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| Dunbar's portrait, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC |
English 3332 students:
For our blog of Friday, February 19, please post a comment of at least two well-developed paragraphs about any connections in ideas that you observe in Chapter 1 of W.E.B. DuBois's The Souls of Black Folk and in the poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar that your group was assigned in class on Wednesday. (If you were not in class, please use "Sympathy.") In your comment please use at least two direct quotations from DuBois and two from Dunbar.
After you post your comment, please reply in one well-developed paragraph to at least one of the other students' comments.
Reminder of Monday's reading: Stephen Crane. “The Open Boat,” 442-62.
Have a great weekend,
Prof. K
Chapter one of W.E.B. Dubois’s "The Souls of Black Folk" and the poem "We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar share one major similarity. In the opening sentence of the poem, Dunbar states “we wear the mask that grins and lies.” He is referring to his portrayed face, or the façade of perfection he wears to conceal his unhappiness. In addition, his mask “lies”, meaning he also verbally tells the story of peace while his inner thoughts and feelings would say otherwise. In DuBois’ writing, he states, “I was different from the others; or like, mayhap, in heart and life and longing, but shut out from their world by a vast veil.” Again we see a physical border between the African American and the rest of the (white) people. Although this “veil” is intangible, it represents the distinction between the stated two “worlds.” Dunbar “wears the mask” to separate his inner feelings from his outer behavior, while Dubois acknowledges the “veil” that separates the white folk from the black folk.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of "We Wear the Mask", Dunbar says, “O great Christ, our cried to thee from tortured souls arise…but let the world dream otherwise, we wear the mask!” Although Dunbar spiritually aches to reveal his true self, he is forced to allow the people to see what they want to see; let the people dream that everyone is truly jovial behind closed doors. DuBois proclaims that the Negro is “born with a veil” and he lives in a “world which yields him no true self-consciousness.” Repeatedly these two authors state how they have to put on a show for the white folk, and the only reflection they have of themselves is what the “other world” says they are.
I completely agree with your comparisons. After reading your post, I was able to tie both poems together in terms of race. I felt as if Dunbar was speaking in a general sense because it is something every one from any race has experienced, while Du Bois specifically states the color of skin acting as a barrier between those of the same color and the rest of society. Great observation.
DeleteI studied the same poem and I found the same major similarity that you did. I believe it is very interesting and worth analyzing this duality that both authors explicitly refer to whether it be literally in servitude and silent hate or metaphorically in this wearing of a mask. I tried to cling to the idea of double-consciousness that Du Bois patented because it seems to be a single term that really joins the two works together. I also find it intriguing to look at the two as separate literary achievements. Du Bois explains himself in well-spoken sentences and Dunbar is able to say the same thing in verse.
DeleteI studied a different poem as you did but as I was reading "The Souls of Black Folk" I definitely saw some of the things that you point out. Du Bois realizing that in order to fit in he had to put a mask around him and then maybe he could live in peace. Their feelings were completely different from what they might've shown because they were afraid to get backlash.
DeleteI like your description of the veil and how it really keeps the African American people almost disguised and out of place. The white people never really seem to see the people and emotions behind the veil.They can only see what they want to see.
DeleteDunbar and DuBois seem to start out with very similar ideas, namely the thought of concealing the struggles of black folks from the white world around them. Dunbar proclaims in his second stanza "Nay, let them only see us, while we wear the mask" in response to the thought of whites being "over-wise in counting all [our] tears and sighs." Likewise, DuBois speaks of being asked "How does it feel to be a problem?" by whites in both blunt and indirect manners, responding politely to the latter but "[answering] seldom a word" to the former. He also speaks of a veil that blocks blacks out from the rest of the world for physical differences when they are emotionally and mentally quite similar to whites, but exclaims to have "no desire to tear down that veil," giving off the notion that he and Dunbar think alike on how blacks should approach the lingering problem of racial injustice.
