4.05: Two World Class American Poets

The Virtual Times

Local News

Paul Laurence Dunbar was the first African-American poet to achieve national attention by the time he was twenty-three. His poems and short stories reflect both a comic and sentimental tone. In his later years, he became a social critic producing poems, stories, and essays about racial injustice that carry a powerful message and are considered among his best work.

Click on the picture of the author to read more about him.

Q&A

How much did it cost people riding in an elevator with Paul Laurence Dunbar to purchase a collection of his poetry?

$1.00

Emily Dickinson was a recluse who wrote thousands of poems, but only published a few during her lifetime. Though she lived a secluded life, in her mind's eye she traveled the world and beyond, letting her poetry speak of the marvels she experienced.

Her poems capture a photograph of life in words. She expresses herself on themes as deep as life, death, and immortality, and as light as nature, love, and friendship. She was a master "wordsmith" who labored intensely to find the "perfect" word to express exactly what she had to say.

Click on the picture of the author to read more about her.

Find out

which writer from this lesson suffered a nervous breakdown, and a bout of pneumonia.
which writer from this lesson lived in almost total isolation from the outside world.
who sold a self-published collection of poetry (cost: $1.00) to people riding in an elevator.