Accountability (by Paul Laurence Dunbar)
Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1872-1906
Accountability
by Paul Laurence Dunbar
[from Lyrics of Lowly Life, 1896]
Folks ain't got no right to censuah othah folks about dey habits;
Him dat giv' de squir'ls de bushtails made de bobtails fu' de rabbits.
Him dat built de gread big mountains hollered out de little valleys,
Him dat made de streets an' driveways wasn't shamed to make de alleys.
We is all constructed diff'ent, d'ain't no two of us de same;
We cain't he'p ouah likes an' dislikes, ef we'se bad we ain't to blame.
Ef we'se good, we needn't show off, case you bet it ain't ouah doin'
We gits into su'ttain channels dat we jes' cain't he'p pu'suin'.
But we all fits into places dat no othah ones could fill,
An' we does the things we has to, big er little, good er ill.
John cain't tek de place o' Henry, Su an' Sally ain't alike;
Bass ain't nuthin' like a suckah, chub ain't nuthin' like a pike.
When you come to think about it, how it's all planned out it's splendid.
Nothin's done er evah happens, 'dout hit's somefin' dat's intended;
Don't keer whut you does, you has to, an' hit sholy beats de dickens,—
Viney, go put on de kittle, I got one o' mastah's chickens.
Posted by Jesus Crisis at 1/5/2010 7:35 AM 
Categories: 1900s, Dunbar (Paul Laurence), Writing, African American, American
Tags: American Poetry 1896 Lyrics of Lowly Life Paul Laurence Dunbar African American Dayton
Categories: 1900s, Dunbar (Paul Laurence), Writing, African American, American
Tags: American Poetry 1896 Lyrics of Lowly Life Paul Laurence Dunbar African American Dayton
I like this, but I'm not sympathetic to the 'a place for everything, everything in its place' sentiment - for calmness, maybe, but for justice, no. I assume this poem is ironic. I agree with some of what the narrator's saying, not all of it. Seems a slippery slope from accepting that all people are different to accepting a bad, hierarchical reality. I do think that we have the right to dissent from the current reality, to prod others' realities to come to a better consensual reality. I'm on a 'dissent from the hierarchy' kick today.
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It's a good kick to be on.
I was really agreeing with him, ready to cheer him, till I got to the last line - then I realized the irony in what came before and started thinking. The masters love to defend their master-ovations as "blessings." I.e., I'm rich because God has blessed me. I'm Governor, I'm a professional athlete, I'm CEO, I own a plantation, I'm published by Nude Erections - must mean I'm special... must mean it's ordained... destiny manifested - God's will... and as for everyone else, sorry 'bout your luck, Bruce Hornsby wrote a song for ya: "that's just the way it is."
A sometime slave like me's been known to defend master-bations, too - maybe 'cause I've been the chicken.
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[Renee Matthews Jackson had this to say on Facebook, and I found it so illuminating I decided to copy and paste:]
I love this poem and have performed it many times. To me John, the title simply means, and I quote;
" The only true happiness comes from squandering ourselves for a purpose."
- John Mason Brown
His primary purpose, through all he expressed was to feed his hungry family, making the last line the most important. That's my take anyway.
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