in America to fuel the Romantic movement?
5. Why is “hope”a Romantic quality?
Study Question Answers-
1.One of the main religions in the New England region during this time was Calvinism, which stresses that people are saved through God's grace, not through their own merits. The most famous of Calvin's ideas is his doctrine of predestination, that God will determine who gains salvation. This poem references Biblical themes, especially as it relates to the soul. Religion may have also influenced Dickinson’s need to rely on something other than perhaps her own merits or the confinements of religion itself, through something such as “hope”, to find away to escape and express emotions of individuality. This poem expressed such virtues.
2. Dickinson’s life evolved from one of energy, fun, wit, and intellect in her youth, to one of withdrawing from society later in her adulthood. I believe that this reclusive behavior strongly influenced her need to escape from the realities of the world, relying on her imagination and nature to find her spiritual answers, such as was reflected in this poem.
3. Dickinson’s poems reflected many of the qualities and characteristics associated with the Romantic movement, such as imagination and escapism, individuality, and finding spirituality in nature. In this poem, she most definitely displays these themes.
4. During Dickinson’s life and this time period, America was ready for Romanticism. America had recently gained its independence from Britain, and was discovering its vast wilderness and frontier. There was also a breaking away of the strong confines of Puritan religion, towards a renewed hope and optimism of man’s possibilities. These events helped pave the way for Romantic literature and writers such as Dickinson to emerge.
5. “Hope”is one of the strongest emotions that we possess. It can fuel our imagination to overcome just about anything. We can use it to escape from realities, to express our individuality, to discover spirituality in simple things found in nature. These are all major themes expressed in Romanticism, and that are reflected in Dickinson’s poem “Hope is the thing with feathers”.
Useful Resources-
http://genius.com/Emily-dickinson-hope-is-the-thing-with-feathers-254-annotated
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/emily-dickinson
Review Video- https://youtu.be/yezu3G7k7OE
Works Cited
"Emily Dickinson – Hope Is the Thing with Feathers (254)." Genius. Genius Media Group Inc. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.
"Emily Dickinson's Life." Emily Dickinson's Life. American Council of Learned Societies. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
"Emily Dickinson." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.
Porter, Lavelle. "“Hope” Is the Thing with Feathers - (314)." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
"Emily Dickinson – Hope Is the Thing with Feathers (254)." Genius. Genius Media Group Inc. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.
"Emily Dickinson's Life." Emily Dickinson's Life. American Council of Learned Societies. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
"Emily Dickinson." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.
Porter, Lavelle. "“Hope” Is the Thing with Feathers - (314)." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.