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Emily DickinsonA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“[T]he thing with feathers” is a bit of a mystery in the poem. Were it not for the immediate equation between “the thing with feathers” and hope, the first stanza would read like a riddle. It is not clear what exactly “the thing with feathers” is supposed to represent in concrete terms. Of course, the speaker of the poem uses the “thing with feathers” as a symbol of hope, but it is not clear how exactly the reader is supposed to envision this creature. Since feathers only appear on birds and angels, however, there are limited possibilities.
The speaker’s use of vague language in relating the “thing with feathers” allows it to become a more precise metaphor than it could otherwise be. Traditional metaphors are often troubled by their imprecision—a man can be related to an ox to demonstrate his strength, for instance, but that does not mean the man has fur or horns. By keeping the symbol of “the thing with feathers” vague, the speaker only needs to reveal the relevant metaphorical details. Still, as covered in the Poem Analysis, there is reason to believe that the “thing with feathers” refers to a celestial figure.
By Emily Dickinson
A Bird, came down the Walk
A Bird, came down the Walk
Emily Dickinson
A Clock stopped—
A Clock stopped—
Emily Dickinson
A narrow Fellow in the Grass (1096)
A narrow Fellow in the Grass (1096)
Emily Dickinson
Because I Could Not Stop for Death
Because I Could Not Stop for Death
Emily Dickinson
"Faith" is a fine invention
"Faith" is a fine invention
Emily Dickinson
Fame Is a Fickle Food (1702)
Fame Is a Fickle Food (1702)
Emily Dickinson
Hope is a strange invention
Hope is a strange invention
Emily Dickinson
I Can Wade Grief
I Can Wade Grief
Emily Dickinson
I Felt a Cleaving in my Mind
I Felt a Cleaving in my Mind
Emily Dickinson
I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain
I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain
Emily Dickinson
If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking
If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking
Emily Dickinson
If I should die
If I should die
Emily Dickinson
If you were coming in the fall
If you were coming in the fall
Emily Dickinson
I heard a Fly buzz — when I died
I heard a Fly buzz — when I died
Emily Dickinson
I'm Nobody! Who Are You?
I'm Nobody! Who Are You?
Emily Dickinson
Much Madness is divinest Sense—
Much Madness is divinest Sense—
Emily Dickinson
Success Is Counted Sweetest
Success Is Counted Sweetest
Emily Dickinson
Tell all the truth but tell it slant
Tell all the truth but tell it slant
Emily Dickinson
The Only News I Know
The Only News I Know
Emily Dickinson
There is no Frigate like a Book
There is no Frigate like a Book
Emily Dickinson