Datasets:

trumancai

/

factoid-wiki

like 0

enwiki-00000089-0026-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Critical reception

Retrospective reviews continue to be positive, with many reviewers praising Bowie's growth as an artist and Fripp's contributions. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised the album, noting the growing artistic maturity compared to its predecessor. He further praised the addition of Fripp, stating that his guitar adds a greater "musical foundation" to the electronic sound. He ultimately writes: "The difference between Low and "Heroes" [essentially] lies in the details, but the record is equally challenging and groundbreaking." Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork similarly praised the record, calling Bowie's vocal performances some of his finest and highlighted Fripp as the standout.

enwiki-00000089-0026-0001

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Critical reception

In a review in which he commended the entire Berlin Trilogy, Dombal identified "Heroes" as the album that indicated the most artistic growth for Bowie, after turning 30 and escaping years of drug addiction. Many reviewers and biographers have particularly highlighted the title track as one of Bowie's finest, with some considering it his greatest song.

enwiki-00000089-0027-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Aftermath

Upon completion of his promotional appearances for "Heroes", Bowie flew to New York to record narration for an adaptation of Sergei Prokofiev's classical composition Peter and the Wolf, which was released as an album in May 1978. Bowie later said that it was a Christmas present for his son, Duncan Jones, then 7 years old. Afterwards, Bowie returned to Switzerland, where he was approached by director David Hemmings to appear in his upcoming film Just a Gigolo.

enwiki-00000089-0027-0001

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Aftermath

Bowie agreed to the project due to wanting to work with Hemmings, whom he called "a real actor's director", the idea of starring in a film set in pre-Holocaust Berlin, and after learning actress Marlene Dietrich would be coming out of her almost two-decade-long retirement to star in the film. Shooting began in January 1978 and was troublesome: Bowie filed for divorce during shooting and Dietrich refused to leave her Paris apartment. Thus, the two never met and their scenes were shot separately and spliced together for the finished product. Released in February 1979, Just a Gigolo was panned by both critics and audiences. Bowie himself was critical of the film, calling it "my 32 Elvis Presley movies rolled into one" in an interview with NME.

enwiki-00000089-0028-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Aftermath

After filming his scenes for Just a Gigolo in February 1978, Bowie began rehearsals for an upcoming tour. The Isolar II world tour, also known as "the Stage tour", lasted from March to the end of the year. Songs from both Low and "Heroes" made up the majority of the shows, while Ziggy Stardust-era songs and other hits from 1973 to 1976 were played.

enwiki-00000089-0028-0001

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Aftermath

By now Bowie had broken his drug addiction; Buckley writes that the tour was "Bowie's first tour for five years in which he had probably not anaesthetised himself with copious quantities of cocaine before taking the stage. ... Without the oblivion that drugs had brought, he was now in a healthy enough mental condition to want to make friends." Performances from the tour were released on the live album Stage in September the same year, and again from a different venue in 2018 on Welcome to the Blackout.

enwiki-00000089-0029-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Influence and legacy

Although "Heroes" was the best-received work of the Berlin Trilogy on release, in subsequent decades critical and public opinion has typically fallen in favour of Low as the more ground-breaking record owing to its daring experimental achievements. Pegg writes that the album is rather seen as an extension or refinement of its predecessor's achievements rather than a "definitive new work". Seabrook notes that Low had the advantage of being released first and seen as "the greatest and canniest musical move" of Bowie's entire career. However, he writes that compared to other records released in 1977, "Heroes" still "sounds like a blast from the future". "Heroes" has nonetheless been regarded as one of Bowie's best and most influential works.

enwiki-00000089-0030-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Influence and legacy

In a 2013 readers' poll for Rolling Stone, "Heroes" was voted Bowie's eighth best album. Five years later, the writers of Consequence of Sound ranked "Heroes" as Bowie's fifth-greatest album, stating that "The weary 'optimism' of "Heroes" is mesmerizing. Even on its gloomiest tracks, there's this upbeat, impassioned impression that everything's okay, even just for one day." In 2020, Brian Kay of Classic Rock History ranked "Heroes", along with Low and Lodger, as Bowie's seventh greatest work, calling the trilogy a "fascinating chapter" in Bowie's life.

enwiki-00000089-0030-0001

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Influence and legacy

In 2013, NME ranked the album 329th in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Based on "Heroes"' appearances in professional rankings and listings, the aggregate website Acclaimed Music lists it as 11th most acclaimed album of 1977, the 81st most acclaimed album of the 1970s and the 253rd most acclaimed album in history.

enwiki-00000089-0031-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Influence and legacy

An early instance of the album's enduring influence is John Lennon's comment in 1980 that, when making his album Double Fantasy, his ambition was to "do something as good as "Heroes"." In 1990, after hiring Eno to produce Achtung Baby (1991), the Irish rock band U2 chose to record it at Hansa by the Wall in Berlin in honor of "Heroes" being recorded there. Other artists inspired by "Heroes" include Andy McCluskey of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, who referred to the "unconscious influence" of Bowie on his singing style, Vince Clarke, who called it a "rebellion inspiration", Ian Astbury of the Cult and Robyn Hitchcock.

