In the metaphor of the poem, treacherous weather is used to illustrate and represent the struggles humans face in their lives, and their ability to survive them with hope. Dickinson uses the imagery of the hazardous sea in this poem, for example, the "gale" and the "storm" to emphasize the adversity that the little bird is facing. In many literary texts, the idea of harsh weather is used to symbolize extreme adversity and difficulty. What is the significance of weather in this poem? Much like human hope, the bird is a little thing that has surprising resilience. The bird doesn't endure because it is large and powerful (like a bear or wolf), it does so because it is persistent and internally strong. Dickinson invokes the bird because of its smallness and fragility. Hope also "perches" and "sings" like a bird, reinforcing this initial impression. Hope is depicted as having "feathers," which is the first indication that Dickinson is comparing it to a bird. Why does Dickinson refer to a bird at the beginning of the poem?
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