Paul Laurence Dunbar
Outline
Thesis: The major accomplishments of Paul Laurence Dun
bar's life during 1872 to 1938 label him as being an American poet, short story writer, and novelist
.
I. Introduction II. American poet
A. Literary English
B. Dialect
poet
1. 'Oak and Ivy'
2. 'Majors and Minor
s'
3. 'Lyrics of Lowly Life'
4. 'Lyrics of
the Hearthside'
5. 'Sympathy' III. Short story writer
A
. Folks from Dixie (1898)
B. The Strength of Gideon and Other Stories (1900)
C. The Heart of Happy Hollow (1904) IV. Novelist
A. The Uncalled (1898)
B. The Love of Landry (1900)
C. The Fanatics (1901)
D. The
Sport of the Gods (1902) V. Conclusion
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laur
ence Dunbar attended grade schools and Central High School in Dayton, Ohio. He was editor of the Hi
gh School Times and president of Philomathean Literary Society in his senior year. Despite Dunbar's
growing reputation in the then small town of Dayton, writing jobs were closed to black applicants a
nd the money to further his education was scarce. In 1891, Dunbar graduated from Central High Schoo
l and was unable to find a decent job. Desperate for employment, he settled for a job as an elevato
r operator in the Callahan Building in Dayton.
The major accomplishments
of Paul Laurence Dunbar's life during 1872 to 1938 labeled him as an American poet. Dunbar had two
poetic identities. He was first a Victorian poet writing in a comparatively formal style of litera
ry English. Dunbar's other identity was that of the dialect poet, writing lighter, usually humorous
or sentimental work not merely in the Negro dialect but in other varieties as well: Irish, once in
German, but very frequently in the hoosier dialect of Indiana. There is good reason to assert, howe
ver, that the sources of Dunbar's dialect verse were in the real language of the people. The basic
charge of this criticism can be stated in the words of a recent critic, Jean Wagner. Dunbar's dial
ect is, he says, 'at best a secondhand instrument, irredeemably blemished by the degrading things im
posed upon it by the enemies of the Black people' (Revell, Paul Laurence Dunbar, pg. 84). One of th
e most popular of Dunbar's dialect poems was and is 'When Malindy Sings' which builds upon the natur
al ability of the race in song and is acknowledged to be Dunbar's tribute to his mother's spontaneou
s outbursts of singing as she worked in the kitchen. The message of the poem is of praise for simpl
icity of spirit and the love of God.
Another of Dunbar's superb poems is entitled 'Sym
pathy', written in 1895: I know what the caged bird feels, alas! When the sun is bright on the uplan
d slopes; When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass, And the river flows like a stream of
glass; When the first bird sings and the first bud opens And the faint perfume from its chalice ste
als- I know what the caged bird feels!
I know why the caged bird beats his wing Till its blood is r
ed on the cruel bars; For he must fly back to his perch and cling When he fain would be on the bough
a-swing; And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars And they pulse again with a keener sting- I
know why he beats his wings!
I know why the caged bird sings at me, When his wing is bruised and hi
s bosom sore,- When he beats his bars and he would be free; It is not a carol of joy or glee, But a
prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core, But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings- I know
why the caged bird sings!
'Sympathy' ('sym' meaning with and 'pathy' meaning feeling) is a very em
otional poem about a caged bird trapped with no way to escape. 'A poem like 'Sympathy'- with its re
peated line, 'I know why the caged bird feels, alas!'- can be read as a cry against slavery, but was
probably written out of the feeling that the poet's talent was imprisoned in the conventions of his
time and the exigencies of the literary marketplace' (Revell, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 73). Dunbar's
first stanza in the poem uses the word 'alas' to mean anxiety. Throughout 'Sympathy' the caged bird
is enduring distress due to his life's limitations. 'And the faint perfume from its chalice steals
- I know what the caged bird feels!' These two lines from 'Sympathy' express the caged bird's thoug
ht of someone stealing his ideas and thoughts. 'I know why the caged bird beats his wing till its b
lood is red on the cruel bars' expresses rage the caged bird feels and the physical abuse the caged
bird endures trying to escape. During this period in Dunbar's life, he met George Washington Carver
in Dayton, James Whitcomb Riley in Indianapolis, and he became lifelong friends with Dr. H.A. Tobey
, a Toledo psychiatrist.
