1. Let’s examine the effects of the extended metaphor. In the first line, what is the quality that Dickinson is suggesting about hope?
a. Hope is a soft thing.
b. Hope is a thing that is ever-present.
2. In the first stanza, what quality about hope does Dickinson emphasize?
a. Hope never gives up.
b. Hope has a beautiful song.
3. In the second stanza, the poet continues to compare hope with a bird, creating the extended metaphor. Even in a strong wind (“the Gale”), the sweet voice of hope can be heard. Metaphorically, what might this mean?
a. A bird’s song could be louder than a strong wind.
b. The bird’s song soaring over the wind may indicate that there is hope for an end to rough times (the storm).
4. “And sweetest in the Gale is heard; And sore must be the storm That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm.” What might the metaphorical meaning be for the second stanza?
a. A lot of people have hope to give them strength during the hard times.
b. The description of the “little bird / That kept so many warm” refers to the bird sitting on eggs in the nest, which might mean that children also depend on hope.
5. In the last stanza, hope exists everywhere, even “in the chillest land / And on the strangest Sea.” What do you think is the better metaphorical meaning of the last two lines of the poem?
a. Hope requires nothing of us but to let it sing over the worst storms, so that we can continue on through the hard times.
b. We do not have to feed or pay the bird for its song. The bird, meaning hope, sings freely.
All complete. Great job!
