Comparing Sympathy 'And Douglass' By Paul Lawrence Dunbar

Naturalistic Conflicts in a Realistic World “A minute to smile and an hour to weep in, A pint of joy to a peck of trouble, And never a laugh but the moans come double, And that is life!” Paul Laurence Dunbar, an African American poet of the period, describes how we experience much more suffering than joy in life. However, because of the small amounts we receive, we appreciate more joy. Naturalism follows transcendentalism and eventually takes its place. Naturalistic belief expresses that in life you experience inevitable conflicts that end up causing struggles in your life. When compared to other philosophies, Naturalism proves more depressive and pessimistic. Realism focuses on real people, real settings, and real conflicts. This form of writing brings light to average-day

In the book Ethan Frome, the naturalistic conflicts of economics, heredity, social conflicts, and more Edith Wharton displays throughout her writing. Similarly, in Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s poems “Sympathy” and “Douglass”, the naturalistic conflicts of race and heredity arise as the main themes in each of his poems. Another Naturalistic author includes Edwin Arlington Robinson, in his poems he highlights the conflicts of physical limitations, social conflicts, and economics. Altogether, naturalistic conflicts provide realistic elements to try and add a more realistic element to their writing, and help everyday people of the period relate to the writings of the time. Ethan Frome, written by Edith Wharton, a popular naturalistic, and realistic author at the time. When Wharton published her writing, it always became controversial amongst the people because of the topics she chose to write about. Ethan Frome, the main character in this book, struggles in life for many reasons. He struggles because he was pulled from college and forced to take care of a run-down farm, and his parents during the end of their