Topic 1: Discuss Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “Sympathy.”
• How do the poet’s use of rhyme and repetition contribute to the overall tone ?• How does the title relate to the content of the poem—specifically, the poem’s theme ? The word “sympathy” never occurs in the body of the poem itself. Why?• Discuss the metaphor of the “caged bird”—What are the particular images that the speaker associates with the bird? What things cause the bird particular pain or sorrow? How are these things related to the historical context of this poem?• Who is the speaker in this poem? What are the implications of the sympathy that the speaker exhibits?