ReplyDeleteBeyond that point, however, Dunbar's viewpoint appears pessimistic to DuBois', seemingly content with forever hiding the suffering of black folk than one day ending it completely as DuBois elaborates on further. Both do toy with the idea, but Dunbar focuses entirely on their plight, whereas DuBois makes great mention of their potential and how much richer America would be if they were allowed to reach it, giving mention to how "his best powers and his latent genius...have in the past been strangely wasted, dispersed, or forgotten" and asking "Will America be poorer if she replace her brutal dyspeptic blundering with light–hearted but determined Negro humility? or her coarse and cruel wit with loving jovial good–humor? or her vulgar music with the soul of the Sorrow Songs?"
It does appear that Dunbar takes a very pessimistic and defeatist stance on the way that African Americans are viewed by their white counterparts. He says “We sing, but oh the clay is vile / Beneath our feet, and long the mile” acknowledging the fact that their struggles are bound to continue into the foreseeable future, if they stop at all. While DuBois never seems to state directly that African Americans are doomed to suffer from their double-consciousness forever his view doesn't necessarily any more positive that Dunbar's. Yes, he does say that African Americans have plenty to offer America if they are ever allowed to flourish, but he makes no mention of a future where this is actually possible.
DeletePaul Laurence Dunbar and W. E. B. Du Bois are well-versed literary artists who succeed in their exploration and the explanation of problems and struggles faced by the black community, especially at such a turbulent time that was the turn of the century. Important correlations between these two authors ideas lie in Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask” and Du Bois’s “The Souls of Black Folk.” The first idea is that of the struggles that blacks inherited in a world that seemed wholly against them. Du Bois writes, “their [black boys] youth shrank into tasteless sycophancy, or into silent hatred of the pale world about them and mocking distrust of everything white” (527). The white world that blacks were being raised in was alienating them to point of repressed anger and hatred as they went along their lives with quiet acceptance. Dunbar also addresses hardships when he states, “We sing, but oh the clay is vile / Beneath our feet, and long the mile” (465). While he and other blacks may have a joyful countenance, they are beaten down by the long, hard road that they must walk as minorities in their country.
ReplyDeleteThe second, perhaps more significant, idea is the theory of double-consciousness that Du Bois triumphed. This double-consciousness exists in people who have two separate, seemingly incompatible, identities such as having a minority culture, but also being an American. Du Bois directly references this when he states, “two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body” (527). The two identities, black and American, created a rift in many blacks who did not wish to give up one or the other. Dunbar also references this throughout “We Wear the Mask” (the very title implies a duality), but the ideal is most clear when he states, “This debt we pay to human guile; / With torn and bleeding hearts we smile” (465). The debt paid to the world about them, is covered by their mask of content. Blacks are run down in their hearts and souls, where their black identity lies, but on the outside they don the guise of a happy American. The writings of Dunbar and Du Bois remain closely related over a century later, and represent a writing that allows people to delve into the situations of blacks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
I agree with your statement that there is a rift between the black and the American people. The double-consciousness DuBois wrote about is the exact representation of how the black people had to live their daily lives.
DeleteI like how you managed to connect the themes in both works beyond simply the idea of racial subjugation, which is the only similarity I could find in the much shorter and seemingly one-note "We Wear the Mask". The mention of being both black and American is not entirely visible in Dunbar's poem without the context of having read DuBois' work, but it is indeed present on a deeper level and I'm impressed you were able to pull that out of it.
DeleteIt is very important to note the struggles they faced in the context of each poem. Your quotes to support this are crucial. I particularly commend the use of Dubois' quote that "their [black boys] youth shrank into tasteless sycophancy, or into silent hatred of the pale world about them and mocking distrust of everything white," because this quote clearly states that not all the issues lie with the "Whites." Though the distrust is founded, it creates a rift and emphasizes the concept of the double consciousness.
