This Debt We Pay To Human Guile Poem Analysis

Audrey Kim
Ms. Ireland
IGCSE English Yr. 1
2(A,C,E)
26 October 2015
Favorite Poem Project
Written Work
ALSO THE POEM IS THIS ONE http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/17346
Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the first influential African American poets of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (Dunbar’s Life). Dunbar himself was never enslaved, but his parents were freed slaves, thus making him one of the last people to have ongoing contact with those who had been. While growing up, Dunbar’s parents often told him stories about their experiences working on plantations, which is evident in his works. Although Dunbar was the only African American student at Central High in Dayton, Ohio, he was an outstanding student who went above and beyond others expectations. He was not only at the top of his class, but was also editor in chief of the school newspaper. However, due to financial problems, Dunbar …show more content…
In Line 3, “This debt we pay to human guile,” the word “debt” suggests that something is owed. However, “human guile” prompts the reader to infer that “debt” is describing the sacrifices that African Americans had to make for slavery to be possible. Also, the word “guile”, which means deceit, is once again a reference to the metaphor of the “mask”. Furthermore, the use of “mouth” as a verb in line 5, “And mouth with myriad subtleties,” depicts the image of a disgruntled and repressed African-American “mouthing off” under his or her breath, as to not offend a slave owner. The phrase, “myriad subtleties”, refers to the wordplay and behavior blacks had to resort to in order to avoid offending whites and provoking retaliation. Under oppression, people often create a language of their own, a medium through which they can communicate without interference. In a way, the linguistic subtleties mentioned in Dunbar’s poem seem to be representing the speaker’s own distinctive

Show More

Related Documents: This Debt We Pay To Human Guile Poem Analysis

Compare And Contrast Dunbar And W. E. B. Dubois