nd employment as an elevator operator. In between calls he would write poems and articles for various Midwestern newspapers while studying some of his favorite poets, including Shakespeare, Tennyson, Keats, Poe, and Longfellow (Harris 107, 108).
             Dunbar's style of writing was like that of none other during his time period, as thought by other poets. "Dunbar had developed a style that was double-voiced about race; seemingly carefree in Black dialect but more serious and brooding when in standard English. The perhaps best and most famous of his dialect poems was When Malindy Sings, featured on the front page of The Observer, published as a tribute after his death" (Young 125).
             In 1893 he took out a loan to publish his first book titled Oak and Ivy after some important literary figures began to take notice to his work. Through his writing Dunbar described his observations of society and the experience of his parents giving voice to the social problem of people in his day and became known for his proclaimed sense of black dignity (Draper 622, 623).
             Also in 1893, he was invited to recite at the World's Fair, where he came to know Frederick Douglas, the famous abolitionist who emerged from slavery to political and legendary fame in America. Douglas called Dunbar "the most promising young colored man in America" (324). As the demand for his poetry grew, Dunbar began to cultivate literary friendships that helped him publish more of his works (Columbus 32, 35).
             In 1895, Dunbar moved to Toledo, Ohio where with the help of Charles A. Thatcher and Henry A. Tobey, he began to recite his poems at nearby libraries and literary assemblies. They also funded his second book of
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