DeleteBoth "The Souls of Black Folk" and "We Wear the Mask" have extreme similarities in terms of who we see ourselves as. In "We Wear the Mask", Dunbar puts forth the idea of those that wear the mask being content with hiding what is beneath. In "We Wear the Mask", the poem reads, "We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries / To thee from tortured souls arise" (lines 10-11). Despite the happiness we think we have, it is completely irrelevant to our lives in such a way due to us as a society not fully being ourselves. What I admired lost about this poem is when Dunbar states, "We wear the mask that grins and lies, / It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,-/" (lines 1-2). In terms of physical appearance, our cheeks and eyes are both aspects that can't hide raw emotion.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to this, Du Bois illustrates just how problematic it can be to live in your own skin as an African American. Not only are African Americans burdened between personalities in their own skin, but according to Du Bois's "The Souls of Black Folk" seen as wearing a mask to extract themselves as being a problem. "One never feels his two-ness,-an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled striving a; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder" (527). In comparison to "We Wear the Mask", Du Bois also gives the example of having to present oneself as two different people: "an American, a Negro" (527). We as a people wear a mask to astray and prevent others from seeing the purity of who we are. Du Bois highlights the depth of not only wearing a mask to hide the originality of our personality at the norms expense.
The metaphor of the mask is really amazing. I think it must describe so well what it was like to be an African-American at that time, and, probably in some cases, even today. People are very susceptible to the temptation to only show certain parts of themselves in certain situations. While the ability to modify can be a helpful personality trait, one should never have to hide because they are ashamed of who they are.
DeleteI really enjoyed "We Wear the Mask", I think these two go well together and touch on many of the same points. I love the connections that you saw that some others did not. I also agree with the emotions that you said we cannot hide. Our face is our biggest tell-all.
DeleteDespite having two deifferent central themes, Paul Laurence Dunbar's “An Ante-bellum Sermon” and W.E.B. DuBois' The Souls of Black Folk possess some connections in ideas. In the first chapter of DuBois' The Souls of Black Folk, he speaks on the collective dream of African American citizens to be free and experience liberty. “...few men ever worshipped Freedom with half such unquestioning as did the American Negro for two centuries,” (528) he writes, later pointing out the fact that there seemed to be no plan about what to do once everyone had such liberty and freedom. The preacher's call for freedom in “An Ante-Bellum Sermon” echoes this idea, with his singular focus on the fact that everyone deserves freedom without any mention of what they would do with said freedom. The speaker's vision only seems to go as far as how African Americans will “shout ouah halleluyahs, / On dat mighty reck'nin day, / When we'se reco'nised ez citiz'” (470). The preacher's sermon is almost reinforcing the very point that DuBois was making.
ReplyDeleteThe way that both authors acknowledge the need to navigate within and around white society. In “An Ante-Bellum Sermon”, the preacher makes sure to tell those listening to him “Now don't run an' tell yo' mastahs / Dat I's preachin' discontent” (469) in an effort to keep the fact that he is telling them that they inherently deserve freedom from their masters. Even though he believes that he is equal to the white people holding power he acknowledges the fact that they do have power. In The Souls of Black Folk, DuBois discusses the double-consciousness that any person who could be identified as an Other in society may feel. There is a desire and need to interact and function and “be a coworker in the kingdom of culture” (528) in the society while still maintaining one's sense of self and culture. DuBois and Dunbar see that even if freedom is granted, there remains the struggle to fit into the society that the freedman is now a part of.
The ongoing theme in Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “Sympathy” is that of being captured. The imprisoned bird must watch life unfold around him, must see the “first bird sing and the first bud open” (467), without participating. The bird is caged, and though he strives toward “Heaven,” his efforts are in vain. Similarly, the speaker in The Souls of Black Folk admits to experiencing the same feeling of enslavement and distance: “I was shut out from their world by a vast veil” (527). In these works, both the bird and the black man are considered “other” to those around them.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, the lack of freedom is one of the main causes of the degraded soul and body. In “Sympathy,” the caged bird strives toward freedom so persistently that it hurts itself time and time again, living in a near constant state of damage: “I know why the caged bird beats his wing / Till its blood is red on the cruel bars” (467). Comparably, Du Bois also discusses the waste of purpose that comes with inequality: “These powers of body and mind have in the past been strangely wasted, dispersed, or forgotten” (528).
