Analyzing Paul Laurence Dunbar's They Wear The Mask

519 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: A critical analysis of wearing a mask

Intro: It has been said many times that "You can't judge a book by its cover" and "Don't judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes". A person may appear one way on the outside but may be feeling the total opposite on the inside. They may be masking their true emotions with a false appearance. In "We Wear the Mask" it seems that Paul Laurence Dunbar is conveying this message to his audience. Looking at the picture of the girl holding the mask, seems similar to the emotions expressed throughout the poem. Body: The poem opens with the acknowledgment that we wear these masks that hide our true feelings. It emphasizes the cruelty of the pain and suffering that the masks try to cover up, comparable to the picture. By the end it should be well understood, all of the politeness and subdued emotions are just blind of the painful truths that hide behind them. And those masks certainly are not doing anyone any favors. …show more content…

In this picture the lady is hiding because she does not want to show the pain she is feeling, so she keeps it bottled up inside. She buries her true self by “wearing” these masks and fake smiles. For example, “This debt we pay to human guile;/ With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,” translating to we put up that face to hide the pain others put us through, we try our best to smile. When you look at the poem “We Wear the Mask”, they seem similar to that of those in the picture of that girl. “We Wear the Mask- We wear the mask that grins and lies,/ It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes-,” meaning “We look as though we are something that we are not” and “We show a completely different face than what our emotions feel”. It emphasizes what the girl in the picture also portrays she’s

Show More
Related

  • The Theme Of Outward Appearance In Barbie, Utahna Faith's Toasters

    1843 Words  | 4 Pages

    Humans are capable of many expressions of emotion, but holding this ability also allows for many people to hide what they are truly feeling within their own minds. Those who shield their emotions from others around them frequently do so in order to protect either themselves or their loved ones from the pains that may occur in life, both in a society and in a family. In Pamela Painter’s Toasters, Jose Padua’s poem Barbie, Utahna Faith’s short story All Girl Band, and George the Poet’s One Number, the recurring theme of outward appearances not reflecting the mindset of the speakers is illustrated.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Louisa May Alcott´s Behind a Mask

    851 Words  | 2 Pages

    Behind a Mask is a book that demonstrates the power a woman possesses. During a time in which those who are not rich are considered mere human beings, Louisa May Alcott creates a character by the name of Jean Muir who surpasses the society she lives in. Muir is a woman who seeks to have a prestigious title that will give her the recognition she desires. As governess to the Coventry family Muir puts in play a plan to marry Sir John, the old uncle in the family, whose title she wants. In the process of getting sir John’s tittle Jean causes controversy in between the family which results as a positive thing for the family as a whole. While stepping over the boundaries set by her society, Muir takes a journey which she must face with intelligence and courage.

    Read More

  • We Wear The Mask And Lord Of The Flies Comparison Essay

    1256 Words  | 3 Pages

    For fear of judgment based on appearance, any human being might cover up his sorrows as to not display any signs of weakness. Throughout Dunbar’s poem, the characters reflect upon their perception of the world and ironically accept the world the way it is. Revealing the true nature of the world, Dunbar states, “Why should the world be over-wise, /In counting all our tears and sighs?” (Dunbar 6). The poet insists that everyone need to be more comfortable and open to new ideas while embracing each others uniquenesses defined by strengths and weaknesses. The world was never “over-wise” because people dismiss the idea of helping others in fear of ruining their own reputation. Because of the utter nature of society, citizens have no other option but to wear a mask of apathy and cover up their insecurities. The narrator feels the need to conceal their feelings by “wear[ing] the mask that grins and lies” (Dunbar 1). They use “lies” to cover themselves, but at the same time question why no one seems to care. This contradiction complicates the battle between the world and the individual. Nevertheless, by changing their identities, they spread the idea of disguise, making everyone blind to the truth of human

    Read More

  • We Wear the Mastk by Paul Lawrence Dunbar

    768 Words  | 2 Pages

    The poem, "We Wear the Mask”, by Paul Laurence Dunbar is about separating Blacks people from the masks they wear. When Blacks wear their masks they are not simply hiding from their oppressor they are also hiding from themselves. This type of deceit cannot be repaid with material things. This debt can only be repaid through repentance and self-realization. The second stanza of “We Wear the Mask” tells Blacks whites should not know about their troubles. It would only give them leverage over Blacks. Black peoples’ pain and insecurities ought to be kept amongst themselves. There is no need for anyone outside the black race to know what lies beneath their masks. The third stanza turns to a divine being. Blacks look to god because he made them and is the only one that can understand them. They must wear their mask proudly. The world should stay in the dark about who they are. This poem is about Blacks knowing their place and staying in it. This is the only way they could be safe.

