The sky was gray again today. It matched the dull buildings surrounding a dull courtyard. The absence of the clouds forewarned the absence of feeling during the day. For I felt nothing. I knew nothing. Feared nothing. I feared not the government that forced the mask on our faces every morning, nor the fierce punishments they handed out daily. They meant nothing. The reality was that nothing mattered. Not this mask that I held in my hand, or the ticket I got for going over the speed limit last week, or even that underneath the layer of iron forced on my face every morning I was beautiful. It did not matter. Disguises, reprimands, beauty. It all ends. As even this day will. This life will. It went by in a blur, the time I mean. I could barely …show more content…
I could not remember my favorite music, or what my mom called me when she was angry with me. I could not remember life before I had to change into someone I was not. They said that we could always take it off at night, and it would not change us. But it did. It infected us with a interminable disease that slowly corrupted its victims in the worst way possible. It ate at our memories and thoughts and feelings until we were only shells of human beings. It filled us with a potent poison that caused us to do things that no one could call for. This parasite ate at us until there was no cure, no relief, no ending. We were trapped in a cage of our own bone and flesh. So when they said that it would not harm us, we believed them, because they were supposed to help us. We were both …show more content…
The bell rang overhead as I made my way into the empty store. “Fihla, it's your shift.” I nodded towards the sound, and walked to the cash register. My shift was two hours, and the store was only open for five a day. I made twice as much as any other employee, for I had worked there for many years. I had worked here before I wore a mask, and after. The store used to be a place people went for gifts for people they loved. I smiled and nodded at those people, hoping that someday there would be someone who loved me enough to do that. I was naive. I did not need anyone then or now. The only thing people will do for you is try to break you. And once they do then they mold you into their perfect little doll, unable to do any harm or to even speak your own mind. An impossibly cruel tactic, but an effective one. But with no feelings, comes no responsibility. I would not care if I broke someone. I do not care that I am stealing money daily from the cash register. I would not care if I got caught. I was not responsible. I did not
Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the first black poets in his time to confront the hypocrisy he saw around him. “We wear the mask” was one of his outstanding works that addressed racial injustices in American society. This poem was all about the assertion that “we wear the masks” to hide their true feeling. Yet, he goes on to emphasize that the ruthlessness of suffering and pain that these masks try to cover up because they had to keep all the pains by themselves without expressing. According to William Carroll, “The poem closes with a repetition of a sentiment stated earlier: ‘But let the world dream otherwise, / we wear the mask!’ The people show a dogged determination to keep the true nature of their sufferings to themselves and to present to others an outward show of happiness and lack of care. Surely, such insistence on deception must be motivated by powerful feelings resulting from terrifying experiences. Such were the experiences of many people enslaved in the United States before the birth of this poet” (1-2). Because of their racial appearance and experience in injustice society, they have to hide their feeling.
There are any kinds of masks. There is the story; the masks are the masks that tell
Masking is it a good thing or is it a bad thing. Masking is when an individual modifies their behavior or personality to adapt to different issues. People tend to mask their feelings to hide their emotions from others. Some people use masking to cover up their feelings from when they are being disrespected and want to retaliate. Social pressures, harassment, embarrassment, physical or mental abuse are a few issues that causes an individual to mask themselves. The purpose of this essay is to examine the cycle of oppression Claude McKay’s “If We Must Die” in comparison to Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “We Wear The Mask” in regards to the poets understandings about concealing their feelings, being oppressed, and character.
to the disease. Many people who knew nothing about medicine used this as an opportunity to get
The poem “ We Wear the Mask” was written by Paul Laurence Dunbar .The poem is about the mask, humans wear to disguise pain, sadness, or turmoil when in the company of others. The speaker opens with the title of the poem so that readers know that the “mask” is really important.In the beginning of the poem we see that the people’s hearts are not just"torn" (4) but also "bleeding" (4). which really emphasizes the struggle behind the mask. The poem is about people who have a lot of pain, but pretend it is not there by wearing a mask to cover it up.The poem is universal, but it says “We" (1.) At the end of the poem the people still continue to smile while dying on the inside. They believe that it is no good reason to show anyone what’s behind the mask because it will do them no justice. To them the only person that knows what is behind the mask is God.
