Paul Laurence Dunbar: “La Misión del Señor Scatters”/ “The Mission of Mr. Scatters”. “El Linchamiento de Jube Benson”/ “The Lynching of Jube Benson”.-

Phrases:

“The Mission of Mr. Scatters”:

“It almost needed a revolution to wake up the sleepy little town of Miltonville. The town dozed like a lazy dog, only to wake when there was some rumour or gossip in the air”…

“The story spread like wildfire as there are three things that interest everyody: great wealth, great beauty and great love”.

“It passes the verge of poverty to my present situation. Is that a crime?.

“All those present held their breath. Such audacious words had never been heard in the town before… Gentlemen, Have I not taught your community lesson?. Have I not shown your citizens the extent of their own credulty?. And have I not made them wary of strangers?… Gentlemen, I am guilty according to the letter of the Law, but I appeal to he men who make and have made the Law. I appeal to the chivalry of The Old South, which has been praised in story and sung and song… The members of the Jury Thought Scatters had taught the darkies a lesson. He had spoken of their traditions and had paid tribute to the important families of the town. Well, he was a good fellow after all. Without leaving their seats, the Jury pronounced the following verdict: Not Guilty”… 

“The Lynching of Jube Benson”:

“As if by intuition all the men knew that Jube Benson had desappeared, and that he, by common consent, would be the object of our search. A dozen people had seen him hurrying towards the woods, but as he had grinned at them in his usual way, they thought nothing of it. He had been clever enough to scape suspicion, and was by this time far away”…

“Luck or bd luck, as you prefer, was with our sarch party and just as dawn was breaking, we found our prey hiding in the corner of the field”…

“Their path was illuminated by bright sunlight”…

“No one was masked. We knew each other. Not even the culprit´s face was covered and the last I remember of him was as his feet the ground was a look of sad reproach that I will remain with me until I meet him face to face again”…

“With fiery eyes, he brought his captive into the enter of the group, and he saw in the full light the face of Tom Skinner, the worst whit ruffian in town. But his face wasn´t dirty as we were accustomed to seeing it. It was painted black to imitate a Negro´s”…

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Paul Laurence Dunbar  1872/1906.-

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Source Post: Paul Laurence Dunbar: “La Misión del Señor Scatters”/ “The Mission of Mr. Scatters”. “El Linchamiento de Jube Benson”/ “The Lynching of Jube Benson”. Buenos Aires. Libros Bilingües Clarín. Editores Gráficos rioplatenses. 2008.-

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Links Post:

http://www.dunbarsite.org/

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/paul_laurence_dunbar/photo

http://clatterymachinery.wordpress.com/2007/06/20/the-long-awaited-unabating-top-30-all-time-greatest-poems-of-paul-laurence-dunbar/

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