enwiki-00000089-0032-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Influence and legacy

In 1997, American composer Philip Glass adapted the album into a classical suite, titled "Heroes" Symphony. A follow-up to his earlier 1992 adaptation of Low, titled "Low" Symphony, the piece is separated into six movements, each named after tracks on "Heroes". Like its predecessor, Glass acknowledged Eno's contributions as equal to Bowie's on the original album and credited the movements to the two equally. Unlike the "Low" Symphony, the "Heroes" Symphony was developed into a ballet by American choreographer Twyla Tharp. Both the ballet and Symphony were greeted with acclaim.

enwiki-00000089-0032-0001

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Influence and legacy

Bowie and Glass remained in contact with each other until 2003 and discussed making a third symphony, which never came to fruition. After Bowie's death in 2016, Glass stated the two had talked about adapting Lodger for the third symphony, which adapted as his 12th symphony in 2019. Glass described Low and "Heroes" as "part of the new classics of our time".

enwiki-00000089-0033-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Influence and legacy

The cover of Bowie's 2013 album, The Next Day, is an altered and obscured version of the "Heroes" cover. This version has the word "'Heroes'" crossed out and Bowie's face obscured by an opaque white box reading "The Next Day". Designer Jonathan Barnbrook explained that Bowie had a feeling of isolation when making "Heroes" and he wanted to recapture that feeling for The Next Day.

enwiki-00000089-0033-0001

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Influence and legacy

He further emphasised: "We tried out every single Bowie cover there's been, but it ended up as "Heroes" because it's such an iconic album, and the image on the front has the right kind of distance... The Next Day, in combination with the "Heroes" image, and what the album is saying about somebody who's looking back at his age...it just felt appropriate."

enwiki-00000089-0034-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Reissues

"Heroes" was first released on CD by RCA Records in the mid-1980s. It was reissued in 1991 by Rykodisc with two bonus tracks, including the outtake "Abdulmajid". A further CD release in 1999 by EMI/Virgin, without bonus tracks, featured 24-bit digitally remastered sound.

enwiki-00000089-0035-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Reissues

In 2017, the album was remastered for the A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) box set released by Parlophone that September. It was released in CD, vinyl, and digital formats, as part of this compilation and then separately in February 2018. A volume shift in the 2017 remaster of the title track received ire from fans and critics, but Parlophone proceeded to describe it as intentional and unalterable, because of damages in the original master tapes.

enwiki-00000089-0035-0001

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Reissues

After the critical voices would not lessen, a statement was released on the official Bowie website announcing corrected replacement disks for the "Heroes" CD and LP; the replacement disc offer lasted until June 2018. The amended remaster featured on the replacement discs was also used for the standalone CD and LP release of "Heroes" in February 2018.

enwiki-00000089-0036-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie album)

Track listing

All tracks are written by David Bowie, except where noted.

enwiki-00000090-0000-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

"'Heroes'" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was co-written by Bowie and Brian Eno, produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti, and recorded in July and August 1977 at Hansa Studio by the Wall. It was released on 23 September 1977 as the lead single from his 12th studio album of the same name, backed with the song "V-2 Schneider". A product of Bowie's "Berlin" period, the track was not a huge hit in the United Kingdom or the United States after its release, but it has since become one of his signature songs. In January 2016, following Bowie's death, the song reached a new peak of number 12 in the UK Singles Chart. "'Heroes'" has been cited as Bowie's second-most covered song after "Rebel Rebel".

enwiki-00000090-0001-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Inspired by the sight of Bowie's producer-engineer Tony Visconti embracing his lover by the Berlin Wall, the song tells the story of two lovers, one from East and one from West Berlin. Bowie's performance of "'Heroes'" on 6 June 1987, at the German Reichstag in West Berlin has been considered a catalyst to the later fall of the Berlin Wall. Following his death in January 2016, the German government thanked Bowie for "helping to bring down the Wall", adding "you are now among Heroes".

enwiki-00000090-0002-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

"'Heroes'" has received numerous accolades since its release, including inclusion on lists of the greatest songs of all time; Rolling Stone named the song the 46th greatest ever, and NME named it the 15th greatest. Bowie scholar David Buckley has written that "'Heroes'" "is perhaps pop's definitive statement of the potential triumph of the human spirit over adversity".

enwiki-00000090-0003-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Title and lyrics

The song title is a reference to the 1975 track "Hero" by German krautrock band Neu!, whom Bowie and Eno admired. It was one of the early tracks recorded during the album sessions, but remained an instrumental until towards the end of production. The quotation marks in the title of the song, a deliberate affectation, were designed to impart an ironic quality on the otherwise romantic or triumphant words and music.

enwiki-00000090-0004-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Title and lyrics

Producer Tony Visconti took credit for inspiring the image of the lovers kissing "by the wall", when he and backing vocalist Antonia Maass (Maaß) embraced in front of Bowie as he looked out of the Hansa Studio window. Bowie claimed that the protagonists were based on an anonymous young couple, but Visconti, who was married to Mary Hopkin at the time, contends that Bowie was protecting him and his affair with Maass. Bowie confirmed this in 2003, over two decades after Visconti and Hopkin's eventual divorce.

