Parental Influence: Paul Laurence Dunbar's Family

The African Americans face numerous challenges and racial problems in their life. They encounter negative treatment and hateful attitudes, which existed in the country throughout the centuries. America’s famous poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar, had to live through the discrimination and deal with the mistreatment of blacks in the country during the nineteenth century. Although he enjoyed support from the white community in school from the childhood to his later success in literature world, his minority background contributed to the development of his art and poetry. Dunbar’s family influenced the poet by suggesting the topics of the lives of slaves and moral injustice, while his mother also served as a major motivator to pursue poetry and shaped the poet’s literary style.

The poet grew up in a family of freed slaves. His childhood was an interesting period, as Dunbar was raised mostly by his mother. His father died when the poet was a boy. The poet’s father was an inspiration to his children, as he received his freedom and fought in the black regiment during the Civil War. The poet’s mother left him shortly after the marriage. Dunbar had a large family; of two older brothers from his mother’s first marriage, and a younger sister. Although the father was not present in poet’s life, Dunbar knew his father’s biography and appreciated his life choices. For example, he knew that the father worked on plantations and had suffered a great deal of pressure and discrimination. The poet also learned that the father was fighting in one out of the two units, which recruited only blacks during the Civil War (Fields).

The mother had a tremendous impact on the poet. She taught Dunbar about the hardships of the black community in the past, the diminishing details of the slavery and the lack of elementary human freedoms. Matilda, the mother of the poet, always encouraged her son to pursue the poetry. She was one of the reasons for him to become the poet. For example, she learned how to read and write specifically to help her son with his literature work. Moreover, she often read to the son. The mother was very religious and regularly read the Bible to little Paul; and she expected her son to become an educated man (Best, 13). As a result, she was encouraging him to write and study, and when the man had matured, she gladly supported his poetic search. Thanks to his mother’s determination, Paul enrolled in school, where he was the only black student (Best, 13). Despite being the representative of the minority, he was well-received by the classmates. Moreover, he was a popular and a popular student with good grades. In was during his childhood when he recited his first poems with the support from his mother. Throughout his career, he kept strong ties with his mother, and when his health declined rapidly because of tuberculosis, he moved back to live with Matilda. Dunbar spent two years living with the mother before tuberculosis killed the poet.

Dunbar’s life was filled with relative successes, as the poet was able to receive a title of one of the best black poets. His poetry was greatly influenced by his upbringing and the background of the African American life. As example, his famous poem We Wear the Mask speaks about the sufferings people in hiding, as the masks they wear make them appear happier than they are (Dunbar, 548). The poem refers to religious spirits and Christianity and tells about the people and their suffering from injustice and challenges. The sufferings can be traced to the lives of the black community and the masks blacks have to wear in society. Moreover, the poem can also be a metaphor for the poet’s life. Although he was successful and popular among white audiences, and he enjoyed happy years in school, there were challenges the poet endured due to his African American tradition. The biggest challenges, however, were the ones of his parents. They were slaves, and even after being freed, his ancestors dealt with poverty and low social standing. Wearing a mask could be a metaphor for his mother’s journey; she was a woman, who became free, managed to learn how to read and write, and encouraged her son to receive an education and pursuit his dreams. In a way, she was a happy and strong mother doing the best for her children. On the other hand, she could be encouraging her son to enter an educational institution and be among the whites in order to avoid the same fate she had. Matilda had to wear a mask and pretend she did not suffer because of poverty, having no husband around, financial and social struggles, and the everyday challenges of a single black mother. Also, she was a very religious woman, who relied on her faith in difficult times and tried to share her religion with her son through reading the Bible to him. Similarly to the people in the poem, Matilda was trying to hide her pains by relying on spiritual ideas and preventing her children from seeing the downs in life. Watching his mother could be a strong motivator for the writer to write the poem and share the feelings.

The stories of his mother were inspiring for a young poet since he could find many interesting sources for his work. He learned about the way his mother had to deal with the white masters or struggle with unequal treatment. Through her sharing of experiences, he also discovered his father’s story, who escaped slavery and was trying desperately to become a free man. When he finally received his freedom, he joined the Civil War and fought for the abolition of slavery throughout the country. The challenges his father experienced found their way in the poetic elements. The father spent many years fighting for what he believed in. Although he never had close bonds with his son, the poet was moved by the brave story of an amazing parent. After all, the very story of running away from cruel masters could be an inspiration for many works, as well as the fighting experience and the determination to prove the values a person held dear. The factor could explain the many works the poet dedicated to the personal struggle and powerful emotions people were experiencing. Thus, the work We Wear the Mask serves as a good example of a poem’s dedication to the people with inner struggles and internal power.

Paul Laurence Dunbar had a complicated life since he was born into a poor black family, where he grew up without a father. He also had to deal with prejudice and challenges of a black poet. He faced the issues that existed among the African Americans in the society. Being African American in the nineteenth century was very pressuring. The condition placed a certain burden on the poet. However, his parents served as an inspiration to overcome the racial discrimination and inspired the many emotions in his poetry. Dunbar created many works about the internal struggles and the inner power to overcome them. The stories included his life with his mother, her personal examples, and the stories she shared about hers and his father’s lives.