Countee vs. Dunbar

While reading Countee Cullen’s “The Shroud of Color,” I was reminded of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem, “We Wear the Mask.” They are similar in that both poets suggest that there are certain burdens, negative feelings, and obligations that come with being African American. Specifically, the lines in Countee’s poem, “Lord, being dark, forewilled to that despair / My color shrouds me in” reminds me of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s lines, “This debt we pay to human guile; / With torn and bleeding hearts we smile.” These lines from the two poems suggest that the burdens are laid by society and are determined based merely on the color of one’s skin. White people expect black people to bear the burden because they are black. This brings us back to our discussion of how hearing accusations and derogatory treatment can affect self-image.

The two poems differ in that Countee Cullen seems to be writing a poem of woe and despair, whereas Paul Laurence Dunbar seems to be encouraging his fellow African-Americans. It’s as if Dunbar suggests that he wears the mask because he is hurting inside, but Cullen suggests that he feels despair because of the color of his skin. Both poets convey the idea that society has forced this despair upon them, though.