enwiki-00000090-0005-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Music

Bowie said that the "plodding tempo and rhythm" were inspired by the Velvet Underground song "I'm Waiting for the Man".

enwiki-00000090-0006-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Music

Richard Buskin of Sound on Sound described "'Heroes'" as a "highly experimental piece of art rock". The music, co-written by Bowie and Eno, is in a two-chord progression (D–G), with a "brief excursion to familiar chords" in the key of G. Biographer David Buckley likens it to a Wall of Sound production, a forceful and noisy arrangement of guitars, percussion and synthesizers. Eno said the song always "sounded grand and heroic" and that he had "that very word – heroes – in my mind" even before Bowie wrote the lyrics.

enwiki-00000090-0006-0001

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Music

The backing track consists of a conventional arrangement of piano, bass guitar, rhythm guitar and drums. The other parts consist of synthesiser parts by Eno using an EMS VCS3 to produce detuned low-frequency drones, with the beat frequencies from the three oscillators, producing a juddering effect. In addition, King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp generated an unusual sustained sound by allowing his guitar to feedback and sitting at different positions in the room to alter the pitch of the feedback. Visconti mixed out Dennis Davis' kick drum, stating that the track "seemed to plod" with it but had a more energetic feel without it.

enwiki-00000090-0007-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Music, Vocal gating progression

Bowie's vocal was recorded after most of the session musicians had departed Berlin, with a "multi-latch" system devised by Visconti that creatively misused gating, a recording technique to control volume. Three microphones were used to capture the vocal, with one microphone nine inches from Bowie, one 20 feet away, and one 50 feet away. Each microphone was muted as the next one was triggered. As the music built, Bowie was forced to sing at increased volumes to overcome the gating effect, leading to an increasingly impassioned vocal performance as the song progresses. Jay Hodgson writes,

enwiki-00000090-0008-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Music, Vocal gating progression

Bowie's performance thus grows in intensity precisely as ever more ambience infuses his delivery until, by the final verse, he has to shout just to be heard ... The more Bowie shouts just to be heard, in fact, the further back in the mix Visconti's multi-latch system pushes his vocal tracks, creating a stark metaphor for the situation of Bowie's doomed lovers.

enwiki-00000090-0009-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Release

"'Heroes'" was released in a variety of languages and lengths ("a collector's wet dream" in the words of NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray). In contrast to the bewildering audio situation, the video (directed by Nick Ferguson) was a stark and simple affair, the singer captured performing the song in what appeared to be a single take with multiple cameras, swaying in front of a spotlight that created a monotone and near-silhouette effect.

enwiki-00000090-0010-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Release

"'Heroes'" was released on 23 September 1977 as the lead single of Bowie's 12th studio album of the same name by RCA Records (as RCA / PB 11121), with a length of 3:32, and with fellow album track "V-2 Schneider" as the B-side. It subsequently appeared, with a longer length of 6:07, as the third track, between "Joe the Lion" and "Sons of the Silent Age", on the album in October the same year. Another 12" single, containing both the single and album versions, was released in the US by RCA (as RCA / JD-11151) the same year.

enwiki-00000090-0010-0001

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Release

The German and French versions, titled "'Helden'" and "'Héros'", respectively, was released by RCA (RCA / PC-9821). Despite a large promotional push, including Bowie's first live Top of the Pops appearance since 1973, "'Heroes'" reached only number 24 in the UK charts, and failed to make the US Billboard Hot 100. In Italy, the song was certified gold by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry.

enwiki-00000090-0011-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Release

Bowie filmed a promotional music video for the track in 1977. Directed by Nick Ferguson and shot in Paris, it features numerous shots of Bowie against a backdrop of white light and wearing the same bomber-jacket he wore on the "Heroes" album cover. Pegg believes the effect is similar to Liza Minnelli's performance of "Maybe This Time" in the 1972 film Cabaret.

enwiki-00000090-0012-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Reception and legacy

Writing for NME on its release, Charlie Gillett slated the record, saying: "Well he had a pretty good run for our money, for a guy who was no singer. But I think his time has been and gone, and this just sounds weary. Then again, maybe the ponderous heavy riff will be absorbed on the radio, and the monotonous feel may just be hypnotic enough to drag people into buying it. I hope not." Despite this poor review it featured at number 6 in the NME's end of year critics poll for 1977.

enwiki-00000090-0013-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Reception and legacy

Later assessments were more favourable. In February 1999, Q magazine listed "'Heroes'" as one of the 100 greatest singles of all time as voted by the readers. In March 2005, the same magazine placed it at number 56 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. In 2004, Rolling Stone rated "'Heroes'" number 46 in its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and was re-ranked at number 23 on the 2021 list. It was included in 2008's The Pitchfork Media 500: Our Guide to the Greatest Songs from Punk to the Present. John J. Miller of National Review rated "'Heroes'" number 21 on a list of "the 50 greatest conservative rock songs" due to its anti-Soviet political context. It has also become a gay anthem. Uncut placed "'Heroes'" at number 1 in its 30 greatest Bowie songs in 2008.

