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"Hope" by Emily Dickinson

Title:
Giving hope to people. Or having hope.

Paraphrase:
"Hope is the thing with feathers, That perches in the soul, And sings the tune--without the words" These lines are clearly comparing hope with the qualities of a bird.

"And sore must be the storm,That could abash the little bird, That kept so many warm." Hear it seems Dickinson is criticizing anyone who could try and squash any amount of hope.

Connotation:
"And sore must be the storm" Here sore seems to mean more evil or bad.
"That kept so many warm" Keeping someone warm means positive or hopeful.
"It asked a crumb of me" It being the hope as a bird, where a crumb being close to nothing that hope required in return.
Attitude:
Dickinsons' attitude is that she seems to value hope very highly, all of its characteristics and the feelings it brings.
Shift:
There is a slight shift in from describing hope to how it can exist ins some of the chillest lands or strangest seas.
Title revisited:
Hope is what she is describing, not the theme.
Theme:
Hope, like a bird, is something so gentle and kind that can lift even the heaviest of souls and so be cherished and left to do its good biding.