The major accomplishments of Paul Laurence Dunbar's life duri
ng 1872 to 1906 also labeled him as being a short story writer. Although Dunbar experienced much cr
iticism in his early career, he also enjoyed a good deal of success. These successes, unfortunately
, did not come without some personal sacrifices and tribulations. He encountered rifts with his clo
sest friends and associates, often the result of his business and artistic decisions. One such conf
rontation occurred when Dunbar decided to sell certain works to George Horace Lorimer of the Saturda
y Evening Post and Harrison Smith Morris of Lippincott's, two longtime friends of Dunbar, to the dis
satisfaction of his agent. Dunbar responded by explaining:
Both are my personal frien
ds and I should feel myself rather niggardly if I should withhold from them first sight of the thing
s that are in their line merely because now that my things are selling I could get better prices els
ewhere... I feel a sense of honor and obligation towards these men which is a little beyond price.
(Revell 108) This determination of Dunbar to have his works printed in major literary publications s
howed his sincere desire to have his more serious, non-dialect short stories to be exposed to the pu
blic. Dunbar's short stories include the works 'Folks from Dixie', 'The Strength of Gideon and Othe
r Short Stories', 'The Heart of Happy Hollow' and others.
The last artistic accomplish
ment of Paul Laurence Dunbar's life was labeled as a serious novelist. Dunbar wrote four novels bet
ween 1897 and 1901. The first two of these works, The Uncalled (1898) and The Love of Landry (1900)
are 'white' novels in which all the characters are white and no reference is made to the presence o
f Black people. The other two novels, The Fanatics (1901) and The Sport of the Gods (1902) are cons
idered to be 'black' novels. Dunbar's first novel, The Uncalled, was written in England in 1897, an
d was published to little commercial success. Critic Benjamin Brawley considers the work 'only part
ly a success' and remarks quite unjustly upon 'the lack of local color and the mediocre quality of t
he English' (qtd. in Revel p. 65). Robert Bone opines that it is Dunbar's most successful novel and
remarks misleadingly that it is 'widely regarded as his spiritual autobiography' (Bone, pg. 39). Th
e Uncalled is the story of the childhood and young manhood of Frederick Brent. The story opens with
the death of his mother in circumstances of poverty. She has been abandoned by her drunken husband
and sells her soul to the devil. The plot thickens when the question arises as to who will take ca
re of young Frederick.
The Love of Landry, Dunbar's second novel, was a major commerci
al disappointment. The writing in this book is fairly relevant to the circumstances that brought Du
nbar to Colorado and his experiences there. In The Fanatics Dunbar tries to bring out the essential
human values of brotherly love, love between man and woman, family loyalty, tolerance, and forgiven
ess that underlie and finally resolve the conflicts of fanatical devotion to a cause. The Sport of
the Gods is an attempt by Dunbar to depict Black Americans living in social currents of his time.
Dunbar proved to be very disheartened by the fact that his audiences and
publishers relished so heavily on his works of dialect poetry. He felt that acceptance of his serio
us work- primarily his standard English poetry- faltered because of the demand for his dialect piece
s. It is commonly felt that Dunbar's perception of the severity of plantation life for slaves was d
iffused and diluted by the stories he heard from his mother as a youngster. His mother, like his fa
ther, was a former slave, and her stories often failed to express the more brutal aspects of plantat
ion life. Dunbar's works have often been widely criticized because of this 'watering down' of the a
trocities of slavery (Revell). Dunbar's poems in literary English, his short stories and novels all
rely more or less on traditional forms and conventional characterization.
Works Cite
d
Baker, Houston A. Jr. 'Paul Laurence Dunbar: An Evaluation.'
Black World. 21
Nov. 1971: 30-37. Brawley, Benjamin. Paul Laurence Dunbar: Poet of his People.
Chapel Hill:
University of North Carolina Press, 1936. Cunningham, Virginia. P
aul Laurence Dunbar and his Song. New
York: Dodd, Mead,
1947. Metcalfe,
E.W.,Jr. Paul Laurence Dunbar: A Bibliography.
Metachen, N.J.:
Scare
crow Press, 1975. Revell, Peter. Paul Laurence Dunbar. Twayne Publishers: 1979.
Wor
ks Cited
Revell. Peter. Paul Laurence Dunbar. Boston, Twayne Publishers: 1979. Pg. 84. Ibid, pg.
