African American V.O.D. during the Realism Period
Read the biography of Paul Laurence Dunbar on page 635 and take notes.
Read the poems below and answer the questions that follow.
Sympathy--Paul Laurence Dunbar
I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland 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 opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals--
I know what the caged bird feels!
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
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 wing!
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his 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!
EOCT Model Questions
1.
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words in the second and third line of this poem is an example of
A.
Assonance
B.
Onomatopoeia
C.
Imagery
D.
Alliteration
2.
In “Sympathy,” there are seven lines grouped together three times. Each group of seven lines is called a
A.
Refrain
B.
Setting
C.
Theme
D.
Stanza
3.
The tone of the above poem
A.
Indifferent
B.
Optimistic
C.
D.
Celebratory
Despairing

4.
The point of view used in this poem is
A.
First person
B.
Third-person limited
5. The poet uses the caged bird to symbolize
A.
The plight of African Americans
B.
As a symbol for American at the turn of the century
Further Thinking Questions
1.
What is the theme of this poem?
2.
How does this reflect the traits of Realism literature?
3.
What is the Voice of Discontent in this poem?
We Wear the Mask—Paul Laurence Dunbar
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.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
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!
C.
Third-person omniscient
D.
Objective
C.
To symbolize the pain of the Civil War
D.
The American Dream

7.
1.
Who is the “we” in this poem?
2.
What does the mask they wear look like?
3.
What is the mask hiding?
4.
Why do they wear the mask?
5.
What is the theme of the poem?
6.
How does this reflect the traits of Realism literature?
What is the Voice of Discontent in this poem ?