enwiki-00000090-0014-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Reception and legacy

Moby has said that "'Heroes'" is one of his favourite songs ever written, calling it "inevitable" that his music would be influenced by the song, and Dave Gahan, the lead singer of Depeche Mode, was hired into the band when band founder Vince Clarke heard him singing "'Heroes'" at a jam session.

enwiki-00000090-0015-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Track listing

All tracks written by David Bowie and Brian Eno, except where noted.

enwiki-00000090-0016-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Cover versions, The Wallflowers version

American rock band the Wallflowers recorded a version of the song for the soundtrack to the 1998 monster film Godzilla. This version peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1998, as well as number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart and number 23 on the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart. In Canada, the single topped the RPM Alternative 30 for six weeks and reached number 13 on the RPM Top Singles chart. British duo Dom and Nic directed the song's music video.

enwiki-00000090-0017-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Cover versions, The Wallflowers version, Critical reception

In May 1998, Billboard editor Larry Flick reviewed the song, writing that the cover "beautifully illuminates the heart-tugging quality of the lyrics" but noting that Wallflowers lead singer Jakob Dylan failed to replicate the "irony and edge" of Bowie's version. Reviewing the Godzilla soundtrack on AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the cover was respectful to the original.

enwiki-00000090-0018-0000

"Heroes" (David Bowie song)

Cover versions, The Wallflowers version, Personnel

Credits are lifted from the Australian CD single liner notes.

enwiki-00000091-0000-0000

"Holy..."

"Holy...!" (for example "Holy cow! ", "Holy mackerel!" or "Holy smoke!") is an exclamation of surprise used mostly in English-speaking countries.

enwiki-00000091-0001-0000

"Holy..."

Robin of the Batman TV series is noted for his many catchphrase "Holy..." exclamations. The lines in the 1960s TV series were uttered by Burt Ward who played Robin, who delivered the exclamations in a nasal voice. Many of the camp quips are directly related to the plot; for example, "Holy Graf Zeppelin!" is uttered by Robin upon seeing an aerial balloon. In his cameo on the Arrowverse crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths", Burt Ward exclaims, "Holy crimson skies of death!" while Earth-66 experiences red skies due to the incoming antimatter wave.

enwiki-00000091-0002-0000

"Holy..."

Analysis

According to New York wellness expert Scott A. Morofsky, Robin would "inevitably refer to an intense experience with a loud, 'Holy... Batman, what do we do now?'". Bradley J. Ricca, comic book scholar at Case Western Reserve University, suggests that: "Robin exists as a media entity inextricably linked with Batman and shares nearly as much ubiquity in American culture". He considers Robin's famous "Holy..." catchphrases to have been grossly overused in the series, popularizing it in the American vernacular. Cartoons such as The Super Friends continued to make use of Robin and his catchphrases, "spouting 'Holy' in front of every noun imaginable" and Robin's exclamations still remain closely associated with his character in popular culture.

enwiki-00000091-0003-0000

"Holy..."

Analysis

American author David Shields notes how much in contrast Robin's "Holy..." outbursts, his alliteration and assonance, his fast riffs were to the laconic Batman. According to film critics Deborah Cartmell and Imelda Whelehan, Robin's quip "Holey Rusted Metal!" in Batman Forever was an "explicit in-joke". Camp humour, through Robin's exclamations and other circumstances in the Batman series, have led some commentators to speculate on homosexual undertones in the relationship between Batman and Robin. Image Entertainment paid homage to Robin's quips with the title "Batman: Holy Batmania" in a 2004 2-disc DVD release containing four documentaries discussing the sixties TV series. The DVD title is the name of one of the documentaries itself.

enwiki-00000092-0000-0000

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

"Hope' is the thing with feathers" is a lyric poem in ballad meter written by American poet Emily Dickinson, The manuscript of this poem appears in Fascicle 13, which Dickinson compiled around 1861. It is one of 19 poems included in the collection, in addition to the poem "There's a certain Slant of light." With the discovery of Fascicle 13 after Dickinson's death by her sister, Lavinia Dickinson, "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" was subsequently published in 1891 in a collection of her works under the title Poems, which was edited and published by Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd.

enwiki-00000092-0001-0000

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

History of publication

"'Hope' is the thing with feathers" was first compiled in one of Dickinson's hand-sewn fascicles, which was written during and put together in 1861. In the 1999 edition of The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Reading Edition, R.W. Franklin changed the year of appearance from 1861, where the holograph manuscript exists, to 1862. It is listed in the appendix that poems numbered 272 to 498 were written during this year, which amounted to the third most poems Dickinson wrote in the span of years from 1860 to 1865, at 227.

enwiki-00000092-0001-0001

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

History of publication

The edition that Dickinson included in the fascicle was text B, according to Franklin. No current holograph manuscript exists of the first written version of this selection. "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" first appeared in print in a Poems by Emily Dickinson, second series in 1891. It was published by Roberts Brothers in Boston.

