Question

Read the closing sentences from “My Brother Paul”: Peace, peace. So shall it soon be with all of us. It was a dream. It is. I am. You are. And shall we grieve over or hark back to dreams? Based on the story, what do you think Dreiser is saying in these final sentences?

Answer 1

Johnson’s use of the words stony, bitter, rod, and died create a negative picture of the times:

Stony the road we trod,

Bitter the chastening rod,

Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;

The poet uses words associated with harshness and punishment to describe the difficulties faced along the way.

Johnson’s language changes when he talks about the dreams of the younger generation:

Out from the gloomy past,

Till now we stand at last

Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

The poet uses light and uplifting imagery to highlight the progress and dreams of African Americans, comparing liberty to a harmonious song.

Answer 2

Answer:

Throughout the story, Dreiser views his older brother Paul as an artist and a dreamer. The story ends with Paul dying after falling into a deep depression and developing anemia. Perhaps through these lines Dreiser is trying to say that his brother is finally at peace, and human life is just a fleeting dream. He could also be saying that he refuses to grieve over a life like Paul’s, which was filled with beauty and warmth. He would rather celebrate it. So he asks readers whether we should mourn losing loved ones or rejoice over the lives they lived.

Explanation: