EMILY
DICKINSON
There is Another Sky
1850
“Hope” is the thing with feathers
1860
1830-1886
 Emily Dickinson was born on December 10,1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts. She went to
school in Amherst and was described as a bright and intelligent student. In her teenage years,
Emily discovered poetry through Benjamin Franklin Newton. He introduced her to the poems
of William Wordsworth and Ralph Waldo Emerson and encouraged her to write poetry. As time
progressed, she became very depressed and secluded because of her family’s deaths. Emily used
these feelings to write poetry. In 1858, she peaked in writing poetry. She rewrote her poems and
wrote some new poems too. In this time, she also stayed home a lot to take care of her mother
who was falling ill. Toward the end of her life, she wrote less and less poetry and observed more
and more deaths. Emily died on May 15, 1886 because of Bright’s disease. Emily’s sister
published her poems. Emily, during her life time was not that famous, but after her death she
became very famous. (“Biography Emily Dickinson”)
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
 During the time she wrote There is another sky, many were religious. She was also a religious poet,
therefore, the garden that she mentioned in this poem is the Garden of Eden, or Heaven. However,
Unlike other religious poets, who saw themselves as subordinate to God, she rejected this premise in her
poetry. She was dissatisfied that the poet can engage with God, and believes that God only make the poet
as his instrument. She challenged God’s dominion throughout her life, refusing to submit to his divine.
Therefore, she is against the ideologies of her time.
 In the 1860s when she wrote “Hope” is the thing with feathers , slave was abolished and war was going
on. The Civil War broke out between the North and the South, many people were hurt, and most people
lost their families. She might have written this poem about the people whom suffered from these
experiences. By writing this poem, she can help guide a person through situations, and gain some hope
through the harshest situations. That might have what led her to writing this poem.
SOCIAL BACKGROUND

In There is another sky, she talks about her brother, Austin. Austin and Emily has been close siblings in their
youth ever since. However, as he settled in a place called “The Evergreens,” he spent less time with her. when
Austin stayed at the Homestead while his wife and children were out of town, Emily noted: "It seemed peculiar—
pathetic—and Antediluvian. By that, she probably wanted Austin to pay more attention to her and care about her
more, thus, the she wrote “Prithee, my brother. Into my garden come!”, in this poem.

In “Hope” is the thing with feathers, she describes how trusting faith and believing in hope can always get
someone through a certain situation. In one of her situations, twelve of her family members has passed away in
one winter. However, she cherished hope to cope with hard times, and was able to get through life. She used her
experiences to write her poems. This poem is also indicative of the ideologies of the time, because it talks about
the mood of people during the time of the Civil War, and she also indicates how people can get through these
situations by having hope.
THERE IS ANOTHER SKY

There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there;
Never mind faded forests, Austin,
Never mind silent fields -
Here is a little forest,
Whose leaf is ever green;
Here is a brighter garden,
Where not a frost has been;
In its unfading flowers
I hear the bright bee hum:
Prithee, my brother,
Into my garden come!
“HOPE ” I S THE THI NG WI TH
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

There is Another Sky is a Petrarchan sonnet. The lines are structured in a way that the first 6 lines is one thought and the other 8 lines
are another. The language being used in the poem isn't exactly that hard to understand, instead the language used is everyday language. The
word choice that Emily Dickinson had used, however, was all done purposefully to evoke both negative and positive feelings. As in, before
the dash she tries to show the negatives and after the dash she goes on with the positives. The meter in the poem is mostly that of a
trimetric trochee, except for the few lines that have about 5 feet instead three which is exceptional. The form of verse that this poem takes
in is that of formal verse. The rhyme scheme within the poem is that of ABCBDEFGDHIJI, with a few exceptions. The rhythm in each line
of the poem is a stressed syllable followed by a unstressed syllable. The sound within the poem is that of a bright, positive sound; a good
feeling that makes us all feel optimistic and joyful. Not much poetic devices were used within the poem. “However, there is onomatopoeia
used within the poem, in the third to last line, “ I heard the bright bee hum” (Murphy, Brennan). Here, Dickinson is trying to evoke a nice
natural setting In which you hear the sounds of bees to possibly evoke a peaceful feeling of joy and happiness.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers is a poem that has 3 quatrains (4 lines per stanza). The language used in the poem is that of everyday
language which isn’t that hard to understand. However, there are very profound words used. The meter in the poem is mostly iambic
tetrameter, with a few exceptions. The form of verse of this poem is that of formal verse. The rhyme scheme in the poem is
ABCBCDCDCEFE, with several exceptions as well. The rhythm in the poem is mostly of a unstressed syllable followed by a stressed
syllable. The sound within the poem is that of encouragement, in which it is to say “keep going”. The use of poetic devices is very minimal,
however, “hope” in the poem is being personified which helps the message sound more alive and believing, as to bring it out.
EXPLANATION