enwiki-00000092-0002-0000

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

History of publication

Upon the original publication, her poems were reassessed and transcribed by Thomas H. Jefferson in 1955. They became the first scholarly collection of Dickinson's work. His transcription of her works from her fascicles was taken from the earliest fair copy of her poetic works. Within the Johnson collection, "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" is poem number 254. Franklin, in his edition of her works, used the last fair copy of her poems. It is marked as number 314 in his collection and can be found under such in the Norton Anthology of Poetry.

enwiki-00000092-0003-0000

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

History of publication, Fascicle 13

Fascicle 13 is the bound edition of her written poetry that contains "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" written in Dickinson's hand. According to the work done by Franklin, there are similarities in the materials used for this fascicle and with Fascicles 11–13, 14, as well as Fascicles 9,11, and 12. Some distinct markers of Fascicle 13 include a woven-style of stationary, with paper that is cream in appearance with a blue rule line on it. It also is decorated in an embossed style that frames the page with "a queen's head above the letter 'L'." To view the holograph manuscript of this in person, the Houghton Library at Harvard University houses it.

enwiki-00000092-0004-0000

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

Analysis

In her analysis of the poem, scholar Helen Vendler, states that the opening foot of the poem is "reversed," adding more color and emphasis on the word "Hope." Dickinson implements the use of iambic meter for the duration of the poem to replicate that continuation of "Hope's song through time." Most of Dickinson's poetry contains quatrains and runs in a hymnal meter, which maintains the rhythm of alternating between four beats and three beats during each stanza. "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" is broken into three stanzas, each set alternating containing alternating lines of iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter, totaling in twelves lines altogether. In addition, despite Mr. Lin's theorizing, it is not actually about a bird.

enwiki-00000092-0005-0000

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

Analysis, Form

In Victoria N. Morgan's text, Emily Dickinson and Hymnal Culture: Tradition and Experience, she writes that Dickinson's poetry may have been influenced by eighteenth-century hymn culture, such as Isaac Watts, and female hymnal writers, Phoebe Hinsdale Brown and Eliza Lee Follen. Morgan postulates that their works were introduced to Dickinson early in her life when she was attending church regularly. She believes that the "simplicity" of the hymnal form allowed room for Dickinson to make this "an easy target for parody."

enwiki-00000092-0006-0000

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

Analysis, Theme of poem

The poem calls upon the imagery of seafaring adventures with the use of the word "Sea" and "Gale." Dickinson uses the metaphor of "Hope" being likened unto a bird that does not disappear when it encounters hardships or "storms." Vendler writes that Dickinson enjoys "the stimulus of teasing riddles," which is in use as she plays with the idea of "Hope" being a bird. Dickinson makes an allusion to "Hope" being something that does not disappear when the "Gale" and "storm" get worse and its song still sings on despite the intensity of whatever is attempting to unseat it. She also makes note that no matter what the speaker of the poem is doing, "Hope" does not leave even if they offer nothing in return to it.

enwiki-00000092-0007-0000

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

Analysis, Punctuation

Throughout the poem, Dickinson uses dashes liberally, ending nine lines out of twelve with them. In addition to the use of dashes, she employs capitalization of common nouns, such as "Hope," "Bird," and "Extremity." Scholar Ena Jung writes that Dickinson's dashes are among the most "widely contested diacriticals" in contemporary literary discussions. John Lennard, in his Poetry Handbook, states that Dickinson's poems rely heavily her use of dashes, capitalizations of particular words and her line/stanza breaks, with "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" falling into that categorization.

enwiki-00000092-0007-0001

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

Analysis, Punctuation

He continues on stating that her "intense, [and] unexpected play" with her use of capitalization and dashes makes her poetry "memorable." When reading the poem aloud, the dashes create caesura, causing the brief poem to be read in a staccato'd rhythm. Jung claims that the use of Dickinson's dashes in her poetry creates a "visible breath" to the speaker that is delivering the poetry.

enwiki-00000092-0008-0000

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

Analysis, Symbolism

In her poem, Dickinson describes "hope" as a bird, which is being used as a metaphor for the idea of salvation. Dickinson has nine variations of the word "hope," which can be interpreted in multiple ways. Morgan writes that Dickinson often writes about birds when she is describing acts of worship, which coincides with the format of the hymn. Birds in Christian iconography are often represented as a dove. Dickinson uses many illusions to nature in her poems.

enwiki-00000092-0008-0001

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

Analysis, Symbolism

Within this poem, she takes the image of the bird and the violence of weather to create a balance between the destructive and the beneficent. It is also a juxtaposition of the interior world and exterior, with the soul considered "interior" and the storms that attempt to dismantle hope being the "exterior."

enwiki-00000092-0009-0000

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

Analysis, Symbolism

Due to the riddle-like nature of her poems, as well as the extensive use of her lexicon, "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" can be interpreted through multiple shades of meaning.

