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Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening symbolism
We wear the mask paul laurence dunbar conclusion
Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening symbolism
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Rikki Hamilton
11/18/15
1. In the “War is Kind” by Stephen Crane uses irony to describe what war is like. Irony is when the surface meaning is different from intended meaning. Irony can also be thought of as sarcasm and can indicate a mockery of something. Crane says you should not cry because war is kind or that you should not cry when someone dies when we all realistically know that war is not kind and most people cry when someone dies. In the first of the poem it speaks of a maiden and her lover. The lover must have been killed because the author says “threw wild hands toward the sky” and that his horse rode off alone. The author is telling the maiden she should not cry because war is kind. War is kind because the men that are fighting
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in the war are trained to die. When the author starts speaking of the kingdom you think that he is going to talk about a great place instead the kingdom is a field of thousands of dead bodies. Again another gesture toward death is spoke of when the author tells the child not to weep because their father has died again because war is kind. Another irony is the red and gold of the crest of the eagle. It symbolizes death and war. Another sentence of irony is “Make plain to them the excellence of killing” because what in killing is excellent. And the last form of irony is the Mother’s son being covered in a shroud which means he is also dead and the Mother should not cry because war is kind. Seems like Crane used the word kind in place of death. 2.
In Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s poem “We Wear the Mask” one has to assume that we is referring to African Americas since the author never flat out says. The people is wrote to seem like “we” is referring to the writer and also the reader. We know that the author is an African American. The cause of them wear the mask is to not have to face the problems in the world at the time. The problems of racisms and slavery. It says that the people wearing the mask shades their eyes so there for others could not see them. Also, a mask covers your cheeks and if someone cannot see your eyes and/or cheeks then they cannot tell your feelings. “With torn and bleeding hurts we smile” suggest that those mask are also hiding pain and heart ache. These people that wear the mask are tortured souls crying for help. The author suggest that by always wearing a mask is a form of falsehood. That he only wants others to see him with his mask on so that they do not see the pain, feelings, and heart ache. The poem states “But let the world dream otherwise”, suggest that people are dreaming and not taking notice to the person in the mask or the person behind the mask. It does seem like wearing a mask is very affective because people that wear them do not want other people to know what is really going on with them. And other people seem is ignore them with the mask …show more content…
on. 3. The poem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson was wrote during a struggling time for African Americans but then again a very victories time for them as well. It was wrote to celebrate Lincoln’s, the one who had helped them a gain freedom from slavery, birthday. The power is about power and perseverance. In the beginning of the poem it deals with the struggle of being African-Americans and having very limited rights and the violence they suffered because of the color of their skin. It then also address the struggle that they are still facing in trying to get the freedom they desired. In the poem they have not reached freedom yet and we know this because it says “Let us march on till victory is won.” By singing and singing loudly it was their way of asking God to help them reach their goal. It gave them the hope they needed to keep fighting for their freedom. They were thankful to Lincoln for his help. But they were also thankful that they had come so much further than their ancestors had with trying to become free. They did not deny that they came along way but still had a long ways to go. By the end they were focused more on asking God for help and giving him credit for getting them that far. It says that regardless they will stay true to God and also to America. 4. In the Poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost there are several different themes. The one I will focus on the most is the theme of commitment. The speaker has come to a fork in the road and stands there. “Stands there” would make you think that he is on foot and not in a car. We also know from the background information that this poem was wrote in the early 1900’s when not many people had cars so therefore this road was probably more less a path. We assume that it is fall due to the color of the wood and the path covered in leaves. When the speaker reaches this fork he knows that he cannot travel both paths at once so he must pick which path to travel. It seems to take him some time to decide which path to commit to. He stands at the fork trying to decide which road to travel down. I do not believe that it actually a fork of two paths, I think it is life decision that he is trying to figure out which path his best for him before he makes that commitment. It seems like he might commit to one road and decided that maybe it was not the best decision and he should take the other road that was less traveled. He seems to be the type of person that is afraid of commitment. He choice the path less than. Which could tell us that he is not a follower but more of a leader. Even after he committed to a path he was not sure he chose the right one. In the third stanza he is again starting to regret his decision of which path he committed to. In the end the speaker committing to the road less traveled made all the difference in his life. We do not really know if the meant he was successful or not. 5.