I hadn't truly thought about how the lack of freedom can change a person and make him go to extremes to be free, much like the bird in the poem when he knowingly hurts himself trying to be rid of the cage, and the anger and sadness DuBois feels at his situation. It must be terrible, as you said, to be considered ''other' to those around them,' and to know that you will never get to have the same opportunities or experiences as other people.
DeleteW.E.B Dubois and Paul Laurence Dunbar use their works to speak specifically from the view of African Americans in an oppressive time. After the Civil war, Blacks were attempting to gain footing in the American lifestyle after slavery. Dubois Eloquently discusses the issues of "...being a problem...". What being a problem was, is being black and being American. Blacks were still not considered people, and there were many laws put in place after the Emancipation Proclamation that made it hard for blacks to thrive in America.
ReplyDeleteDunbar presents his story in African American Vernacular (during the time period) and also the concepts which many blacks held close. African Americans in the south began to rely heavily on the church and God for comfort in the hard times, even converting some of the slave songs picked up out on the plantations to songs of hope in God. Songs, as Dunbar writes "...Sof’ an’ sweet, “Swing Low,
Sweet Chariot,".
Both authors express the reality of African American thoughts in that time period.
In both the poem 'Sympathy' by Paul Laurence Dunbar, and the first chapter of W.E.B DuBois's 'The Souls of Black Folk,' the idea is centered around a character who is shut off from the world, not by his own doing. The poem 'Sympathy' is about a caged bird, desperate to be free. So desperate, in fact, that it is willing to beat its wings upon the cage doors 'till its blood is red on the cruel bars.' In 'The Souls of Black Folk,' DuBois writes about his own experiences growing up black in an extremely racist world. He describes himself as 'shut out from their world by a vast veil,' similar to the way a bird is shut out by cage bars.
ReplyDeleteIn both works, the central characters long to be a part of what they are missing, and what they are physically incapable of achieving, whether it be because of a cage or because of unjust social constructs. In 'Sympathy,' the bird is forced to behold all of the beauty in the world, flowing river, the bright sun, 'the faint perfume' from the 'first bud opes,' but it is unable to experience any of it for itself, as it is locked away. Similarly, in 'The Souls of Black Folk,' DuBois witnesses all of the 'dazzling opportunities' for life he 'longed for,' but because he was not white, he could not personally have any of those opportunities for himself. And in the same way that the bird beats its wings against the cage, DuBois writes that he was willing to do anything to have the same experiences as white people, he would 'wrest from them' all of their prizes, by 'reading law,' 'healing the sick,' etc.
Both in Paul Laurence Dunabr’s An Ante-Bellum Sermon and in W.E.B. Du Bois’s The Souls of Black Folk the major factor is that both people that they are speaking of were and are outsiders in their own country. Dunbar’s sermon is about the biblical story of the Pharaoh and Moses. In that the story the Jews are the slaves in their own country and forced into tyrannical slavery. Were as Du Bois is showing how African Americans do not feel at home in their own country or in their own skin. They are living a double life.
ReplyDelete“One ever feels his two-ness,- an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings, two warring ideals in one dark body, who dogged strength alone keeps him from being torn asunder.”(527)
The other connection comes from the collective thought in the sermon and the story of slavery. Both races were enslaved and Dunbar connects these two in his sermon to his “congregation” when he speaks about freedom.
“So you see de Lawd’s intention, evah sence de worl’ began, was dat His almight freedom should belong to evah man, but I think it would be bettah, ef I’d pause agin to say, dat I’m talkin’ ‘bout ouah freedom.”(469)
There common ground of course is not belonging in one way or another. Living in your country and feeling trapped or being trapped in a country that has become yours and being trapped in your own skin and personality.
I like your ideas on these two pieces. I also believe that both writers are seeking freedom from white oppression. For Dubois, it's where he asked how is it like to be a problem that strikes a nerve. He is being trapped in a world where he can not escape social injustice. I like how you said he was trapped in his own skin and personality as well. Personally, he can not relate to his culture because if he did, he would be shunned even more. He is trapped in his own skin because lying underneath is a man, an American man, living the same life as white Americans.