    Read More

  • Pwo Mask Analysis

    1763 Words  | 4 Pages

    2) The mask represents values that the Chokwe people attach to the rite of passage and womanhood. Such values are introspection and wisdom. The mask conveys introspection and wisdom because the eyes and mouth are closed meaning the female is looking inward, thinking and reflecting. The woman that the mask represents is constructed this way because the women that it celebrates have already obtained wisdom and have no need to look outward for it.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Eleanor Rigby And We Wear The Masks

    645 Words  | 2 Pages

    It hides the sadness in their “cheeks and eyes.” The theme for this poem differs slightly from the one discussed in the passage above. Their still is a sense of faking happiness to fit into society but for African Americans in this time period it was almost a necessity to have this fake persona. The theme here is that mask help people to hide pain and sadness from society, persuading others that we truly are happy, which sometimes is necessary for survival. The mask represents the personas that African Americans had to take on in the mid to late 1800s up until arguably today. They had to cover up the pain from the harsh oppression they received. Not covering up this pain from other especially white people could bring undesirable social

    Read More

  • The Mask

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    The mask is a form of deception or illusion. Sometimes, it can be worn as both. It hides the true emotions of slaves, keeping the slave master from knowing what is going on in their minds. The mask also allows the slave to have an identity without the master’s detection. The mask gives the illusion that the slave is exactly how the masters believe, ignorant, incapable of true emotion, and unable to think for themselves.

    Read More

  • A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    When attending a masquerade, a person is expected to wear a mask. In fact, it’s looked down upon if a mask isn’t worn. But, what if for some people that mask never came off? In A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, each character has constructed their own metaphorical mask that they set firmly in place every morning when exiting their bed. Each character: Nora, Torvald, Kristine and Krogstad all have masks that they put in place when speaking to each other. Throughout most of the play, it is clear that all of the aforementioned characters have multiple facades that they use when speaking to one another; often switching quickly as they begin speaking to someone else. Henrik Ibsen’s use of the masquerade serves as an extended metaphor to show the masks that the characters use in their everyday lives.

    Read More

  • Mask Of Deception In Othello

    1044 Words  | 3 Pages

    All humans wear a mask of some kind; whether it is a false representation varies from person to person. This reality is revealed in poetic fashion in the piece “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar; the short story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and the play Othello by William Shakespeare. While all in different genre’s, they all contain the similarity of deception and creating a mask for the rest of the world to see in order to hide their true self. In the story “Young Goodman Brown”, Goodman Brown experiences everyone around him wearing the mask of Christianity and holiness, and he therefore loses his own faith. In the Shakespearian play Othello, the antagonist, Iago, deceives the Othello by maintaining a mask of honesty

    Read More

  • We Wear the Mask

    1260 Words  | 3 Pages

    Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask” is a lyric poem in which the point of attraction, the mask, represents the oppression and sadness held by African Americans in the late 19th century, around the time of slavery. As the poem progresses, Dunbar reveals the façade of the mask, portrayed in the third stanza where the speaker states, “But let the dream be otherwise” (13). The unreal character of the mask has played a significant role in the lives of African Americans, who pretend to put on a smile when they feel sad internally. This occasion, according to Dunbar, is the “debt we pay to human guile," meaning that their sadness is related to them deceiving others. Unlike his other poems, with its prevalent use of black dialect, Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask” acts as “an apologia (or justification) for the minstrel quality of some of his dialect poems” (Desmet, Hart, and Miller 466).

