Read the poem.

Question

The Lesson

by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar was a renowned poet, novelist, and playwright during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was one of the first African American writers to earn national prominence for his meaningful representations of what life was like for Black Americans living during this time.

My cot was down by a cypress grove,

And I sat by my window the whole night long,

And heard well up from the deep dark wood

A mocking-bird's passionate song.

And I thought of myself so sad and lone,

And my life's cold winter that knew no spring;

Of my mind so weary and sick and wild,

Of my heart too sad to sing.

But e'en as I listened the mock-bird's song,

A thought stole into my saddened heart,

And I said, "I can cheer some other soul

By a carol's simple art."

For oft from the darkness of hearts and lives

Come songs that brim with joy and light,

As out of the gloom of the cypress grove

The mocking-bird sings at night.

So I sang a lay for a brother's ear

In a strain to soothe his bleeding heart,

And he smiled at the sound of my voice and lyre,

Though mine was a feeble art.

But at his smile I smiled in turn,

And into my soul there came a ray:

In trying to soothe another's woes

Mine own had passed away.

Question
What does the bird’s song symbolize for the speaker?

Responses

frustration and longing
frustration and longing

mercy and forgiveness
mercy and forgiveness

peace and prosperity
peace and prosperity

hope and comfort

Answer 1

In the poem "The Lesson" by Paul Laurence Dunbar, the bird’s song symbolizes hope and comfort for the speaker. Initially, the speaker reflects on feelings of sadness and isolation, but as they listen to the mocking-bird's song, a realization emerges that they can bring joy to others through their own expression. The act of singing to soothe another's woes ultimately brings comfort and light to the speaker’s own life, illustrating the transformative power of hope and the acts of kindness.