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Paul Laurence Dunbar's works supported the American Dream because his writing inspired African Americans to overcome discrimination and focus on achieving their goals.

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This poem talks about the struggles Dunbar went through in different stages in his life and how he coped with them. There are many instances where Dunbar talks about hardships people go through. For example, he says, “And only by a half-tone lost the key, There is the potent sorrow, there the grief.” What he's trying to imply here is that there are times where people are so close to achieving greatness, but they are not reaching for it. This can relate to a lot of black lives back then being so close to accomplishing a particular goal, but it is that slight distrust and hate that is given to them by society which pushes them back.

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The poem speaks about brutal slavery, racial segregation, and social discrimination practiced in American society in opposition to the African-American community. At that time, black people weren’t treated that well and looked at as a burden, as if they were useless in society. “I know why the caged bird beats his wing, Till its blood is red on the cruel bars,” really shows how they felt trapped and it was hard to escape the discrimination from others. The birds are directly related to black lives and how their opinions and ideas are looked down on. Black people's dreams are hypothetically trapped in a cage. This basically means that their ideas are never considered or even accepted. The only way to keep the American dream alive is by allowing everyone to be given equal opportunities to contribute to the community.

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This writing is about how Frederick Douglass fought his heart out in favor of abolishing slavery. Even after slavery ended, racism lived on in society. The struggles black people go through in society are portrayed when he says, “The awful tide that battled to and fro; We ride amid a tempest of dispraise.” There is a reference to a great storm, which implies the storm of disapproval these people get all the time. This is a big issue that places a barrier that stands in the way of people and their dreams that they look forward to getting a chance to accomplish. Everyone has their own unique talents, which make them stick out from others, but how are they ever going to unveil their true selves if they are respected for it.

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In this work, the artist relates the experience of being black in America in the 19th century. Although their lives supposedly improved, blacks still faced intense racism and hardships. The wearer hides by wearing a mask that disguises their struggles. “We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,— This debt we pay to human guile,” which is a good representation of how this race is treated like imposters, as if they are different from the rest of the community. This is one reason why they constantly have to think about how their actions will be interpreted by others. Anything they say or do is looked down upon. The American Dream hoped that everyone would have the freedom to try to succeed at something, but that is very troubling for them because any opportunity they get can easily be taken away because of their race.

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Page 10

"Trouble in de Kitchen"; "When
Malindy Sings"; "We Wear the
Mask"

About the Author: Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906), one of the first African Americans to receive national recognition as a poet and novelist, was born in Dayton, Ohio. The son of former slaves, Dunbar published his first volume of verse, Oak and Ivy, at twenty-one. In his lifetime, he was best known for his dialect verse, but he wrote in standard English as well.

Introduction

When he was twelve, Paul Laurence Dunbar's father died, and his mother raised him alone. As an adult, many of Dunbar's writings were inspired by the stories of slave life that she told him. However, she never spoke of the horrific aspects of her experiences. As a result, Dunbar tended toward a romantic view of plantation life, an aspect of his writing that has been much criticized.

He expressed early interest in a literary career. As a high school student-the only African American in his school-Dunbar published his verse in the Dayton Herald. Dunbar had hoped to become a lawyer, but he could not afford to attend college. He finally found work as an elevator operator, and he used the time between calls to continue writing. In addition to poetry, Dunbar wrote articles and short stories for small newspapers throughout the Midwest, often for little or no pay.

In 1892, one of Dunbar's former teachers invited him to address the annual Western Association of Writers, held in Dayton that year. This gave Dunbar his first opportunity to connect with other writers. An attendee wrote to an Illinois newspaper describing the talents of the young poet. Soon Dunbar's reputation spread beyond Dayton. The WAOW invited Dunbar to join, and he gained popularity as a speaker. He self-published Oak and Ivy in 1893, and sold copies from his elevator post. One reader, Toledo attorney Charles Thatcher, was so impressed by the volume that he offered to sponsor Dunbar's college education. Although Dunbar turned down the opportunity because his mother depended on his elevator job earnings, Thatcher supported Dunbar throughout his career. With Thatcher's influence, Dunbar published another collection of poetry in 1896, Majors and Minors. This volume was praised in Harper's Weekly by William Dean Howells, one of the most influential American literary critics at the time. Majors and Minors included one of his most powerful poems, "We Wear the Mask."

Significance

Dunbar, like his contemporary, Mark Twain, used dialect to depict American life. Most readers remember Dunbar for his verse written in turn-of-the-century black dialect. However, Dunbar, who loved to experiment with language, wrote in other American dialects as well. His writings captured the speech of Midwesterners, German Americans, and Irish Americans, among others. In contrast to his writings featuring fictitious characters, Dunbar also wrote in standard English-particularly for poetry reflecting his personal anguish. His dialect poems appealed to readers for their humor, as well as their realism and tenderness. Both African American and white audiences preferred Dunbar's dialect poetry to his works in standard English. Dunbar had hoped that his more serious work would eventually gain wider acceptance if he continued to please publishers and readers with his dialect poetry. But publishers returned his standard English manuscripts, requesting further dialect poetry instead.

Dunbar married poet and teacher, Alice Ruth Moore, in 1898. Around the same period, he collaborated with Will Marion Cook on Clorindy; or The Origin of the Cakewalk, a musical that was a huge financial success in New York. But the press dubbed Dunbar the "king of the coon shows," and he was extremely distressed by this. He also contracted tuberculosis, and developed alcoholism after he began using alcohol to alleviate his physical pain. Health concerns necessitated trips to more temperate climates, creating intermittent separations from his wife. Finally, at his mother's house, Dunbar died at only 34.

Page 11

In his short life, Dunbar was extremely prolific. While most famous for his poetry, he also wrote short stories, novels, librettos, plays, songs, and essays. Dunbar died believing his work and career were failures. After his death, white critics largely ignored his work. With some African American audiences, he had been unpopular for propagating the minstrel tradition and racial stereotypes. More recently, scholars have begun to reexamine Dunbar's work and career.

Primary Source: "Trouble in de Kitchen"; "When Malindy Sings"; "We Wear the Mask"

SYNOPSIS: Dunbar's last volume of poetry was Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow (1906). Like his other collections, this volume included poems written in each of his distinct styles.

"Trouble in de Kitchen"

"When Malindy Sings"

Page 12

"We Wear the Mask"

We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,-
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!

Further Resources

BOOKS

Brawley, Benjamin Griffith. Paul Laurence Dunbar, Poet of His People. Port Washington, N.Y.: Kennicat Press, 1967.

Dunbar, Paul Laurence. The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1980.

Martin, Herbert Woodward, and Ronald Primeau, ed. In His Own Voice: The Dramatic and Other Uncollected Works of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2002.

Martin, Jay. A Singer in the Dawn: Reinterpretations of Paul Laurence Dunbar. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1975.

Wiggins, Lida Keck. The Life and Works of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Millwood, N.Y.: Kraus Reprint Co., 1975.

PERIODICALS

Allen, Caffilene. "The Caged Bird Sings: The Ellison-Dunbar Connection. CLA Journal 40, no. 1, December 1996, 178.

Wilson, Matthew. "The Advent of 'The Nigger': The Careers of Paul Laurence Dunbar, Henry O. Tanner, and Charles W. Chesnutt." American Studies 43, no. 1, Spring 2002, 5.

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Page 10 About the Author: Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906), one of the first African Americans to receive national recognition as a poet and novelist, was born in Dayton, Ohio. The son of former slaves, Dunbar published his first volume of verse, Oak and Ivy, at twenty-one.