enwiki-00000092-0010-0000

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

Critical reception

Dickinson's poems are lauded as mysterious and enigmatic and typically have a volta, or turn in topic, at the end, such as "Because I could not stop for Death." "'Hope' is the thing with feathers," while possessing a similar quality, is considered "childlike" by some critics due to the simplicity of the work. Vendler expands on this idea by stating it is also due to the way that Dickinson constructs her poems in quatrains and hymnal meter, which can be seen as simplistic. Morgan argues that because of Dickinson's "antagonistic relation" she has with nineteenth-century Christianity, the poet gives a "reassessment of spirituality" through this poem by the use of the image of the bird and the Christian conception of "hope."

enwiki-00000092-0011-0000

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

Derivative works

"'Hope' is the thing with feathers" has been adapted to music to be performed by choirs. There are multiple versions of the song. Most notable of the adaptations is the Susan LaBarr version that was written for women's choir and intended to be accompanied by piano. Additional musical adaptations of the poem are also done by , and Paul Kelly.

enwiki-00000092-0012-0000

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

Derivative works

Alternative country band, Trailer Bride, titled their final album, Hope Is a Thing with Feathers. The title of the album is a variant of the name of the poem. The title track of the album is an adaptation of the poem written by Dickinson, where she receives a writing credit.

enwiki-00000093-0000-0000

"How's my driving?" sign

A "how's my driving" sign (or "how is my driving" or similar) is a decal posted or painted on a back of a fleet vehicle or other vehicle operated by an employee driver. The decal usually has a phone number or website address and other identifying information so that the public can call and report on the behavior of the vehicle's driver. Depending on the company, the phone number or website is monitored by the vehicle's owner or by a third-party company.

enwiki-00000093-0001-0000

"How's my driving?" sign

Similar programs have also been implemented for vehicles driven by teenagers in hopes of improving the safety of teenage drivers and with drunk drivers. Use of "How's My Driving" regimes for systems other than traffic have been discussed, also in relation to eBay and Wikipedia.

enwiki-00000093-0002-0000

"How's my driving?" sign

The purpose of the decal is to increase traffic safety, as those who know they are driving a vehicle with a decal would want to drive more safely to not draw complaints.

enwiki-00000093-0003-0000

"How's my driving?" sign

Frequency of complaints

About 10% of vehicles bearing this decal become the target of complaints.

enwiki-00000093-0004-0000

"How's my driving?" sign

Frequency of complaints

The most common complaints fielded are tailgating, improper lane changes, speeding, and running red lights, though it has been found that many bored motorists who have cell phones will call in petty complaints. A small percentage of calls are to compliment drivers.

enwiki-00000093-0005-0000

"How's my driving?" sign

Effects

Studies have found that vehicles displaying the decal are involved in 22% fewer accidents and result in a 52% reduction in accident-related costs.

enwiki-00000093-0006-0000

"How's my driving?" sign

Effects

Some insurance companies offer discounts to fleets that display the decal.

enwiki-00000093-0007-0000

"How's my driving?" sign

Effects

Other countries are starting to experiment with similar programs, such as Germany.

enwiki-00000093-0008-0000

"How's my driving?" sign

Effects, Effects of complaints

When a complaint is made, the receptionist who fields the complaint will generally ask for basic information regarding the vehicle and incident, such as the vehicle's description (e.g. a white van), the location of the incident, and the weather of the day.

enwiki-00000093-0009-0000

"How's my driving?" sign

Effects, Effects of complaints

Complaints received by motorists may or may not affect the employment status of the operator of the vehicle. In the worst cases, complaints may result in a reprimand against the operator and possibly termination.

enwiki-00000094-0000-0000

"Hyla" nicefori

Hyla nicefori also known as the Colombian Backpack Frog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to the border region between Boyacá and Casanare in Colombia and only known from the holotype. The name format, as used by the American Museum of Natural History's Amphibian Species of the World, indicates that while this species is temporarily kept in the hylid type genus Hyla, it belongs elsewhere in the family and will be reassigned pending a taxonomic resolution. It was originally placed in Cryptobatrachus (backpack frogs), but a later study revealed a number morphological differences showing that it is not in family Hemiphractidae (the family of Cryptobatrachus), instead pointing to it being a hylid frog, perhaps Hyloscirtus.

enwiki-00000094-0001-0000

"Hyla" nicefori

The only known record of the species is the type specimen that was collected in the 1940s and "Hyla" nicefori is rated as data deficient by the IUCN. There has been extensive habitat loss at the type locality, but habitat remains nearby. There have been no recent surveys for frogs in the region because of security problems, although (as of 2017) there were plans of a revisit.

enwiki-00000095-0000-0000

"Hylarana" attigua

"Hylarana" attigua is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, the "true frogs". The exact genus-level placement of this species is uncertain because it was not included in the revision of the genus Hylarana that saw what was then very broadly defined genus split into several distinct genera, with relatively few remaining in Hylarana sensu stricto. It is found in central and south Vietnam, eastern Cambodia, and southern Laos. The specific name attigua is derived from Latin attiguus meaning "neighbor". It refers to the similarity of this species to Indosylvirana milleti. Common name similar frog has been coined for this species.