37. Ibid, pg. 73.paul laurence dunbar outline thesis major accomplishments paul laurence dunbar life
during label being american poet short story writer novelist introduction american poet literary en
glish dialect poet majors minors lyrics lowly life lyrics hearthside sympathy short story writer fol
ks from dixie strength gideon other stories heart happy hollow novelist uncalled love landry fanatic
s sport gods conclusion paul laurence dunbar attended grade schools central high school dayton ohio
editor high school times president philomathean literary society senior year despite growing reputat
ion then small town dayton writing jobs were closed black applicants money further education scarce
graduated from central high school unable find decent desperate employment settled elevator operator
callahan building dayton major accomplishments life during labeled american poetic identities first
victorian writing comparatively formal style literary english other identity that dialect writing l
ighter usually humorous sentimental work merely negro dialect other varieties well irish once german
very frequently hoosier indiana there good reason assert however that sources verse were real langu
age people basic charge this criticism stated words recent critic jean wagner says best secondhand i
nstrument irredeemably blemished degrading things imposed upon enemies black people revell most popu
lar poems when malindy sings which builds upon natural ability race song acknowledged tribute mother
spontaneous outbursts singing worked kitchen message poem praise simplicity spirit love another sup
erb poems entitled sympathy written know what caged bird feels alas when bright upland slopes when w
ind stirs soft through springing grass river flows like stream glass first bird sings first opens fa
int perfume from chalice steals know what caged bird feels know caged beats wing till blood cruel ba
rs must back perch cling fain would bough swing pain still throbs scars they pulse again with keener
sting beats wings sings wing bruised bosom sore beats bars would free carol glee prayer that sends
heart deep core plea upward heaven flings sympathy meaning with pathy meaning feeling very emotional
poem about trapped with escape poem like repeated line feels alas read against slavery probably wri
tten feeling talent imprisoned conventions time exigencies marketplace revell stanza uses word alas
mean anxiety throughout enduring distress limitations faint perfume chalice steals what these lines
express thought someone stealing ideas thoughts wing till blood cruel bars expresses rage physical a
buse endures trying escape during this period george washington carver james whitcomb riley indianap
olis became lifelong friends tobey toledo psychiatrist major accomplishments also labeled being shor
t story writer although experienced much criticism early career also enjoyed good deal success these
successes unfortunately come without some personal sacrifices tribulations encountered rifts closes
t friends associates often result business artistic decisions such confrontation occurred decided se
ll certain works george horace lorimer saturday evening post harrison smith morris lippincott longti
me friends dissatisfaction agent responded explaining both personal should feel myself rather niggar
dly should withhold them sight things their line merely because things selling could better prices e
lsewhere feel sense honor obligation towards these which little beyond price revell this determinati
on have works printed publications showed sincere desire have more serious stories exposed public st
ories include works folks dixie strength gideon heart happy hollow others last artistic accomplishme
nt labeled serious novelist wrote four novels between uncalled love landry white novels which charac
ters white reference made presence black people novels fanatics sport gods considered novel uncalled
written england published little commercial success critic benjamin brawley considers work only par
tly success remarks quite unjustly upon lack local color mediocre quality english revel robert bone
opines most successful novel remarks misleadingly widely regarded spiritual autobiography bone child
hood young manhood frederick brent opens death mother circumstances poverty been abandoned drunken h
usband sells soul devil plot thickens question arises will take care young frederick landry second n
ovel commercial disappointment book fairly relevant circumstances brought colorado experiences there
fanatics tries bring essential human values brotherly between woman family loyalty tolerance forgiv
eness underlie finally resolve conflicts fanatical devotion cause sport gods attempt depict american
s living social currents time proved very disheartened fact audiences publishers relished heavily po
etry felt acceptance serious work primarily standard poetry faltered because demand pieces commonly
felt perception severity plantation slaves diffused diluted heard mother youngster like father forme
r slave often failed express more brutal aspects plantation have often been widely criticized becaus
e watering down atrocities slavery poems rely more less traditional forms conventional characterizat
ion cited baker houston evaluation world brawley benjamin chapel hill university north carolina pres
s cunningham virginia song york dodd mead metcalfe bibliography metachen scarecrow press peter twayn
e publishers cited peter boston twayne publishers ibid ibidEssay, essays, termpaper, term paper, ter
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