Poem Analysis
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
• I. Form
1. Line: 12 lines
2. Stanza: 3 stanzas
3. Sentence: 3 sentences
4. Rhyme scheme:
- Syllabic (音節的) rhyme:
heard-bird, storm-warm, sea-extremity-me
- Forced (勉強的) rhyme:
feathers-words, soul-all
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
5. The literal meaning
a. Line 5: “And sweetest in the gale is heard”
What is heard in the gale?
b. Line 6: “And sore must be the storm”
 “The...”
c. Line 9: “I’ve heard it in the chilliest land”
What does “it” mean?
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
5. The literal meaning
a. Line 5: “And sweetest in the gale is heard”
Hope is heard sweetest in the gale.
b. Line 6: “And sore must be the storm”
 “The storm must be sore”
c. Line 9: “I’ve heard it in the chilliest land”
Here “it” means the tune that the bird
sings (i.e. hope).
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
• II. Point of View
1.Who is the speaker in the poem?
2.Who is he/she talking to?
3.What is he/she trying to say?
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
• II. Point of View
1. Who is the speaker in the poem?
It can be the poet herself. It can be a traveler.
2. Who is he/she talking to?
It can be another case of talk-to-oneself. It is
also likely that the speaker is encouraging
someone who’s losing hope, or someone who
questions what hope is.
3. What is he/she trying to say?
Hope lies in our heart and it never asks us to pay
any price for having hope. Hope can hardly fade
away. Only under extreme circumstances might
hope be gone.
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
• III. Imagery (language that appeals to the
five senses)
Words
What sense appealed to
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
• III. Imagery (language that appeals to the
five senses)
Words
What sense appealed to
sings the tune
sound
heard
sound
warm
feeling
sore
feeling
chilliest
feeling
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
• IV. Figurative Language (metaphor, simile,
personification, symbolism)
Word/Phrase Type
What is being compared
the thing w/
Metaphor Hope/bird (it sings, it flies)
feathers
sings the tune Person.
w/o the words
gale/ storm
Symbolism Difficulties
chilliest land/
Situations where one
strangest sea
finds it hard to survive
crumb
Reward?
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
• V. Topic and theme
1.What is the subject matter?
2.What kind of attitude does the speaker
have toward hope? According to the
speaker, what is hope? Is it really like a
bird?
3.Write a sentence or two on the truth about
life that the poet is trying to communicate.
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
• V. Topic and theme
1. It is about life and about what supports
people under difficulties.
2. The speaker honors hope, something
that is invaluable and invincible. It may
share some characteristics of a bird, but
even if it gets hungry, it doesn’t request
any reward or price from people. Hope is
self-sufficient(?) and truly self-less.
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
• V. Topic and theme
3. (pretty much like the ideas in the previous slide.)
Hope is in our heart. It can’t be found else where.
As long as we believe its existence, it is there,
especially in distress and adversities. The
difficulties in life may be so immense that we will
be left in extreme pain. But hope, throughout the
time, has warmed so many hearts. It will
definitely take good care of ours too. All we have
to do is to listen, to find strength from within.
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quFE4B
4iURs&feature=fvw a very short film
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73A6rB
GDdAU a creepy song