Question

My assignment is to write an exlpication of a peom by emily dickinson. The poem is:

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.

I have never done this before and I haven't a clue how to begin. Any help?

Answer 1

This is a great site for explaining explication:

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/poetry-explication.html

Be sure to check the links for further information.

Here is an example of an explication of that poem.
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/hope.html

Answer 2

please can somebody tell me the effects of a metaphor, onomatopoeia and extended personification are.

thank you

please reply