HOPE is the thing

with Feathers
Presented By: abc
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 INTRODUCTION
Stylistics‘ is a word which is derived from
“style”. Style is the outcome of the Latin word
Elocutio” which means style. Moreover,
stylistics refers to the study of style; it may be
the style of a person or the style of a writer.
Every writer wrote in his/her own style from
own perspective on the same topic.
Additionally, style may vary from culture to
culture and it also tells us about the mind-set of
the writer.
 By the views of Short and Leech
(1981),
“Stylistics is the study of style, it
describes that what is used and how
is used to make of language”.

Stylistics analysis can be done on different levels of

linguistics- phonological, morphological, lexical,
syntactical, Graphologyical, and grammatical levels.
Stylistics Analysis
Here we are going to analyse the
poem “Hope” is the thing with
feathers by Emily Dickinson on
different levels of stylistics. As
we all know the genre of literary
work is poetry and it is a short
poem.
 Text
“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 chilliest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
 Introduction to Poem

● Emily Dickenson is one of the greatest poets in the

history of American literature.
● Her inconsistency in literary style and structure revealed
her underlying power and added to the popularity of her
works.
● Emily Dickenson in her “untitled” poem ―hope is the
thing with feathers discusses hope as the quality of the
human soul. She compares hope with a little bird. She
reveals that hope is the single thing that always remains
in human heart and singing the song without any word.
 Type Of Poem

• As we observe the poem and can analyze that it is a lyrical

poem because it is a private expression of emotion by an
individual speaker and it is short, highly musical verse
that conveys powerful feelings.
• Most of Emily Dickinson’s poems have no title and are
recognized through the first line of the poem.
• In this poem she has used common meter.
 Graphological level
Graphological level of analysis goes beyond orthography.
It refers to the whole system of writing: punctuation,
spacing as well as paragraphing, stanzas.
 Number of stanzas

This poem is divided into three stanzas and every stanza

contains four lines and another different is that every first
line of each stanza is longer than other three lines.
 Captalization
• In this poem there is usual capitalization but here some letters at
center are capital which is the deviation from the normal rule of
language.
• For example “Gale” is used in the first line of the second stanza and
“Bird” in the third line.
• Further, the word “Sea” in the second line of the third stanza and
“Extremity” in the fourth line of the third stanza has been used by
her.
• She has used capitalization to emphasize on these words and she is
highlighting the main themes through these key words.
 Punctuation Quotation Marks (“
”)
In this poem poet
When the writer wants to
has not used
convey something
punctuation in the
ironically, he encloses it
first two stanzas
into quotation marks.
however, in the last
The poetess has used
two lines of the last
quotation mark in the first
stanza.
line of the poem- “Hope”.
She has used to emphasize
the main theme of the
poem.
 Use of Dashes ( _ )
Dashes are used in the whole poem. In first stanza
dashes are being used at the end of the lines and at
the center of the last line. Hope is mentioned in
inverted commas which shows that the theme of
“hope” is revolved around the whole poem. Further,
in second stanza dashes are used at the end of the
lines and at the center of the first line. At the end,
we can analyse that dashes are also used at the end
of the first two lines in the last stanza and between
the third and fourth lines.
Use of Commas: (,)

In the whole poem comma is used

only one time in the second last line
of the last stanza which shows the
division of the sentences. For
example, comma is being used after
“Extremity”.
 Use of Full Stop: ( . )

The poetess has used full stop only one time in the whole poem
particularly at the end of the poem. Full stop shows the
completion of the poetess‘s mind. She has foregrounded the
theme of hope in the poem. Further, she has firmed believe
that hope cannot leave a man instead of crucial and extreme
situations. She says, a man can leave a hope but a hope cannot
leave a man. However, it also shows that she has great believe
in God.
Apostrophe: ( ‘ )

Apostrophe is being used only

one time in the whole poem
which is mentioned in the first
line of the last stanza. For
example I‘ve. The main purpose
of apostrophe is to: Highlight the
significance of the things.
 Phonological level
● In this poem phonological level consists of
proper rhyme scheme pattern, alliteration,
consonance and repetition of similar
sounds.
 Alliteration
● Alliteration, which comes at us in lines 3
("without […] words"), 6 ("sore […]
storm"), and 10 ("strangest Sea"). All of
these repeated beginning sounds add a kind
of bounce to the lines, much like our
speaker's message of hope is meant to add a
kind of bounce to a reader's
 Consonance

we have some consonance to greet us as we first start the poem:

"Hope" is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul – (1-2)

Rhyming scheme
The poem follows a loose rhyme scheme of ABCB, conforming to the expected
pattern of a ballad. The lines break the pattern (in both stanza one and stanza
two) but generally, the pattern remains intact
.
Rhythm. 'Hope is the Thing with Feathers' is written in ballad meter, a common
meter.
 Lexical level

