Sympathy by Paul Laurence Dunbar Essays

Before we pass on from this world it would be nice if we had left our mark, given our contribution, made our claim in the history of human civilization. Wouldn't it be wonderful to achieve such a goal? Wouldn't it be horrible to have attained that level of recognition and yet be recognized for things you deemed inferior? In the poem "The Poet", Paul Laurence Dunbar expresses his remorse at having written superior Standard English literature and yet only be known and praised for his Dialect works.

The tone of Sympathy is that of agony from the pain felt by both the author and the bird. This tone is shown through diction choice of words that characterize the feeling of pain, the imagery of pain, and the repetition that builds the feeling of agony. An example of diction that shows pain is “And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars”, not only does this line use the word pain in it, but it uses it in a way that makes the reader understand what time of pain it is, and perhaps sympathize with it. The pain in this quote is one that is not new, but is one that is in a scar; a pain that recurs in a tired spot. The

Thus, through the initial impression of the man of the bird’s brave and challenging movements by the utilisation of poetic techniques, the reader is able to visualise the bird’s characteristic it inherits and gain a deeper understanding of nature and the impression of humanity distinctively.

In the poem “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar, Dunbar also explains how the slaves sang songs to relieve their pain and misery which was caused by slavery. Dunbar also went through something similar to what Douglass went through when he states, “I know what the caged bird feels.” It’s different when you have been through it yourself, and when you have just heard about it. Experience is the real deal, and once you have, you’re scarred for life as Dunbar states with the help of imagery, “I know why the caged bird beats his wing till its blood is red on the cruel bars.” The use of imagery in this quote helps the readers imagine what the poet is talking about. When you go through all that, all the misery and pain, you need a way to express your emotion and the things you have been through. That’s why the slaves sang their songs, “It’s not a carol of joy and glee, but a prayer that it sends from its heart’s deep core,” stated Dunbar in the poem. In the previous quote he uses invocation to call

The first element our writers used to express their message of wanting to be free is form. The narrator for ‘The Caged Bird” feels alone and wishes to be able to snatch the chains that keep her tied down. Also, in the poem “Sympathy” by Dunbar as well an in “The Caged Bird” both authors used a bird to symbolize the captivity and aspiration for freedom. Both poets wrote their piece in lyric form because of obvious reasons. A lyric poem is defined as a poem that expresses personal and emotional feelings. Writing poems with this form shows the amount of deep emotion that the narrator feels toward this work. In addition, both authors wrote their poems in iambic pentameter to make the poem sound like a natural flow of speech to really show the deep feelings the poets are feeling.

“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” depicts two birds which are used as metaphors to express the state in which the two classes of people live. In one description the poem describes the standard of living of a bird of privilege which alludes to the lives of whites. Then it describes caged birds whom of which are crying out for freedom, and are meant to represent African Americans during this time. It describes the feeling of being trapped and calling out for

What is the speaker describing in the first stanza? How does this description help the reader to understand how the caged bird feels? How does the speaker’s identification with the bird’s feelings tell you something about how the speaker feels?

Dunbar states in the first and last line of every stanza “I know what” or “I know why” to reassure the reader that he completely understands and may be feeling the same way in relation to his life. Due to Dunbar understanding how the bird feels, he may have once felt isolated, confined, or oppressed by society at some point in his life. However, he may even understand the hope the bird feels in regards to overcoming the struggle. At the end of the poem, Dunbar concludes with, “When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore--It is not a carol of joy or glee, but a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core…” which could be insinuating the hope to be free and a plea to have his voice heard so that struggle was worth

The poem is about the vulnerability, innermost torment and the suppression of an emotional and fragile personality symbolized through the image of a Bluebird hidden inside the speakers mind.

In my mind there are many different ways to think of this passage, the free bird has no worries and is just living life to the fullest and full of bliss. The caged bird is essentially feeling trapped while the free bird takes his life for granted. You really aren’t positive, at least in my mind, that the free bird in some way doesn’t feel trapped himself. How do we know that the free bird isn’t longing for somewhere warm to sleep and people to hear his songs?

“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and “ Sympathy” are similar because there comparing a bird to emotional life stories. They are showing their emotion through a caged bird that's trapped which is someones life. “ I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” was inspired by “ Sympathy” they aren't the same but they are similar, they both are explaining why the birds only hope left is to sing. The bird in both stories tells his life in a cage and in freedom or dreaming of freedom. The bird is afraid to claim something because of his life. In both poems there are two phrases that i think are similar “ his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream “ and “ It is not a carol of joy or glee”. I think they are talking about how the birds sing, it's like a nightmare

The mood of “Caged Bird” changes drastically from stanza to stanza. Angelou’s specific diction choices help to reflect the change from being positive to negative with some elements of hope involved. The parts of the poem involving the free bird provide the reader with a feeling of self government.In contrast, the mood associated with the caged bird is confinment. Despite the negative mood tied to the caged bird there are still elements of hope woven into these stanzas.

‘’Sympathy” and “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings¨ they are similar because they are both about a bird that is free doing what it wants without having to be scared to fly. They also relate to each other because they are about a bird that is free and then later the bird gets caged and is not able to be free and fly and do whatever it wants. They also relate to each other because they are both about a bird that is struggling and wondering what he can do to get out of that cage. Another thing is that they are both about a bird that is a believer. By believer I mean that he knows that some day or later he will do something that will have set him free. So I am trying to say that no matter what happens or what he has to do in order to get out. He

Dunbar utilizes the analogy of caged bird in his poem “Sympathy” to expose the emotions and struggles of enslaved African Americans to achieve freedom. He begins his poem by describing the free bird singing when “sun is bright and first bud opens” to portray the beauty of landscape. However, the beauty turns into sadness when the poet states "I know what the caged bird feels, alas" which depicts a tone of sadness. This contrast between a free bird and caged bird initiates the losses of caged bird. It cannot go out and experience the freedom under the open sky. It struggles with physical constrain “till its blood is red on the cruel bars” helps visualize the intensity of struggle the bird is experiencing to gain his freedom to go where he desires, and to be with those who give him happiness. This struggle is similar of African American who tried to rebel in hopes of gaining their freedoms, but all resulted in vain. Their wounds, just like the caged bird, are “old, old scars” emphasizes that African Americans

In the last stanza, the caged bird’s song symbolises the emotions and cries of freedom. The combination of the two represents that there is a need for every child to reach their full potential. Something that cannot be achieved with helicopter parenting and the barriers placed upon them.