Born in Dayton, Ohio in 1872 to former slaves from Kentucky, Paul Laurence Dunbar began writing poems at age 6, drawing from the stories his mother told him about plantation life. With his incredible body of work, Dunbar became the first African American poet to earn national distinction.
Class Discussion Questions:
1) How did Paul Dunbar's mother inspire his writing?
Read the Script:
Roses are red, violets are blue, and I鈥檝e got a great Know Ohio for you! Ok, I鈥檒l admit, I鈥檓 no poet. But this guy I鈥檓 about to tell you about definitely is 鈥� and he used the medium to change opinions and break barriers.
His name is Paul Laurence Dunbar, and he was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1872 to former slaves from Kentucky. Drawing from the stories his mother told him about plantation life, he began writing poems at age 6 and, by age 14, his work was already published in a local newspaper. And, as a student at Dayton鈥檚 Central High School, he teamed up with a friend and classmate you鈥檝e probably heard of 鈥� Orville Wright 鈥� to publish The Dayton Tattler, a short-lived newspaper aimed at the black community in Dayton.
After high school, without the finances to continue his education, Dunbar was forced to take a job as an elevator operator. But, instead of giving up on his poetry, he worked at it even harder, using his meager salary to self-publish his first book of verse, Oak & Ivy 鈥� and he quickly earned back his investment by selling copies of his book personally, often to people riding on his elevator.
This tenacity, combined with his undeniable talent, caught the attention of both the literary community and black leaders. Famous abolitionist Fredrick Douglas called him, 鈥渢he most promising young colored man in America.鈥� With this support, Dunbar got to work publishing a dozen books of poetry 鈥� along with novels, short stories, lyrics, and a play.
With his incredible body of work, Dunbar became the first African American poet to earn national distinction. His vibrant poetry told stories of black life in America that hadn鈥檛 been heard before 鈥� and his style was more conversational. In fact, Dunbar wrote many of his poems in a dialect that was used mostly by working class black people.
Dunbar鈥檚 extraordinary life was cut short when he contracted tuberculosis and died at just 33 years old. But his work lives on. In fact, the title of Maya Angelou鈥檚 acclaimed autobiography 鈥淚 Know Why the Caged Bird Sings鈥� is actually a line from a Dunbar poem. Paul Laurence Dunbar is buried in Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, close to his friend and early collaborator Orville Wright.
Learn a little more...with a link!
Website Article: | Why we remember this Ohio poet.
Video: | Take a tour of Dunbar鈥檚 Dayton home & learn more about his life.
Website: | Read or listen to every poem Dunbar wrote.