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Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906) is known as being a modern poet and one of the most influential black writers in American literature.
The poem “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar was published in “Oak and Ivy” in 1892. It is seen as a metaphor for what it means to be a black main during the 19th century. Paul Laurence Dunbar was often praised as the Poet Laureate of the black race, but was also often criticized for being too pro-white in his writings.
Dunbar was an intelligent man who often wrote in both dialect and common English. Poetic scholars such as William Dean Howells suggests that Dunbar’s poetry should be divided into two groups: literary and dialect. It is often believed that Dunbar’s dialect poetry is more authentic to himself and his culture. Nonetheless, much of Dunbar’s work didn’t receive literary success until the second-half of the 20th century.
“Sympathy” is one of the poems Howells would put into the literary category. Although it has cultural significance, it lacks the dialect Dunbar uses in his other poems. This poem is made up of three stanzas with each one consisting of a rhyming pattern. The first stanza is ABCCBAA, the second is ABAABAA, with the third and final stanza is ABCCBAA–the same as the first.
This poem begins with a bird peeking out his cage seeing the beautiful landscape and the sun shining bright. The author states he knows what it’s like to feel that way. The second stanza mentions the bird clanging his wings against the bars until he bleeds. The bird’s “old, old scars” suggests that the bird has done this many times before. He wants to get out and so does the author. The final stanza is about the bird singing, but not of “joy or glee” but of prayer. The bird is asking God to let him leave his cage so he can enjoy the beauties outside the cage. Dunbar then states he knows why the bird does this, suggesting he does the same.
“Sympathy” is a metaphor for how Dunbar feels in life. That he is trapped inside a cage, wishing to get out and enjoy other areas of life. He wants to enjoy the river and the “springing grass.” However, no matter how hard he tries and how hard he prays, he hasn’t been able to escape. Nonetheless, he will continue trying.
This poem is beloved by all races for the way it transcends color and speaks to us all, despite the metaphors it truly holds.
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