Exploring the Text

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  1. Why does Paul Laurence Dunbar, the speaker of the poem, call on Douglass at this particular time in history? How does he characterize the moment? What qualities of Douglass does Dunbar believe are sorely needed at the moment in history when the poem was written?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - Why does Paul Laurence Dunbar, the speaker of the poem, call on Douglass at this particular time in history? How does he characterize the moment? What qualities of Douglass does Dunbar believe are sorely needed at the moment in history when the poem was written?
  2. What is the central metaphor that Dunbar develops in this poem? Cite specific lines and phrases that dramatize the crisis Dunbar depicts through this metaphor.

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - What is the central metaphor that Dunbar develops in this poem? Cite specific lines and phrases that dramatize the crisis Dunbar depicts through this metaphor.
  3. How does the sonnet structure reinforce the meaning of this poem?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - How does the sonnet structure reinforce the meaning of this poem?
  4. Dunbar wrote a poem entitled “Frederick Douglass” in 1895 when he first heard of his friend’s death. Compare and contrast “Douglass” with that earlier poem. How are the two different occasions that inspired the poems reflected in the verse? Which poem do you believe is more effective? Why?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - Dunbar wrote a poem entitled “Frederick Douglass” in 1895 when he first heard of his friend’s death. Compare and contrast “Douglass” with that earlier poem. How are the two different occasions that inspired the poems reflected in the verse? Which poem do you believe is more effective? Why?