Paul Laurence Dunbar Sympathy Essay

Dunbar also illustrates the yearning for mental and physical freedom from the racism African-American endured through symbolism in “Sympathy.” Dunbar suggests to the reader a comparison between the lifestyle of the caged bird, and the African American. Dunbar begins the poem by stating “I know what the caged bird feels, alas!” showing the comparison of a caged bird to an African American (1). This line hold extreme weigh as the closest way to describe one’s life is through the analogy of a caged bird. The concept of African-Americans always being slaves and prisoners on American is reiterated in this line. Paul Laurence Dunbar’s center of attention in “Sympathy” is how the African American identifies and relates to the frustrations and pain that a caged bird

The “chalice, river, and grass” are all components of nature that a person who is not oppressed, may enjoy and take for granted. The dynamic quality of the landscape would make anyone or anything in a small space feel restless (Smethurst, 379). The rather optimistic tone of one day having the privilege to be able to physically have the same opportunities as a white man is dedicated to one stanza as it seen as a way to look forward to something. When Dunbar says “I know why the caged bird beats his wing/ Till its blood is red on the cruel bars; / For he must fly back to his perch and cling” he reiterates the idea that the “caged bird” or African-Americans need to be both physically and emotionally set free. The idea that the bird is willing to resort to extreme tactics in order to gain freedom, for example inflicting self-pain, shows the determination of being let loose. In a way, it can be seen the longer the bird is in the cage, the crazier it behaves. However, it is not only symbolic, but African-Americans had to deal with lynchings or put to death without legal sanction so in a way, self-harm was the best harm (Nowlin, 512). Lastly, singing symbolizes sorrow. Singing was a life jacket for