Hope is the Thing with Feathers Essay Questions

Why does Dickinson refer to a bird at the beginning of the poem?

Hope is depicted as having "feathers," which is the first indication that Dickinson is comparing it to a bird. Hope also "perches" and "sings" like a bird, reinforcing this initial impression. Dickinson invokes the bird because of its smallness and fragility. The bird doesn't endure because it is large and powerful (like a bear or wolf), it does so because it is persistent and internally strong. Much like human hope, the bird is a little thing that has surprising resilience.

What is the significance of weather in this poem?

In many literary texts, the idea of harsh weather is used to symbolize extreme adversity and difficulty. Dickinson uses the imagery of the hazardous sea in this poem, for example, the "gale" and the "storm" to emphasize the adversity that the little bird is facing. In the metaphor of the poem, treacherous weather is used to illustrate and represent the struggles humans face in their lives, and their ability to survive them with hope.