DeleteThe first chapter of Dubois' The Soul of Black Folk centralizes on the theme of freedom and escaping white oppression. He is asked, "How does it feel to be a problem" (526) which posses as the central conflict of his book. Dubois later seeks out a solution or a collective idea of freedom, "He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both Negro and American without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the doors of opportunity closed roughly in his face" (528). He strives to create this idea for other African Americans but realizes that this ideology won't be going too far. Instead, he focuses more on the principle of combining cultures. He realizes that the world that he is living in now does not accept him, however he is without a doubt an American living in the United States sharing the same culture, making him an equal as well. The same can be said for Pual Laurence Dunbar in his poetry, he just like Dubois is advocating freedom and equality.
ReplyDeleteIn Dunbar's poem, "Sympathy," he is describing a caged bird trying to seek his freedom. Dunbar's poem is a tad bit more morbid, the bird is seeking for his freedom however sustains some injuries, "I know why the caed bird beats his wing/ Till its good is red on the cruel bars" (467). Dunbar is implying that freedom is accessible, however it will require some severe consequences that can to injury and death. Whereas, Dubois is simply stating the fact and the issue, Dunbar uses the metaphor of a caged bird to imply the results of freedom, "For he must fly back to his perch and cling qgwn gw fain would be on the bough a-swing" (467).
In “The Souls of Black Folk” by W.E.B Du Bois, he writes about always being asked, “How does it feel to be a problem” and says that he smiles (526). Du Bois never noticed he was until a girl refused his visiting card but instead of lashing out and becoming “a problem”, he chose to “live above it” (527). He touches the subjects of freedom, “the sum of all villainies, the cause of all sorrow” and emancipation, which to him was the key to a promised land. When they were given freedom, Du Bois writes of how exciting it was, “Shout, you’re free! For God has brought your liberty!” (529), but sadly even though they were free the “freedman has not yet found in freedom his promised land” (529).
ReplyDeleteIn Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “Sympathy” the speaker says that he knows how it feels to be caged in. The speaker knows “why the caged bird beats his wing / Till its blood is red on the cruel bars” because they are both feeling the same thing. They wish to be free from the cage they are trapped inside and enjoy they bright sun, the river flowing, and the green grass. The bird is giving a “prayer” and “a plea” that he will soon be free.
I believe the big connection between “The Souls of Black Folk” and “Sympathy” is freedom. Although African Americans may have it in “The Souls of Black Folk” they still are trapped with a “burden” they are still being asked about their “problem”. It does not matter how free they are supposed to be, they still feel like a caged bird.
I agree that the big connection is freedom. Each are written with a disappointed tone describing the sad situation of control and lack of freedom. I am willing to bet that while W.E.B DuBois was writing "The Souls of Black Folk," he felt much like a caged bird. Beating his "wings" tirelessly, and for what? Only to be trapped inside the same small cage!
DeleteI agree with your connection of the two poems being that of freedom. There is a frustration between them they even though times are changing they are still facing the same problems.
DeleteAfrican-Americans dealt with the issue of the discrepancies between their expected projection of their public selves and who they really identified and yearned to be, even after the Civil War. They were still not able to display their emotions or ideas as openly as they should have been allowed. This conflict is apparent in both Dubois’ “The Souls of Black Folk” and Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask.” As Dunbar states, there is this concept of double consciousness within each African-American, they possessed the soul of a Negro ad an American. These souls were not at peace nor did they converge to reach a new level of fulfilling self-awareness. They were “two warring ideals in one dark body” in which the “Negro soul” had to be subdued and hidden (527). Similarly, Dunbar discusses the mask these men and women had to wear to hide their “tortured souls” (pg. 465, line 11). Despite their “torn and bleeding hearts” from decades of oppression and degradation, they are forced to “wear the mask” of what society expected from them; they had to “smile… [and] let the world dream” that they were fully American, and now free of pain with their new freedom (10-15).