There is another sky is an “entire poem by Dickenson addressed to her brother Austin, she is trying to cheer him up and provide him
with a brighter perspective. The meaning of the poem is to direct us to look on the bright side of things and not to dwell on the little
negative aspects of life since hope always lies ahead, as does warmth, vibrant color and the welcoming beauty of the natural world. ( Murphy,
Brennan)
In this poem, there weren’t much literary elements being used. However, onomatopoeia was used in the line, “I hear the bright bee
hum”. In this line, it is trying to create a nice image, one of nature, peace, and joy as to emphasize on the bright side of things and hope.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers is a poem, in which Dickinson used metaphors to describe how having hope can help a person solve all
their conflicts. The first sentence, "hope is the thing with feathers" is a metaphor. Hope is compared to a bird. Symbolism is also used
throughout the poem. Some examples are the bird's feathers, which symbolizes insulation to the harsher realities, and the storm that the bird
is facing, which symbolizes the harsh reality. The sentence, "without the words,” means that we can't put hope into words but we can feel its
effect. What she meant by the sentence, "chilliest land & strangest sea,” is a metaphor to describe the most threatening and worst
circumstances. In the sentence, "yet never in extremity it asked a crumb of me", it describes how the bird stays with its owner and never asks
for anything in return, which means that people don't realize that hope is always with them. In the last line, it describes how the bird asks for
nothing, stating how hope is always there for you, and never asking for anything from you, no matter what.
COMPARISON
 The two poems are quite different, as to whom they are addressed
to. However, in meaning and ideas, it is very similar. The poems both
sort of show growth of the poet, but instead it just solidifies the
poet’s writing style. During the time of these poems, she was going
through a lot of depression and so her poems were mostly about
hope and self-encouragement. The poems are most definitely not
designed to be of opposing ideas, instead they share the same ideas.
SIGNIFICANCE
 We are probably learning about these poems because of their
complexity and how it takes a while to actually analyze and interpret
poems as a whole, as in completely. However, it helps explain the
importance of understanding poetry by the way that there can be many
different interpretations of this poem, which leads to many different
analyses that can be made. And so, it helps us understand how different
interpretations can lead to different analyses and different meanings.
The night sky blooms,
As summer comes near.
I can hear it from my room,
As the colors burst in the sky loud and clear.
Even from afar, I feel the crowds cheer with each spark,
I can see each burst, even in the dark.
Like a thousand rainbows in the sky has explode,
Each driver stopped in the road,
Admiring its beauty.
As every burst becomes slower,
The crowds sever,
However, even when the show is over,
It will stay in my memory forever.
-Vickie Zhao
What we seek in dreams,
The desires that we speak,
All depends on you.
-Hillary Wong
Darkness in Light
Life is a fellow that brought me in this world
That showed me the wonders of every corner
In this beautiful, peaceful world
Life and I then reached a place
Where all we could find was hate and destruction
There were people and pain and misery
There was no light but just darkness everywhere we looked
Buildings were crumbling and people were crying
Why was there light in every corner in the world
Except for this place?
Life took me away from this place and set me in a beautiful and happy place
Then my head repeatedly shoved questions in my mind
No one was helping those in the dark
Not even Life
But why?
-Rumsha Javed
T HE D I F F EREN T
EXPRESSI ONS EXPRESSED
When it comes to art, there’s variety.
There are performing arts and visual arts.
Singing and acting can be a beauty.
Instrument playing gives you the smarts.
Dancing and drawing can be inspiring.
Music is even an inspiration.
Different arts can be engaging.
Performance arts have collaboration.
Visual arts take practice to make perfect.
Art is different ways to express one.
If it’s not perfect, what do you expect?
Different arts are made for everyone.
Art can be a pain, but it is a joy.
Hopefully you won’t mind, but please enjoy.
-Stephanie Cen
BIBLIOGRAPHY

"Biography Emily Dickinson." Emily Dickinson Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 June 2013.”

Melani, Lilia. "Emily Dickinson: An Oerview."
Academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu. N.p., 25 Feb. 2009. Web. 04 June 2013.

Melani, Lilia. "Emily Dickinson: An Oerview."
Academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu. N.p., 25 Feb. 2009. Web. 04 June 2013.

Murphy, Brennan. "Analysis on Emily Dickinson’s “There Is Another Sky”." Authspot RSS. Authspot, 5 Jan.
2010. Web. 05 June 2013.

"Pop Culture: 1860."
Census.gov. United States Census Bureau, 18 Oct. 2012. Web. 04 June 2013.

SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Dickinson’s Poetry.”
SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 20 May 2013.

Wald, Jane. "William Austin Dickinson (1829-1895), Brother.
"Emilydickinsonmuseum.org. Emily Dickinson Museum, n.d. Web. 04 June 2013.