Final answer:
In the poem 'Sympathy' by Paul Laurence Dunbar, the author expresses sympathy for a caged bird, which serves as a metaphor for the struggle against racial oppression and the desire for freedom.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem 'Sympathy', the author feels sympathy for a caged bird. The poem serves as an extended metaphor for the author's own experience of racial oppression and longing for freedom. The bird's incessant beating of its wings against the bars of its cage represents an unyielding spirit amidst the confinement of slavery or racial discrimination.
Dunbar's poem is poignant in its depiction of both the bird's suffering and the broader implications of that suffering as it relates to human empathy, equality, and the struggle for liberation.
The concept of sympathy and its wider implications is explored not just in this poem but through various works in literature. Representations of animals, whether used for allegorical purposes or to evoke a sense of kinship, often reflect the emotions authors wish to convey about broader societal issues. The plight of the bird is a powerful symbol of the desire for freedom that transcends species, hinting at the universal desire for self-determination and dignity.
Literature has a rich history of such symbolism, where animals and even insects are personified to reflect human struggles, emotions, and virtues. Dunbar's use of an animal to evoke sympathy and mirror human suffering is a technique that still resonates today, allowing readers to connect with and reflect on deep-seated issues of justice and morality. The empathy we extend to animals and how it may parallel or differ from our feelings towards our fellow humans or situations is a recurring theme in literary studies.