Jovon Abriam American Literature Mr. Taube March 6, 2013 Hope Vs. Hope It’s a plane! It’s a bird! Yes, it actually is a bird. The poem “Hope” is the thing with feathers, is a 19th century poem written by Emily Dickinson and the movie The Shawshank Redemption, written and directed by Frank Durabont, both use a bird as a major symbol to hope. The Shawshank Redemption use the characters Jack, Andy and Red to make connections to hope, while “Hope” is the thing with feathers really has no characters that make connections to hope. Hope” is the thing with feathers is a poem about how hope never dies and will get you through rough times. The Shawshank Redemption is a movie based in the 1940’s how hope can either be corrupt or the best thing in life. The Shawshank Redemption and “Hope” is the thing with feathers are similar because of the symbolism and the central theme in both works, but what makes them different is the connections the characters has to hope and the different type of media used.
When juxtaposing the two works, you will find that there are a few similarities between the two. In, “Hope” is the thing with feathers (which is the first line in the poem) and The Shawshank Redemption, they both use birds as the symbol of hope. Saying that “Hope” is the thing with feathers is basically referring to a bird and in The Shawshank Redemption, the bird symbolizes hope because when Jake gives up his bird, he loses hope and ends up killing himself. Hope does not only play as the symbol in both works, but also as the central theme in the two.
In the poem, Emily Dickinson is saying that if you have hope, it can get you through hard times and she uses a gale and a storm to symbolize the hard times. In The Shawshank Redemption, having hope will lead to you accomplishing your greatest desires. On the other hand, there are a few differences between The Shawshank Redemption and “Hope” is the thing with feathers. One of the differences between the two is that obviously one is a movie and the other is a poem.
Another thing different between the two is the way the characters have a connection to hope. In “Hope” is the thing with feathers, there is no character that really makes a connection to hope, unlike The Shawshank Redemption which uses Andy, Red and Jack to make connections to hope. While, “Hope” is the thing with feathers says that the bird is the one that produces music, the bird in The Shawshank Redemption does not make music, instead it is Andy that plays the music on the prison speakers.
The Shawshank Redemption and “Hope” is the thing with feathers are both so similar, but so different at the same time. These two works share many things in common like using the bird as the symbol of hope, as well as hope being the central theme. However, they are different because the type of media and the characters’ connection that the have to hope. Even though a 19th century poem and a 20th century movie may seem like they may have many differences, they actually can share a few things in common.