enwiki-00000095-0001-0000

"Hylarana" attigua

Description

Adult males measure 40–45 mm (1.6–1.8 in) and adult females 55–65 mm (2.2–2.6 in) in snout–vent length. The overall appearance is moderately stocky. The head is longer than it is broad and the snout is obtusely pointed, but rounded and projecting in lateral view. The tympanum is distinct, relatively larger in males than in females. The finger tips bear small discs. The toe discs are also small, but can be slightly larger than the fingers ones. The toes are partially webbed. There are conspicuous, continuous dorsolateral folds. Skin is dorsally granular with small tubercles, with larger tubercles on the sides.

enwiki-00000095-0001-0001

"Hylarana" attigua

Description

In many individuals, both males and females, the tubercles have white, spinose tips. Dorsal coloration is medium brown and may include small darker spots. A dark brown to black narrow band runs from the snout through the eye and the tympanum, becoming less defined in the temporal area. The upper lip has white to yellow stripe. The limbs have dark brown crossbars.

enwiki-00000095-0002-0000

"Hylarana" attigua

Habitat and conservation

This species occurs in wet evergreen forests, typically along streams (including rapids and waterfalls), as well as mixed evergreen and deciduous forests with bamboo, at elevations of 152–1,280 m (499–4,199 ft) above sea level. Reproduction has been reported in standing water. It can be common in parts of its range. It is probably suffering the loss of forest habitats, although it appears to tolerate a degree of habitat modification. It is known from a number of protected areas.

enwiki-00000096-0000-0000

"Hylarana" celebensis

"Hylarana" celebensis is a species of true frog in the family Ranidae. It is native to Sulawesi (Celebes), Indonesia. It is a lowland forest species, also occurring disturbed habitats.

enwiki-00000097-0000-0000

"Hylarana" chitwanensis

"Hylarana" chitwanensis is a species of frog in the family Ranidae endemic to Nepal. Its type locality is in the Chitwan National Park. Earlier reports from India are erroneous although it is likely to occur there.

enwiki-00000097-0001-0000

"Hylarana" chitwanensis

"Hylarana" chitwanensis is a lowland species, occurring at altitudes less than 500 m (1,600 ft) asl in the Himalayan foothills. Its natural habitats are terai grasslands, bushes and tropical Shorea forests. It is threatened by habitat loss caused by logging and dam construction. The Hylarana is distributed across tropical Australia, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

enwiki-00000098-0000-0000

"Hylarana" garoensis

"Hylarana" garoensis, commonly known as Boulenger's Garo hill frog, is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is found in India and possibly Bangladesh. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.

enwiki-00000099-0000-0000

"Hylarana" lateralis

"Hylarana" lateralis is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is commonly known as Kokarit frog, yellow frog or (ambiguously) wood frog.

enwiki-00000099-0001-0000

"Hylarana" lateralis

Placed in Rana when this was still loosely circumscribed, it was since assigned to the "water frog" genus Pelophylax. However, it is not clear whether this is the most appropriate treatment, and the Kokarit Frog might rather belong in Hylarana. The supposed species Rana nigrolineata was recently determined to be a junior synonym of "P." lateralis.

enwiki-00000099-0002-0000

"Hylarana" lateralis

Habitat

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, moist shrubland, plantations, swamps, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, ponds, and seasonally flooded or irrigated agricultural land. It is not considered threatened by the IUCN.

enwiki-00000099-0003-0000

"Hylarana" lateralis

Consumption

In parts of Cambodia north and east of the Mekong River, it is collected for human consumption in localities such as Snuol District, Kratie Province.

enwiki-00000100-0000-0000

"Hylarana" latouchii

"Hylarana" latouchii, also known as Kuatun frog, LaTouche's frog, or broad-folded frog, is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It was formerly placed in genus Rana. The specific name honours the collector of the type series: "Hylarana" latouchii was described by George Albert Boulenger based on three specimens collected by Irish ornithologist John D. La Touche in Guadun village in Wuyishan, Fujian, China.

enwiki-00000100-0001-0000

"Hylarana" latouchii

"Hylarana" latouchii is found in southern and eastern China and Taiwan. Frogs from Taiwan might represent a separate species different from the mainland. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, moist montane forests, rivers, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, water storage areas, ponds, open excavations, irrigated land, and canals and ditches. It is not considered a threatened species by the IUCN.

enwiki-00000100-0002-0000

"Hylarana" latouchii

"Hylarana" latouchii is a small frog that may grow up to 4 cm (1.6 in) in snout-vent length. Males are smaller (38 mm (1.5 in) SVL) than females (47 mm (1.9 in) SVL). Mean sizes reported for Taiwanese "Hylarana" latouchii are larger, respectively 44 mm (1.7 in) and 55 mm (2.2 in) SVL. "Hylarana" latouchii is reproductively active throughout the year in Taiwan.

enwiki-00000100-0003-0000

"Hylarana" latouchii

Antimicrobial peptides can be isolated from skin of "Hylarana" latouchii.

enwiki-00000101-0000-0000

"Hylarana" margariana

"Hylarana" margariana, commonly known as the Irrawaddy frog, is a species of true frog in the family Ranidae. It is native to Myanmar and may be present in China.

