1. Define what ‘hope’ means. 2. When do we need hope most? 3. What is the most hopeful thing you have ever seen, heard, read or experienced?
COMPREHENDING AND RESPONDING
1. What do you think Dickinson is comparing hope to in the first two lines of this poem and do you think this comparison is effective? Explain your answer.
2. Why do you think the tune in stanza one does not have any words? Explain your answer with reference to the poem.
3. Why do you think the tune sounds ‘sweetest – in the Gale’? Give reasons for your answer.
4. What kind of storm would be ‘sore’ enough to ‘abash’ the little bird, in your opinion?
5. What do you think Dickinson means when she says that this bird has ‘kept so many warm –‘? Explain your answer with reference to the poem.
6. What kind of life experiences might the ‘chillest land’ and the ‘strangest Sea’ represent, in your opinion? Support your answer with reference to the poem.
7. What is the theme, or themes of this poem, in your opinion?
CREATING
1. Write a radio talk for Mental Health Awareness Week about the importance of encouraging children to be as hopeful as possible, so that they grow up to be hopeful adults.
2. It has been scientifically proven that having a pet is beneficial to both our physical and our psychological health. Write a blog post encouraging people to adopt an unwanted animal for these and other reasons.
3. Write a short story about a character who travels to the ends of the earth.
