Question

analyzing the effects of connotation
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.
—“hope is the thing with feathers”
consider the word choice in the second stanza, and then answer the questions.
the denotation of gale is “a strong wind.” what is the connotation of gale as it is used in the second stanza of the poem?
how would the poem’s meaning change if dickinson text cut off instead?
options: a destructive wind, a harmless wind, a hopeful wind (with a destructive wind checked)

Explanation:

To determine the connotation of "gale" in the poem, we analyze the context. The line "And sweetest in the gale is heard" and the subsequent mention of a storm that could abash the bird (hope) suggest that the gale is not destructive here. Instead, it's a wind where hope (the bird) is still heard sweetly, implying it's a wind that doesn't harm hope, so "a harmless wind" fits. The other options: "a destructive wind" would contradict the "sweetest" in the gale, and "a hopeful wind" misinterprets the wind's role (hope is the bird, not the wind).

Answer:

The connotation of "gale" in the second stanza is a harmless wind. So the correct option is: a harmless wind