...We Wear The Mask “We Wear The Mask”, by Paul Dunbar is a poem that was written in 1896, that depicts how African-Americans must disguise their true emotions by smiling, laughing, and going along like their not being discriminated against. During slavery, African-Americans were treated with such humiliation and disrespect, that they had to cover their real emotions just to make their daily lives easier. Also they had to keep quite while being discriminated against, or they would have to face the consequences of being lynched, tortured, or imprisoned. In this close reading, I will elaborate what message Paul Dunbar is trying to convey to the audience, and how “ Wearing the Mask”, can even be applied today. Paul Laurence Dunbar was the first African-American to gain national recognition as a poet. He was born in 1872 in Dayton, Ohio, where he was the son of former slaves. Although Dunbar only lived to be thirty-three years old he was well known for writing short stories, novels, librettos, plays, songs, and poetry. In the article titled , “ Black Naturalism, White Determination Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Naturalist Strategies, it explains, how Dunbar had to create literary strategies that were capable of critiquing the problems African-Americans had to face, but at the same time he would not explicitly confront white readers beliefs regarding blacks. I believe the perfect example of this is “ We Wear the Mask”, because Dunbar is sending subliminal messages of how African-Americans...
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...everyday are wearing masks left and right, just not the kind of mask one might think of. Masks are used not only as physical objects but also to hide one’s inner feelings. For instance, one may be asked how they are doing and reply that everything is fine. All the while, things could be going terrible with that one person they just do not want to share their emotions. It is not an uncommon idea, and it never has been. In Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem We Wear the Mask, he argues from experience that slaves were hiding their pain and suffering with a mask of contentment, which blinded the whites to the harm they were inflicting on the slaves. Dunbar’s poem expressed the concealed pain and suffering that black slaves often encountered. He wanted to express the struggle for equality for blacks. The black slaves hid their pain from the whites or their owners so that they would not see weakness or show desperation. The feelings could consist of anger, pain, frustration, sadness and many more. In Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem We Wear the Mask, he first illustrates how the people in the poem wear masks. “We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,” (Line 1&2, pg. 963) here Dunbar is illustrating that the slaves wore these masks in hiding of all emotions whether grinning or lying. However, one might also argue that the ‘mask’ might serve just to lie to the people observing it, or whether it is to lie to the actual person wearing the mask. When picturing...
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...We Wear the Mask “We Wear the Mask” is a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar that emphasizes on how slaves had to conceal their pain and misery in a white-dominated culture. If African-Americans were to reveal their true feelings, it could result in their own demise. With this knowledge in mind Dunbar created this poem in such an artistic way that no one suspected the real meaning of “We Wear the Mask.” Dunbar’s use of alliteration and iambic tetrameter rhythm forms a method of hidden self-expression for the author while the reader can also relate to the poem in their own way. While interpreting this poem the reader will discover that the mask represents an individual hiding their true feelings about their own difficult situation. It could pertain to a person going through divorce, loss of a family member, or a teenager under pressure with school. Problems vary with each person and their own life. The reason why this poem is so relatable to any reader is because Dunbar never specified the true meaning within this poem therefore...
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...The masks of a common teenager Paul Laurence’s “We Wear the Mask” starts with a metaphor to an unspecific “we” saying that a mask of happiness hides our internal sadness. This ties to the conforming towards the hiding of one's feelings. He emphasizes the sadness of one's feelings, but always ends each allusion towards this pain is always followed by an opposite example of how this pain is covered up. As he repeats his use of large categories to define who endures these pains, it becomes clear that he speaks of everyone conforming to society. A common other theme is the lies said to others and oneself, as it becomes clear that this “mask” is used to convince everyone that you are happy. This never changes that everyone is living through torture and it doesn't help to lie about it. This is appropriate for the author, because Paul Laurence Dunbar was an African American writing...
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...1. Do we wear masks? How is it either good or bad depending upon the circumstances? Yes in certain cases we do wear masks. It could be used in a good or bad way. You could be covering an assortment of different situations. In some cases it could be something sensitive or it could be hiding something deceitful. I believe everyone has worn some type of mask. 2. Comment on the following: “Martin Luther King, Jr. was right: We can overcome, despite adversity, the trend toward mediocrity, and the temptation to rationalize our weaknesses. You simply cannot keep a good person down.” No matter what kind of scenario a good person is faced with they will pull through. It is likely they are a good person because they’ve already experienced tough times and know how to deal with them now. They know that no matter what nothing will keep them down. They have the want and desire to handle any situation. Sometimes it takes a person going through a tough time to realize what they’re really made of. 3. How do you rate yourself as a risk taker? How well do you handle change? I would say I’m in the middle on risk taking. I’ve always taken a cautious approach. In some cases I’ve gone about it different but for the most part it’s been cautious. I can deal well with change. I have been able to adapt to any environment and become accustomed to the change. 4. After reviewing your responses to the Life Events Stress Test from last week, briefly describe three major causes of stress...
