“Sympathy”

E1016272

“Sympathy” is a celebrated poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar, best known for its powerful metaphor of a caged bird to express the pain and resilience of African Americans under oppression.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
“Sympathy” canonical 1
“Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (32)

Predicate Object
instanceOf poem
author Paul Laurence Dunbar NERFINISHED
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
firstLine I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
form stanzaic poem
genre lyric poetry
influencedAuthor Maya Angelou NERFINISHED
influencedWork I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings NERFINISHED
language English
literaryDevice alliteration
extended metaphor
imagery
repetition
literaryMovement Harlem Renaissance precursor
metaphor caged bird
meter regular metrical pattern with rhyme
notableFor early articulation of Black struggle in American poetry
use of caged bird as a freedom metaphor
period late 19th century American literature
studiedIn African American literature courses
American poetry courses
subjectMatter emotional and physical pain of confinement
spiritual endurance
symbolizes African American experience under oppression
confinement
desire for liberation
theme longing for freedom
racial oppression
resilience
suffering
tone hopeful
lamenting

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Paul Laurence Dunbar notableWork “Sympathy”
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings titleOrigin “Sympathy”
this entity surface form: “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar