"Sympathy" is a poem written by Paul Laurence Dunbar, an African American poet, who lived during the early 19th and 20th century. At the time, African Americans were fighting for their rights and much of his work demonstrates the conflicts and controversy of the situation. Paul Dunbar's main theme through out the poem is the agony of captivity. He uses many devices such as metaphors, repetition, simile, imagery and Anthropomorphism to support his theme. Paul Laurence Dunbar also uses diction to link back to his theme. He uses a particular structure to link it to the theme of his poem.
Paul Dunbar uses many examples throughout the poem to demonstrate his theme. The title of the poem "Sympathy" displays how the poet is trying to evoke sympathy from the reader. In the first stanza Paul Dunbar says, "I know what the caged bird feels, alas!" this line exhibits how Paul Dunbar feels the same way as a caged bird. He is comparing how a caged bird feels to how an African American feels in a white society during the 19th century. The second stanza is more descriptive since the author is trying to show to the reader the familiar feeling of being trapped. For example the second line of the stanza says "till its blood is red on the cruel bars" that line demonstrates how the poet has tried escaping numerous times until he harmed himself. The line also exhibits olfactory imagery since it makes the reader almost smell the blood on the bars. In the third stanza Paul Dunbar writes "it is not a carol of joy or glee, but a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core" the line shows how the bird is not singing a joyful tune but rather a prayer to god that he will be free, this can also be linked to the music genre of the 19th century, the blues, which used to be sung in a sad mellow tune to express one's feelings.
Paul Laurence Dunbar uses many literary devices to express to the reader how he felt as an African American.