enwiki-00000102-0000-0000

"Hylarana" montivaga

"Hylarana" montivaga, sometimes known as Langbian Plateau frog or Chantaburi stream frog, is a species of "true frog" in the family Ranidae. Its generic placement is currently unsettled. It is known from the Langbian Plateau in southern-central Vietnam; records from elsewhere (including Thailand) refer to other species.

enwiki-00000102-0001-0000

"Hylarana" montivaga

Habitat and conservation

This species is known from streams in evergreen forests at elevations of 1,500–2,000 m (4,900–6,600 ft) above sea level. It is currently listed as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN). This is due to agriculture and aquaculture within their habitats, and biological resource use.

enwiki-00000103-0000-0000

"Hylarana" persimilis

"Hylarana" persimilis, commonly known as the Sumatra frog, is a species of true frogs in the family Ranidae. It is native to Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia. It is only known from the holotype collected from a lakeside.

enwiki-00000104-0000-0000

"I AM" Activity

The "I AM" Movement is the original Ascended Master Teachings religious movement founded in the early 1930s by Guy Ballard (1878–1939) and his wife Edna Anne Wheeler Ballard (1886–1971) in Chicago, Illinois. It is an offshoot of theosophy and a major precursor of several New Age religions including the Church Universal and Triumphant. The movement had up to a million followers in 1938 and is still active today on a smaller scale.

enwiki-00000104-0000-0001

"I AM" Activity

According to the official website of the parent organization, the Saint Germain Foundation, its worldwide headquarters is located in Schaumburg, Illinois, and there are approximately 300 local groups worldwide under several variations of the names "I AM" Sanctuary, "I AM" Temple, and other similar titles. As of 2007, the organization states that its purpose is "spiritual, educational and practical," and that no admission fee is charged for their activities. The term "I AM" is a reference to the ancient Sanskrit mantra "So Ham", meaning "I Am that I Am".

enwiki-00000104-0001-0000

"I AM" Activity

Overview

The movement believes in the existence of a group called the Ascended Masters, a hierarchy of supernatural beings that includes the original Theosophical Masters such as Jesus Christ, El Morya Khan, Maitreya, and in addition several dozen more beyond the original 20 Masters of the Ancient Wisdom of the original Theosophists as described by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky.

enwiki-00000104-0002-0000

"I AM" Activity

Overview

These "Ascended Masters" are believed to be humans who have lived in a succession of reincarnations in physical bodies or cosmic beings (beings originated from the great central sun of light in the beginning of all times). Over time, those who have passed through various “embodiments” became highly advanced souls, are able to move beyond the cycles of "re-embodiments" and karma, and attained their "Ascension", becoming immortal. The Ascended Masters are believed to communicate to humanity through certain trained messengers per Blavatsky, including Guy and Edna Ballard.

enwiki-00000104-0002-0001

"I AM" Activity

Overview

Because Jesus is believed to be one of the Ascended Masters, making the "Christ Light" available to seekers who wish to move out of darkness, many of the members of the "I AM" Activity consider it to be a Christian religion. According to the Los Angeles Magazine, Ballard said he was the re-embodiment of George Washington, an Egyptian priest, and a noted French musician.

enwiki-00000104-0003-0000

"I AM" Activity

Overview

The "I AM" Activity was the continuation of the teachings received by H. P. Blavatsky and William Quan Judge. Ballard was always guided and inspired by the writings of William Quan Judge (1851-1896), who used the pseudonym David Lloyd due to the persecution of his enemies in the Theosophical Society. Then Ballard came in contact with the Mahatma called "Ascended Master" Saint Germain.

enwiki-00000104-0004-0000

"I AM" Activity

Overview

Ballard died in 1939. In 1942 his wife and son were convicted of fraud, a conviction which was overturned in a landmark Supreme Court decision (United States v. Ballard), ruling that the question of whether the Ballards believed their religious claims should not have been submitted to a jury. This event has been known as the determinant for the establishment of the policies regarding freedom of religion or beliefs rights in the United States of America.

enwiki-00000104-0005-0000

"I AM" Activity

History, Founding

The "I AM" Activity was founded by Guy Ballard (pseudonym Godfré Ray King) in the early 1930s. Ballard was well-read in theosophy and its offshoots, and while hiking on Mount Shasta looking for a rumored branch of the Great White Brotherhood known as "The Brotherhood of Mount Shasta", he claimed to have met and been instructed by a man who introduced himself as "Saint Germain." Saint Germain is regular component of theosophical religions as an Ascended Master, based on the historical Comte de Saint-Germain, an 18th-century adventurer.

enwiki-00000104-0006-0000

"I AM" Activity

History, Founding

The Ballards said they began talking to the Ascended Masters regularly. They founded a publishing house, Saint Germain Press, to publish their books and began training people to spread their messages across the United States. These training sessions and "Conclaves" were held throughout the United States and were open to the general public and free of charge. A front-page story in a 1938 edition of the Chicago Herald and Examiner noted that the Ballards "do not take up collections or ask for funds".