ReplyDeleteThough they wore the mask, they still possessed these emotions and fought to keep both souls, searching for a way to converge them to own all the aspects of their past and hopeful future. Dunbar states that the American Negro would neither “bleach the Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism” nor would he try to “Africanize America” (528). Both of these actions were not only impossible, and improbable, they robbed the African-Americans of either crucial aspect of their lives. In the end, they simply wished to live in a world where the possibility of a man “to be both a Negro and an American” was a reality and he wouldn’t be “cursed and spit upon by his fellows” and the “doors of Opportunity” were open for him (528). This world would throw aside the masks without ridicule and live freely in inner and public peace.
The first chapter of W.E.B DuBois' "The Souls of Black Folk" and Paul Laurence Dunbar's "Sympathy," are much alike in tone and theme. Both the poem and chapter one have a disappointed tone. They both have the same broad theme: freedom (or lack thereof) and control. In chapter one, DuBois' states "He would not Africanise America..." and "He would not bleach the Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism." He knows each group has their own identities and much to offer to the other. Essentially, Dunbar is creating the same idea in his poem, "Sympathy." He states "I know what the caged bird feels, alas!" He is describing the controlled environment of blacks like the caged bird is in.
ReplyDeleteBoth authors are describing the pain of being controlled and having little to no freedom. DuBois states, "The Nation has not yet found peace from its sins... Whatever of good may come in these years of change, the shadow of a deep disappointment rests upon the Negro people..." The freed blacks still are not free even after years of "change." This connects vividly to the idea presented in Dunbar's "Sympathy." Dunbar writes "And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars." Each piece describes the painful experience even after "healing" should have occurred. A bird, which is supposed to be free "...beats his wing/ Till its blood is red on the cruel bars" in an attempt to be free, metaphorically much like blacks were/are doing in hopes for the same thing.
While Dunbar's poem does not proclaim that it is about oppression or freedom of African Americans, it can easily be applied to their situation. It connects easily, in many ways to DuBois' piece. Each have the same disappointed tone describing a shameful experience of being controlled and not obtaining deserved freedom.
A very obvious connection I could recognize between "The Souls of Black Folk" and "When Malindy Sings" is the African American history behind the stories. Blacks during the Emancipation Proclamation era relied much of their hope and faith upon God and his church. In "When Malindy Sings", Dunbar exclaims "She just spreads her mouth and hollers,"Come to Jesus," till you hear Sinners, trembling steps, and voices, Timid-like a-drawing near;" represent how much passion and dedication they have towards Jesus.
ReplyDeleteThe most outrageous statement that bothered me in "The Souls of Black Folk" was the fact most African Americans were issued as "..being a problem." Most of them were dehumanized because of the fact they were not treated as real humans. Both authors captured the trials and tribulations during that time period.
I talked about the religious/divine symbolism seen throughout both works as well. I was also very outraged that African Americans were seen as "..being a problem." I agree that both authors captured the trials and tribulations very well throughout their writing. It's almost as if you can feel what they went through when you're reading the texts. The trials they experienced were horrendous, but they relied on their faith to get them through. I love how both authors made their faith apparent throughout their writing.
DeleteReligion plays a huge role in "When Malindy Sings" and the divinity is the main subject. I definitely feel the same way about African Americans not being treated as real humans. It is crazy the way they were treated and nobody thought twice about it. This poem is strong in heritage, the past, and divinity!
DeleteIn DuBois’s, The Souls of Black Folk and Dunbar’s, “When Malindy Sings” there are references to religious/divine symbolism and instances where both authors suggest that music and lyrics give people an appreciation for their heritage. An example of religious/divine symbolism is seen in Dunbar’s poem, “When Malindy Sings” when the narrator states, “Let me listen, I can hyeah it, Th’oo de bresh of angel’s wings, Sof’ an’ sweet, ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,’ Ez Malindy sings.” (467). The narrator is recalling a time when Malindy would sing hymns and everyone would stop what they were doing to listen to Malindy sing praises to God. An example of religious/divine symbolism in Dubois’s, The Souls of Black Folk, is seen when DuBois writes, “Shout, O children! Shout, you’re free! For God has bought your liberty!” (529). This is only one instance where divine symbolism comes into play. Throughout the text there are multiple instances of DuBois referring to a divine power.