    Read More

  • Women's Suffrage Movement Research Paper

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    The poem describes how we cover up our true feelings and emotions in order to get by. No one will ever know the great deal of pain and torture experienced and that burdens our hurts each day. We wear the mask to keep from being asked the question "what's wrong?" We wear the mask to keep others out of our business. We wear the mask to even fool ourselves into thinking that everything's okay, especially when it's at its

    Read More

  • Paul Laurence Dunbar We Wear The Mask Literary Devices

    463 Words  | 1 Pages

    One of the main themes for “We Wear The Mask” is suffering. The type of suffering that Dunbar is talking about is caused when a person’s world is turned upside down, it makes you feel cold and alone. This suffering is shown in lines 6-7, “Why should the world be overwise, In counting all our tears and sighs?” The narrator feel so alone they think that sharing their feelings is not an option. In the time era Dunbar lived in it was common for his people to be treated cruelly. Knowing the historical background the reader is given more of an insight of how the narrator is feeling. In these lines the narrator tells us how important the mask are to them. The mask serve a a shield

    Read More

  • Paul Dunbar's 'We Wear The Mask'

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    People disguise their feelings for various reasons; they tell small white lies to protect another's emotions or display false motivation to boost morale. Leaders, for example, may wish to spare their subordinates from undue stress because of the harmful effects and contagious spread of negative atmospheres. In extreme circumstances, false faces might even be used as a survival tactic to protect oneself from toxic authority. Dunbar never specifically mentions the source of distress in “We Wear the Mask,” but his establishment of a collective voice draws the audience into the poem and gives it enduring relevance. "We Wear the Mask" is a timeless and universal composition that applies to various human struggles.

    Read More

  • We War The Mask By Paul Dunbar

    1370 Words  | 3 Pages

    Paul states that “We wear the mask that grins and lies.” By stating this, he’s referring to what himself and other African Americans had to go through in life. Dunbar says this in order to set the tone that African Americans must go through a life putting on a metaphoric smile to hide true feelings because of the fear of consequences from others. Dr. Russell Adams states until African Americans can find the ability to trust others outside their own race then they will continue to “wear the mask” as a self defense to the others in the world. The mask in this line does not actually resemble a true mask over the face. Instead, this mask symbolizes a disguise of African Americans true emotions inside. This line can be related to many cases from people wearing makeup to hide scars on their face, to people wearing certain types of clothing because they are insecure about their figure. These acts are similar to wearing a fake mask because in the end you're hiding the real person you are to the world behind this “mask”. Through the next lines of this stanza Dunbar states “This debt we pay to human guile.” When Paul says this, he is not talking about a debt we pay to a bill collector. He actually means that we are paying a price for not being true to ourselves. The poem intensifies when he states, “With torn and bleeding hearts we smile.” When Mr. Dunbar states these words the reader gets a clear understanding of how difficult it was to go through life being someone they were not. We all know how it feels to be heart broken, Dunbar’s choice of words allows us to see that wearing this mask was life threatening. Through imagery you’re able to picture how the people affected are actually feeling underneath the false emotions. This line here relates to a well known song by Phil Collins “In The Air Tonight.”. Throughout the

    Read More

  • Deception, Secrecy And Evil In Smith's Duality

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    The speaker opens up the poem by speaking in first person and saying “In the privacy of my mind/ I give vent to rage, lies, / envy, and vices of every kind”. (1-3) The speaker’s mind is like a safe haven and she can go there to be free and private with her thoughts without anyone knowing her true identity, almost as if she is trying to hide from the public’s eye. In the second tercet she mentions that she is filled with joy and is safe because the forbidden part of her nature is explored and no one can see or knows. In Duality the speaker also mentions that her mind is a wall that conceals her. This statement represents the speaker’s secrecy to keep her thoughts guarded and protected. Throughout the poem the speaker goes back and forth contradicting her façade with her inner thoughts. This technique makes the reader not only confused about the true identity of the speaker but also hungry for more information as the character in the poem isn’t thoroughly revealed and brought to light. The lack of information from the speaker and the nature of her thoughts can make her seem as a dishonest and evil

    Read More

More about Analyzing Paul Laurence Dunbar's They Wear The Mask

Open Document