Paul Laurence Dunbar – "Douglass" and "We Wear the Mask"

In "Douglass", Dunbar basically illustrates the grief that has fallen on so many African Americans during this time. The lines "We have fall'n on evil days", "the awful tide that battled to and fro", "for thy strong arm to guide the shivering bark", and "to give us comfort through the lonely dark" are some of the stronger lines that really depict how African Americans at this time are being horribly oppressed and are in need of a strong force to help them through these dark times. Although Dunbar is focusing on the troubles of this era, his poem is written as to give those who read it motivation and strength to persevere and survive. Though is poem is very figurative, it still depicts the time as it really is and the manner in which African Americans are suffering. The only Naturalism quality these poems possess is that they are both narrated by a person who is apparently African American, making them a lower class person in a horrible situation. Regionalism is not in here at all, seeing as how a specific region is not mention, nor is that region described in detail. Realism is not a factor here either. Some characteristics could be found in a roundabout way, but they would be so insignificant to the overall tone of the poem. These two works does not possess any Regionalism either. Neither poem is attempting to promote one area or a certain regain, in fact specific places are not even mention in detail. These works reflect society. They reflected society throughout the warped perspective of the author. This perspective is rather bitter. There is nothing in these works regarding religion either. There is also little to no mention of government. There is also no mention of nature. There is not a whole lot of description throughout both poems. The American Dream was mentioned briefly. The American Dream mentioned is the wish for slavery to be abolished completely. There is also no hero involved or present in any of these works. Along with being pretty realistic, the poems both also have a tone of sadness. While they are very much a part of Realism, I do not think they can really be classified as Naturalism poems. There is no real scientific or analytical thinking involved, but there is also not a lot of emphasis on God or the idea of religion in general. They are both also emotional and they are in the moment, not looking toward the past or the future. Society plays a part in the two works, because they are portrayed in a couple of different ways. In "We Wear the Mask", society is not really reliable because everyone is apparently being fake in some way and not to be trusted. There was also no real connection to Regionalism, because Dunbar does not talk about specific places or settings, which is actually pretty common in poems like "We Wear the Mask" and "Douglass". The author does not place any significance on the setting, so the reader can infer that it is not important. Religion and government do not play a real part in the works either, except for a couple of mentions in "Douglass" because of the political part of abolitionism and women's rights.

Dunbar, Paul L. ""Douglass"/"We Wear the Mask"" American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. Columbus: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 568-71. Print.