ReplyDeleteThe appreciation for the past, while living in the present (reading/singing hymns), shows the narrators learning about their heritage. This can also be interpreted as ‘living behind the veil’ (DuBois). Living behind the veil is the main reason DuBois created/crafted double-consciousness in his writing. DuBois felt as if he was living a double life and felt that he saw himself one way, while the world around him viewed him in an entirely different perspective. He describes this feeling on page 527 when he states, “It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this urging one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his two-ness;-an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings;…” (DuBois). This double-consciousness concept also ties into Dunbar’s poem, “When Malindy Sings.” Dunbar represents the narrator reliving the moments he has from the past by bringing them into the present. The lyrics and music allow the narrator to live a ‘double-life.’ An instance of this is seen when Dunbar writes, “Oh, hit’s sweetah dan de music Of and edicated band; An’ hit’s dearah dan de battle’s Son o’ triumph in de lan’.” (467). The speaker of the poem can look back on instances of Malindy singing and recall memories of his past. In other words he can live in the past and the present by looking back or recalling the memories of Malindy singing. He can also look back on his own identity, events that were taking place, and contemplate what he felt at the time, compared to his feelings towards Malindy now.
In Du Bois’s “Chapter I. Of Our Spiritual Strivings,” he talks about the slave days of the African-American people. He states “few men ever worshipped Freedom with half such unquestioning faith as did the American Negro for two centuries” (528). This is similar to the spirit captured in “An Ante-bellum Sermon.” The narrator promises a day “when Moses wif his powah / Comes an’ sets us chillum free” (81-82). There is a blind hope for that day that the slaves can be free, but that day has not truly come by the time of Du Bois.
ReplyDeleteDu Bois’ idea that unfair treatment is still the norm of his time as it was the time of the narrator in “An Ante-bellum Sermon.” It has been “ten, twenty, forty; forty years of national life, forty years of renewal and development, and yet the swarthy spectre sits in its accustomed seat at the Nation’s feast.” (529). Though the years have passed, the prejudice has not. The people are still going to have to “wait an’ see” (Dubar 80). The people Du Bois references are still waiting for Moses to come and set them free from not the physical chains that are holding them down, but the social chains as well.
W.E.B. Dubois and Paul Lawrence Dunbar both write from the perspective of oppressed African-Americans. Dunbar writes in his poem “Sympathy” of a caged bird wanting to be freed. You can feel the desperation in his words when he writes “ I know why the caged bird beats his wing Till its blood is red on the cruel bars,” (467). You can sense his opression when he speaks of the joys he can see around him but never truly experience when he uses the repetition of “ I know what a caged bird feels;” (467).
ReplyDeleteW.E.B. Dubois speaks of missed opportunities due only too the color of his skin. Both Dubois and Dunbar seem to have the same feeling of watching the world pass them by while they miss out on opportunities and experiences due to the oppressive era they find themselves in. When Dubois writes,” The Nation has not yet found peace fro its sins,” shows how even after the Civil War the African-American community is still under oppression. He also states how even though the war is over and he looks forward to change the ugly past will always haunt this country. “ Whatever good may come in these years of change , the shadow of deep disappointment rest upon the Negro people.
My group’s story was “When Malindy Sings” and it was obvious that there were references to religion. “Blessed soul, tek up de cross!” …”Come to Jesus”, twell you hyeah.” These are a few of the lines that can be found. The poem is about remembering a time when Malindy would sing praises to God. There is also a deep appreciation for heritage and the past.
ReplyDeleteDubois discusses living a double life because he felt that he lived life one way, but the world viewed him in a completely different way. Dunbar has a similar concept in this poem because he recalls the past and how he was changed by it.