Paul Lawrence Dunbar, and the 'Broken Promise' of Reconstruction
A specific aspect of reconstruction that Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s poetry describes especially well is the somewhat ‘broken promise’ that reconstruction actually was. Following the Emancipation Proclamation, and various government policies that seemed they should help ensure a safer and more equitable future for African Americans in the United States, a sense of hope was renewed. This led to the Great Migration, a wave of millions of African Americans leaving their homes and everything they knew in the South, to pursue better futures in cities up North, or out West, in emerging industries, such as manufacturing. At first, this shift seemed to many like it could spark a new era of black participation within American society. The ‘broken promise’ came in the fact that despite laws having changed, much of the general population still wasn’t ready to accept a mixed society between both black and white Americans.
In Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s Poem, Goin’ Back, he tells the tale of an old, black man in the train station back in his home town in Kentucky after having moved to the North, following the Emancipation Proclamation. After deciding to move back home, the man describes the story he was told about the North:
“They said that things were better North,
An' a man was held at his honest worth.
Well, it may be so, but I have some doubt,”
Despite the opportunity for perhaps better work, the old man reflects on how much less welcomed and at home he felt in the North:
“Thar was lots of things in the North to admire,
Though they hadn't the warmth an' passion an' fire
That all my life I'd been ust to seein'
An' thought belonged to a human bein'.
An' a thing I could'nt help but miss
Was the real ol' Southern heartiness.”
This poem illustrates greatly how reconstruction offered the promise of a fresh start, and the opportunity to succeed in the North, but critically ignored the struggles of finding community and belonging in a new, unfamiliar place. Following an event as traumatic as slavery, it is incredibly difficult to try to completely disconnect oneself from their experiences, and the community they shared that trauma with.
Another Dunbar poem that masterfully describes the struggle to fit in and find belonging in post-reconstruction American society is We Wear the Mask. This poem talks about the sacrifice of one’s own identity in an attempt to be accepted by white American society. Dunbar describes ‘the mask that grins and lies’ as a way to represent how African Americans essentially have to put on a smile, and shove all of their problems and trauma down, so that they can appear to be ‘sophisticated enough’ for modern American society. Dunbar expresses his frustration with how allowing trauma to show seemed to diminish their value in society: “Why should the world be over-wise, In counting all our tears and sighs?”, and describes the pain that suppressing all these feelings causes:
“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!”
Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s poetry shows how reconstruction wasn’t the solution that many had envisioned it to be. Policy alone wasn’t enough to change the culture, especially when even policy wasn’t doing nearly enough to protect African Americans. These poems vividly depict the pain and emotions from having to suppress trauma or try to fit into a hostile community, especially coming just after the ultimate trauma inflicted by centuries of slavery.
- Sahnan
Hi Sahnan
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation of the broken promise aspect of PLD poetry. I can see why reconstruction was much of a disappointment to African Americans, it delivered little change on the discrimination and simply didn't change much post-slavery. There also is an aspect of "missing" the south where he lived, it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on that.
-Connor
Hi Sahnan,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your interpretations of these poems. The way you analyzed these gave me a new layer to the poems; at first, I just thought he was lamenting how black people were treated in general, but I never thought of the "broken promise" idea. It's interesting to think about equality as a promise that was never kept because, even though slavery ended, black people didn't really feel free.
Hi Sahnan, I also found it interesting how he decides to return South, which is a powerful illustration of his disappointment with the North. It seems like he, along with Harriet Jacobs in a way, wishes Northerners would do more to acknowledge the wrongs of slavery and use their power to help Black Southerners more than they were. Your quotations from the poems do a great job of demonstrating each of these points.
ReplyDeleteHello Sahnan,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation of Dunbar, explaining that it was difficult for someone who just experienced the traumas of slavery to navigate the unfamiliarity of northern cities with little sense of guidance or aid. Disappointment even after moving north is understandable as many formerly enslaved people acted under the belief that government policies would be more beneficial to them. Not only navigating that aspect of the broken promise, but learning that you must conceal your real emotions for the comfort of others within society only contributes to someone’s detriment.
Sahnan, I like how you connected Dunbar’s poems to the idea of Reconstruction as a “broken promise,” especially through the contrast between hope in the North and the reality people experienced. Your explanation of We Wear the Mask was especially strong because it shows how belonging sometimes came at the cost of hiding pain and identity. It might be interesting to also connect this idea to how Reconstruction ended, since that helps explain why so many of these promises never fully came true.
ReplyDeleteHey Sahnan, I definitely agree with your interpretations of Dunbar's poems, and just how hard it must be for many freed slaves to find a place in the northern society. I'd like to emphasize your point about how hostile the community of the North was in receiving Black people into their society. In my opinion, it just goes to show how deep racism was embedded into culture, and the lack of empathy that came out of that. And much like you said, Dunbar does a great job at representing the grief and struggle that many like him had to go through.
ReplyDeleteHi Sahnan, I agree with your interpretation of Dunbars poems and how the idea of reconstruction is seen as a "broken promise". I definitly agree with the idea that belonging came sometimes come to hiding your own identity, and hiding a sense of self. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteHi Sahnan, I really enjoyed reading your Paul Lawrence Dunbar and the Broken Promise of Reconstruction post and how you explained the disappointment of the era. Your analysis of how the poems illustrate the emotional toll of hiding one's true identity to fit into society was especially eye-opening for me. It gave me a much better understanding of the struggle that many freed slaves faced when moving to the North.
ReplyDelete