Hope

Hello friends here I made an analysis of the unknown poem. Here I tried to do it with the help of practical criticism, the branch of practical criticism was founded by I.A.Richards. In his practical approach he gives more importance to the words that are used in the poems, than the external things like time, place and biographical history of the poet. He believed that the poet writes to communicate, and language is the means of communication. Language is made of words, and hence a study of words is all important if we are to understand the meaning of the work of the art. His practical approach is well known, he gave poems to his students and then he gave suggestions, comments and interpretation of those poems.

Here I’m doing the same thing. And thanks to my sir to give me a chance to do it. Here is the poem of which I tried to do analysis.

“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.

Here is what over literal study of this poem: One can say in this poem the very first line is problematic because Hope is an abstract idea then how it can have feathers. Even the same thing can be said about soul, the soul itself has not proper place in body, then how it can give place to Hope? How it can sing?  In the last stanza you cannot heard land, and one will not believe that even land also frighten.

Emotive reading of the poem: Here in this poem poet has used the personification for the hope as of little bird with feathers. Poetic persona imagines that it lives in the soul. Hope is the desire that never ends. It goes on and on till the death. For example today you hope for something and after getting that thing you will hope something else. Means it is endless, we live with the hope and died with the hope. It is rightly said in these lines

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

In the line that it sing tune without words here is the paradox, sings but without words, but without words it is possible. The hope which fulfilled are sweetest one and, and those which could not fulfilled can cause of embarrassment. And that little bird has kept so many good hopes from Hope.

 I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

The meaning this line I think, that in any situation, even though it is hardest or difficult one, but our hope always remains with us. There is no limit for hope it goes on. And what it asked to me is that of small fragment of us means to be hopeful is everything.

Ø    Here in this poem the poet has used winged little bird as a metaphor (vehicle) through which he tried to putting his ideas regarding hope.

Ø    With the help of imagination he gives tongue and life to the abstract human feelings.

Ø      “And sore must be the storm” line makes reader confused but the message or the aim of the poetry completed.