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...The two poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar and Langston Hughes explain our Black History in America. We Wear the Mask poem talk about how Black America is hidden behind America and treated differently. I, too sing America is very similar to We wear the Mask because in that poem he explain how he is treated as an outsider because he is Black. The two poems tell a story about being black in a White Man world and how strong our Black Culture is during The Harlem Renaissance. I, too sing America and We Wear the Mask are two very strong poems that describe our Black face toward White America and how determined the Black Culture was to become a part of America. Our Black Culture was mistreated for many years by White America. White America could not except the fact that Black America is a very strong race that was determined to become a part of America. For many years White America destroyed everything that Black Americans touched like Knowledge, Power, and Freedom. They tried to block the Black Culture out and Discourage our Black Culture but they could not let it go on for that long. The more White America tried to hide our black...
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...Things are not always as they seem, sometimes first impressions can be deceiving. In Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem, “We Wear the Mask” and Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory” the theme of appearance vs. truth is explored. These poems show how you can see someone and still not completely “see” them. They live an ironic life as their appearances differ from their reality. Everyone has a way in which they mask themselves from the world. Their hidden truth kept within a false persona. In We Wear the Mask people are described as hypocritical, deceptive and willing to appear content with their circumstances, although they are not. The speaker's world appears cold and indifferent; inducing false personas in an effort to appear unbothered. The people are determined to keep the true nature of their sufferings to themselves and to present to others happiness and lack of care, “We wear the mask that grins and lies,” (Dunbar line 1). All of the courtesy and feelings shown are just phony disguises for the painful truths that hide behind them. Furthermore, no matter what is felt one should cover it up, to allow what appears to become reality....
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...As R.J. Palacio once said. " I wish every day could be Halloween. We could all wear masks all the time. Then we could walk around and get to know each other before we got to see what we looked like under the masks." The inspiration of this quote was that people should not judge each other based off looks instead of personality. A lot of people jump to the conclusion of there a bad person just by their looks. Looks don't mean they are a bad person some aspects may look bad and that doesn't mean they are bad people. The quote inspired me emotionally. This is because to me, It feels as if they were saying this because they have been judged in a bad way. In which that would be the reason to wear the masks. The masks would hide how you look and...
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...Charles Chesnutt story, “The Passing of Grandison” is the perfect story to apply the point of “We Wear the Mask.” Wearing the mask could be defined as portraying a false image that manipulates the perspective of the viewer. Coincidentally, many slaves would “wear the mask” to mislead their slave owners to believe that they are content with living the lifestyle as a slave. As a result, the slave owners would become victim to the slaves wearing the mask, which enabled the slaves to progress toward freedom. In the story “The Passing of Grandison” an African American slave named Gradison wore the masks loyalty and bravery. These masks of loyalty and bravery not only led to the freedom for his family but also to the freedom for other slaves. Grandison...
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...James C Vincent II English comp II Mr. Purkiss 5/3/2012 Paul Laurence Dunbar and the Mask Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in 1872 in Dayton, Ohio. His father was a former slave that escaped slavery and served in the 55th Massachusetts Infantry regiment and the 5th Massachusetts colored Calvary during the civil war. His mother was also a former slave. After his father having 2 kids with his mother he left 2 years later. His father was the main support of the family so after he left his mother had to get a job as a washerwoman. His mother Matilda was very supportive of Paul’s literacy interest. She encouraged her kids to read and learn about poetry. Inspired by his mother Paul began reciting and writing poetry by the age of 6. In high school he was the only African American in his class. His writing skills opened up ideas for him to be class president, editor of the high school newspaper, class poet and president of the literary society. While establishing his self nationally he also had a job temporarily as an elevator operator. He also gained ideas from the slavery stories that his mother and father occasionally told him. He first published his literature when he was 16 years old. He also created a newspaper based on the black community. After finishing high school he could not go right into college due to his lack of tuition funds. However, some of his work were seen by his teachers other college professors. He also gained friendship from Fredrick Douglass who found him a...