The term lexis means vocabulary which is used in a

language for particular purpose. It is the study in which
single word or idiom is used in diverge linguistics context.
In this analysis we categories the words. In lexical
analysis, we observe the repetition of the words. In this
poem poetess has used the anaphoric repetition of words
 ● NOUNS
● Hope,Thing,Feathers,Soul,Sing,Tune,Gale,Storm,Bir
d,Land,Sea,Extremity

● Pronoun:Many, Me

● Verbs: Perches, Stop, Heard, Abash, Kept, Asked

● Adverbs: Never

● Adjectives: Sweetest, Sore, Little, Warm, Chilliest,

Stranger
 Anaphoric repetition
● Anaphora is the repetition of the same words at the beginning of the clause or
sentence. In this Emily Dickenson‘s poem several examples can be found that are
given as below:

● That perches in the soul –

● That could abash the little Bird-
● That kept so many warm –
● 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” and “And” are anaphora‘s in this poem
 Semantic level
● Semantics is the study of, meanings in a language.
Meanings are judged through the analysis of context, social
and individual point of views. Pragmatics is also a branch
of semantics which allow us to find out the hidden
meanings to be judged by the reader through the
environment created by the poet in a poem In this analysis
we analyse the figurative meaning of words.
 Metaphore
● Glancing at the title of the poem it can be inferred that poetess uses
metaphor. She compares “Hope” with feathers/bird. Further, hope is
an inanimate thing and poetess compares it with feather. It can be
highlighted that “Hope” keeps the ability to take someone up as bird
flies with feathers in the sky. In fact, Dickenson‘s aim is to highlight
image of hope in our mind.
 Personification
● Troop in which human qualities or abilities are assigned to abstraction
or inanimate object is called personification. Viewing at the poem with
concentration, it can be seen that poet uses personification. In the last
three lines of the first stanza the poetess gives hope some animate
characteristics. The following lines are given as below:

● …That perches in the soul -

● And sing the tune without the words -
● And never stops - at all - ...
 Allegory

● Allegory is a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through

concrete or material forms. This poem is allegorical because it uses symbolism
to convey a deep truth. Hope is represented through an ever-singing, selfless
bird found within the soul and heard everywhere. “Everywhere” including
gales, storms, the chillest land, and the strangest sea. Theses “places” and/or
“severe weather” symbolizes the hardships people face within their own lives;
for e.g. debt, war, poverty, homelessness and suffering in general. The deep
truth illustrated in this poem is that {hope exists within all of us and even in the
hardest times, it can “keep us warm”, without ever asking for anything in
return.}
 Conclusion
Hope is the things with feathers is a poem in which the Emily Dickenson describes
hope as a metaphorical bird. She portrays how hope is constantly present within us,
even when we are unable to recognise it. Furthermore, even in the face of adversity,
hope stays steadfast. Our spirits are lifted by hope. The poetess, on the other hand,
is a fervent believer in GOD. In addition, the poem is thoroughly examined using
stylistic tools and procedures. The analysis reveals that the poem's entire deviations
reflect her personal life experiences, such as dashes, which represent the challenges
she has had in her life.
 Findings
● Emily Dickinson's poem "Hope is the thing with feathers" has a simple
syntactical structure. It consists of two stanzas, each with four lines. The poem
is written in ballad meter, with the second and fourth lines of each stanza
rhyming. The poem's syntax is fairly straightforward, with simple declarative
sentences that convey the central metaphor of the poem: that hope is like a bird
that never stops singing, even in the face of adversity.
● Emily Dickinson's "Hope is the thing with feathers" employs a variety of
phonological devices that contribute to the poem's musicality and emotional
impact. The poem makes use of alliteration, assonance, and consonance, as
well as internal rhyme, to create a sense of unity and coherence. For
example, the repetition of the "s" sound in the phrase "sore must be the
storm" creates a sense of turbulence and struggle, while the repetition of the
"f" sound in "the soul that has suffered" creates a sense of softness and
fragility. The poem's use of meter and rhyme also contribute to its musicality
and emotional power, reinforcing the poem's central metaphor of hope as a
bird that never stops singing.
● On a semantic level, Emily Dickinson's poem "Hope is the thing with feathers"
uses extended metaphor to explore the concept of hope. The poem equates hope
with a bird that never stops singing, even in the face of adversity. This
metaphor is extended throughout the poem, with the bird's song representing
hope's ability to sustain us through difficult times. The poem also explores the
idea that hope is something that resides within us, rather than something that
can be given or taken away. The final line of the poem, "And sings the tune
without the words, and never stops at all," emphasizes this idea, suggesting that
hope is an innate part of our being that can never be silenced. Overall, the
poem's semantic level of analysis suggests that hope is a powerful force that
can sustain us through even the darkest of times.