Zero awoke to find himself standing, it was not something he was familiar with and he searched his memory for any recollection of it happening before. Quickly he discovered that large parts of his memory were missing, gone were the seemingly endless data bases of information. Quickly he sent out feelers trying for a connection of some sort but he drew a blank. It seemed that where ever he was now, had limited connection capacity. Instead he used his visual feed to survey his surrounding, it appeared he was in some kind of desert of discarded parts.
middle of paper ... ... To prevent any altercation, African Americans had to wear a mask that allowed them to smile "with torn and bleeding hearts" and "mouth. myriad subtleties" (4-5). Today, everyone is entitled to equal opportunities in the US.
Lines 14 and 15, “But let the world dream otherwise, we wear the mask!” shows us that the worldly responsibilities of these people are just being brushed to the side and are being dreamed upon like it doesn’t matter. The speaker is showing us once again that it is easier for them to just accept the mask and avoid the truth rather than just facing them and accepting them as who they are unselfishly. Whereas the people wearing the masks are not dreaming at all, they are more so in a nightmare than a peaceful dream.
The Creature That Opened My Eyes Sympathy, anger, hate, and empathy, these are just a few of the emotions that came over me while getting to know and trying to understand the creature created by victor frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. For the first time I became completely enthralled in a novel and learned to appreciate literature not only for the great stories they tell but also for the affect it could have on someones life as cliché as that might sound, if that weren’t enough it also gave me a greater appreciation and understanding of the idiom “never judge a book by its cover.” As a pimply faced, insecure, loner, and at most times self absorbed sophomore in high school I was never one to put anytime or focus when it came time
“We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar is a lyrical poem describing the symbolic mask worn by black Americans to cover up their deep misery and pain while facing racial discrimination and psychological torment in the post-Civil War years. The overall impression the reader gets is that of a mournful commentary that delivers a sad reality. The struggle lies in the fact that black Americans do not wish to expose their suffering, and so they are forced to use the mask as a way to make the world believe they are content and satisfied. This is purely a survival tactic. In order for black Americans to assimilate into the society that has caused them and their ancestors pain, they feel the need to wear a mask that allows them to at least superficially express their gratitude for having been kept alive. In this fifteen-line poem, Dunbar expresses his anger at having to hide his emotions. When black Americans were beaten, lynched and discriminated against, they were obligated to absorb it and mask their true emotions with a smile. Paul Laurence Dunbar, a son of freed slaves, goes on to emphasize the severity of the pain and suffering that these masks cover up by concealing the emotions behind a façade of smiles and grins. The mask, in essence, becomes a symbol of both weakness and strength. At the beginning, the mask conceals the truth. Its wearer hides behind a false barrier. The mask is an outer shell that blacks adopt so that their true feelings are not exposed. Interestingly, towards the end of the poem, the mask shifts from something that conceals emotion to something that essentially drives the persecutors away. With the mask in place, the oppressors can’t detect how much their scorn and agony affect the victim. The mask, being th...
The poem “We Wear the Mask” is about oppressed African Americans. They are ones that are forced to wear masks of happiness to hide their pain, anger, and frustration. Their pain was caused by the discrimination they still faced. For example, “separate but equal” which allowed African Americans to be segregated at schools, restaurants, libraries, etc. Additionally, hate groups were lynching innocent African Americans just because of their skin color.
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes.” My first thought was this poem was written by an avid actor. I believed he was explaining the difference between himself on and off stage. It turns out I was totally wrong after reading through the rest of the poem. The mask is a symbol. It is a symbol of the heartache each African-American faced in the 19th century. The heartache they rarely displayed because of the fear of what would happen to them if they began an uprising against the white culture.
The poem “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar was written in 1893. The poem is about how people have to hide their thoughts and feelings by putting on a mask. The mask allows people to conceal their pain and suffering and act happy around others. This is based on the struggles that African Americans faced at the time and how they had to hide their true feelings. Dunbar uses his unique and engaging style, language, form, and structure to tell the story of the struggles African Americans faced during and after the Civil War.
But if we all have fears and insecurities, why do we hid behind masks? Masks make us feel stronger, conceal our weaknesses. “…these are masks we wear to survive. And we keep them into adulthood, refining old ones and adding new ones as we go” (Firman, 2011). Just as in “Names”, Crenshaw describes as a soldier they masked their fears with comedy through boot camp then when told they were going to war, their masks turned to anger towards Saddam Hussein in front of their drill sergeant, but as they lay in their bunks with the noise of war around them, they reveal their fears in true light.
To quote my favorite line from The Mask You Live In, comparison is the thief of all happiness. The Mask You Live In as a whole give modern America hope for boys and men alike; reprogramming the systematic thinking of modern society by having role models and support groups that teach