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...We wear masks to hide who we personally are and to brighten our own public image of what we want others to think of us. We wear such masks to appeal to others (we want them to like us) because we like them; even though their allure may very well be the same mask we’re wearing. In The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Myrtle is always trying to run away from her real life and act like someone she isn’t. Myrtle Wilson hides behind a mask with her desire to be rich and to forget about the poor life she really has; consequently, her husband finding out about her affair leads to her death. Because of the reality of her situation, Myrtle feels a certain envy to the rich life (desire); she takes that envy as motivation, and fakes her way...
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...promote his idea that assimilation was the process that would end racial tensions in the United States, regardless of the loss of African American culture. While some authors specifically supported either the mosaic idea or assimilation, like Booker T. Washington, others writers such as Paul Laurence Dunbar created a mutual basis of both ideas. One of his poems “We Wear The Mask” shows his support for assimilation as the poem opens with, “We wear the mask that grins and lies, / It hides our cheeks and shade our eyes,- / This debt we pay to human guile; / With torn and bleeding hearts we smile” (“We Wear The Mask”, 1-4). Dunbar is comparing assimilation to “the mask” that hides cultural heritage. The mask that hides their true selves appears again at the end of poem as Dunbar ends with, “We sing, but oh the clay is vile / Beneath our feet, and long the mile; / But let the world dream otherwise, / We wear the mask!” (“We Wear The Mask”, 12-14). The wearer of the mask accepts their true culture, yet they want “the world” to “dream otherwise” so they do not bring themselves attention. Dunbar used his poem “We Wear The Mask” to emphasize that sometimes it is necessary to create a façade in order to live a proper life. Another poem written by Dunbar, “Sympathy”, is an example of his support for cultural heritage. “Sympathy” focuses on the repercussions of 256 years of slavery which were still felt almost 35 years after its abolition. Dunbar asserts that the African American community...
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...Jr. In the story, we see many uses of different literary devices that help us understand the world they are living in. Similes introduce us to the loud, distracting sounds that go off in George’s head every time he is about to take advantage of his brain. The handicaps that certain people are chosen to wear symbolize their strength, intelligence, and beauty. Vonnegut uses allusions to reference a Greek god and the Constitution. I chose this story because I was fascinated by this world where everyone was “equal” and by Harrison’s fearlessness in challenging the laws and his desire to be free. In Harrison Bergeron, many similes are used to describe the sounds that block George from thinking too much. When Hazel, George’s wife, asked what the transmitter had sounded like, he responded, “sounded like somebody hitting a milk bottle with a ball peen hammer.” At times when George remembers his son, Harrison, sounds “like a twenty-one-gun salute in his head,” will interrupt his train of thought. These sounds are used so nobody is smarter than anybody else. Some people in this story can’t even use their real voice because it would be unfair. When a ballerina spoke, “Her voice was a warm, luminous, timeless melody,” but she was immediately forced to apologize and use a voice that was uncompetitive. Vonnegut used a metaphor to compare the beauty in the ballerina’s voice to a melody. In Harrison Bergeron, many people who are beautiful or stronger than others must wear handicaps so everyone...
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...In this anthology, multiple poems are compiled together to represent the theme of being stuck within societal expectations and norms. All of the poems represent this in different ways, using several different angles to argue this idea. All of the poems are open to many different interpretations, but I concluded that they all focus on this theme in one way or another. The poems in this anthology are “The Frying Pan” by Conrad Hillberry, “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Lawrence Dunbar, and “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy. “The Frying Pan” is about a girl that seems like an average girl with no real unique qualities. Society holds these expectations of people like her, so that is how she viewed in the eyes of others. She is just another pretty girl with...
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...intellectual movement that created a new black cultural identity ("Harlem Renaissance," n.d.). There was an important group that was created during the Harlem Renaissance known as the NAACP. Also, there were important trials such as Sacco and Vanzetti, and the conviction in Scottsboro, Alabama. During the Harlem Renaissance many famous writers such as Paul Dunbar, and Langston Hughes wrote about what african americans experienced during this time. An influential poem written by Paul Dunbar during the Harlem Renaissance is We Wear the Mask, which talks about disguising our feelings. Langston Hughes also wrote influential poems such as I, Too and Song for a Dark Girl . There were many important things that happened during the Harlem Renaissance, including the creation of influential poems by...
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