In the Oxford dictionary hope is defined as, “The feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen” (Oxford University Press). As humans, our desires and expectations are feelings that bring us joy and happiness; Whether that includes a higher position in our career or receiving a higher grade in school. In the two poems “Hope” by Ariel Dorfman, and “Hope Is the Thing with Feathers” by Emily Dickinson the word hope is used interchangeably. Although both poems are based on one word, each poem has taken a different perspective on it. Dickinson’s poem metaphorically transforms hope in to a bird that is always present in a human, while Dorfmans poem takes a profound meaning out of this word, where a mother and father hope for their child to continue on being tortured. Though the authors in both poems circulate their story around one word, each poem contextualizes the …show more content…
Moreover, it is an extended metaphor, transforming hope in to a bird, “With feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words.” (Dickinson, 653) The word hope sings when time gets tough, it is used as a positive connotative phrase. Throughout Dickinson’s poem the term hope is shown to be in a human soul. She communicates this theme by using metaphors and personifications. Dickinson uses the word feathers several times in her poem, she metaphorically compares it with the feeling of hope. When one thinks of feathers, softness and humbleness are the first feelings that come to mind. Dickinson’s trying to show how hope is associated with these feelings, and that these thoughts are always inside of a human’s soul. The title of the poem is incorporated in the first line of the stanza showing its significance towards the overall theme. Unlike “Hope” by Dorfman, Dickinson contextualizes a happier approach by comparing hope with birds and feathers in her
The poem “Hope is the thing with feathers” states that hope is an ever-present force in one’s soul that sustains one through hard times, although it isn’t rational. This ideal of hope having ‘feathers’ and being the strength that keeps one going is seen throughout Of Mice and Men. Wishes sustain most of the characters, and although these dreams aren’t a concrete thing, they are still drawn to the possibility of a better life. Hope keeps people afloat in hard times, and gives them a reason for living. It’s best to view hope as the maiden in the tower-beautiful, yet unreachable. It’s something to aspire to, but hope can’t achieve anything without work. Hope is something everyone is drawn to, but is only hoping. Wishing doesn’t make things happen.
"Hope - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Merriam-Webster. Web. 24 July 2011. .
It can help the achievement of extraordinary things and push people to new heights never before seen. Hope is an idea, something inside the minds and hearts of those pursuing it. It is a concept, yet it wields limitless power. It can be seen in every essence
...Dickinson has for the most part conquered her fears. As the second poem gave us the unsettling idea that the author of the poem we were reading was afraid to compose poetry, this poem shows us her coming to terms with that. Her list of creatures blessed with wonders they had not dared to hope for extends quite naturally to include her. She has come to her “Heaven” through poetry—“unexpected”, but eventually with confidence brought about by the trials dealt with throughout the fascicle. The poems are very closely linked, each one showing us some new aspect of Dickinson’s personality that leads toward her confidence. Finally, Dickinson has found her voice and in this final poem proclaims that she has found a peace to which she had not dared aspire at the beginning. Now she has both nature and poetry within her grasp—this is “Heaven” and “Old Home” all at once.
It is the ambition of getting what you desire, no matter the odds you are facing. To have hope, means you have perseverance. The idea of hope belongs to many people, it belonged to the Pilgrims as they sailed to the new world. They had hope in a new beginning, and a new place where they could worship freely without persecution. Hope belonged to the Founding Fathers, they had a hope for a new, successful country where the citizens had their own liberties. As Abraham Lincoln said, “My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth.” Hope also belongs to us now, the new generation. We have the hope of a country without oppression and a world filled with peace. A world that celebrates everyone's differences. We have hope for a country based around God’s
The world defines “hope” as wishing or wanting to see something happen. Like there’s a fifty-fifty chance it could happen. In the book The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian we see Junior, an Indian boy, go to an all white school. This was a huge decision for him and not everyone in his tribe supported it. Junior still continued to have hope that things would become better. The kind of hope that comes with making difficult decisions.
What is hope? Hope is the feeling of desire for a certain thing to happen. Hope is something that even when everything goes wrong you still believe that there is still good somewhere. Hope is something that even the toughest people will feel. Hope relates to the theme in S.E Hinton’s, The Outsiders. The theme of this story, is just because something bad happens, that doesn’t mean that you can’t stop living life to the fullest, and even when the going gets tough you still have to have hope that it will get better.
“Hope is defined as the action of wishing or desiring that something will occur.” Hope helps people move forward in life to see what’s coming next for them. For example, “I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his sole support” (Wiesel, “Night”.) This quote explains the effects of hope in a pitiful situation. Eliezer Wiesel and his father were torn apart, mentally and physically from everything they
No matter how bad things may seem, there is always hope for things to ameliorate. When people believe that the future will be promising, they can have something to look forward to as opposed to dwelling on the past or the problems of the present. This hope can give a person a positive outlook on life and motivate him or her to look past what is happening in the present. In the poems “Hope is the Thing with Feathers” by Emily Dickinson and “The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy, they both convey similar messages about hope. Both works display the theme of hope being present at all times no matter how bad things may seem and is a consistent option for anyone in need of help.
The tone in the first stanza is of joyousness and excitement, as people make their way to heaven. Dickinson uses the words “gayer,” “hallelujah,” and “singing” to emphasize the uplifting feeling here. It could be argued that this is the point in the humans’ lives (or deaths, or afterlives, depending on how one looks at it) when they reach the pinnacle of happiness, for they have finally entered heaven. The humans, now dead, would then acquire wings, immortality, and an angelic status that rises far above that of humans. Much like Dickinson’s other poems, this one uses metaphors to represent similar things, such as “home,” which represents “heaven,” “snow,” which represents the “clouds” on which heaven resides, and “vassals,” which represents the “angels” who serve God.
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was a very talented poet. Her poems contained deep emotions and continue to amaze her readers. She was born in Amherst Massachusetts on December 10, 1830 to Attorney Edward Dickinson and Emily Norcross Dickinson. Her mother was very emotionally accessible. Dickinson was an energetic and outgoing child. She attended Amherst Academy and Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. Her father took her out of school after a year at Mount Holyoke because he thought she had enough education.
	The poem "Peril of Hope," by Robert Frost is about having hope. The poem speaks about no matter how things are one minute they can always change. Hope, however, is constantly there and will always be there to help get through the tough times until things get better.
“Hope” has extended metaphor which causes the reader to think of a deeper meaning. The extended metaphor in “Hope” is saying hope is equal to a bird. The reason that the poet used an extended metaphor is because it is more complex to figure out the meaning of the poem. Dickinson not only used metaphors in “Hope” but also in “The Moon” in order to make the reader think of a deeper meaning. The extended metaphor in “The Moon” is about loving what you have and not take things for granted. The reason that the poet used an extended metaphor is to try and make the reader think about what the poet actually means. In conclusion Dickinson uses a lot of extended metaphors in order to make the reader think about the poet's actual meaning.
Many of her poems were a reaction to the rejection of many publishers and other literary critics. This particular poem’s character comes from Dickinson’s reaction to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s statement that “poets are thus liberating gods.” Here she is challenging the established literati by questioning popular Emersonian views. In particular, this poem is a reaction to Emerson’s belief that “the poet is the sayer, the namer, and represents beauty.” Basically, it is a reaction to the idea that the poet is the creator of beautiful words, liberating the common people by giving them words they would not have access to.
R.W.Franklin. “’Hope’ is the thing with feathers –.” The Poems of Emily Dickinson. Harvard University Press. N.e. 1999. 314. Print.