“Hope” is the thing with feathers

By Emily Dickinson

“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.

To which sense does this stanza's imagery most appeal?
1. smell
2. hearing
3. touch
4. sight
Thanks

1 answer

The imagery in the poem "Hope is the thing with feathers" by Emily Dickinson most appeals to the sense of hearing. The poem describes a bird that "sings the tune without the words" and references the sound of hope being especially sweet "in the Gale." The focus on singing and the auditory experience of hope emphasizes the appeal to the sense of hearing.