In the poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost is about a man who stops on his way home to admire the snow filled woods. The man and the woods seem to have a connection of some kind. The snow falling in the woods is quiet and peaceful seems like the man is pretty peaceful and quiet. It also says that it is a darkest evening is it the darkest because it is winter and it gets darker earlier or is it because the man has had a really long bad day. Did he come to the woods to watch the snow because it is peaceful and he needed to clear his mind or maybe had the thoughts of suicide on his mind? Could the horse sense that something worse wrong since the poem tells us that he stopped and shake his harness in what seems like some confusion. The poem also states, “The woods are lovely, dark and deep” which again confuses you on his purpose in the woods. Does lovely really mean he is just passing through and admiring the woods. Does dark mean that it is getting dark or does it mean the thought of death and suicide? Does deep mean just deep in the woods or does it also mean death. I think the man in the people came to the woods is hopes that no one would be able to see him and it would be a quiet, peaceful place to commit suicide. However, one he arrive there and is was quiet and peaceful overlooking the village he remembered that he had promises that he had made that he needed to keep and talked himself out of killing himself. He convinced himself that he had a
lot of things to do before he could permanently sleep.
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.
In Crane’s poem, “War is Kind” he writes about how war is “kind,” though in reality, war it isn’t. War is never kind. The speaker is telling a maiden not to cry for her dead lover. He tells child to not cry over his dead father, and for a mother not to cry over her her dead son. Crane uses lots of irony in this poem. Which leaves the reader thinking the speaker is cold hearted. The speaker in Crane’s poem is sarcastic about war and is sardonic in his perspectives considering war. Although underneath the sarcasm and coldness, the speaker could be feeling anguish, and sadness. That person might be feeling bitter because he may have experienced war first hand or may have lost a loved on in war.
Written in iambic tetrameter and in the plain English verse, the writer continually bombards the reader, through continuous repetition, the idea that the Negro hid his emotions behind "The Mask. " This is done to emphasize a sense of deception and belief that the average negro is a happy soul, rather than a "tortured [one]" (p 918,11) as Dunbar implies. The first stanza in itself is a lament of the "Negro's" conditions as perceived by the world. It is a representation of the past, in that the past is the speaker's past lament of the mask, not a past event in history/time. The first two lines of the poem, "We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,-" (p 918,2) are incorporated to introduce the image White Americans see when visualizing the slave.
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.
By definition, irony is the expression of one’s meaning that typically signifies the opposite. Authors have scribed irony in their literature since before pen and paper existed because even ancient bards such as Homer discovered the power irony can bring to a good story. Khaled Hosseini, the author of the novel The Kite Runner, masterfully weaves intricate and delicate examples of irony to enrich the story. Irony plays a pivotal role in the novel to develop the plot, by creating suspense, the themes, by informing the reader, and the characters, by showing their personalities and unconscious motives.
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.
"We Wear the Mask" written by Paul Laurence Dunbar was done with African-Americans in mind. Around this time African- Americans were treated so bad it was like they were animals. Some were beaten to death while others were abused. They were given limited rights because many Caucasians did not consider other minorities to be of equal status. Dunbar's poem shows African- Americans internal emotions such as anger, fears, and sadness. He uses metaphors to explain what cannot be said in words because most African-Americans didn't want to come off as weak. So they hide their emotions behind a mask that looked like they were content with everything.
“The Most Dangerous Game” is an adventure story, written by Richard Connell. Rainsford, the protagonist of the book, is caught in an ironic situation throughout the story. Richard uses irony in this story to give it dramatic emphasis. Irony is when the reader expects one thing, but in reality, it is not what it seems to be. There are two main types of irony in this story, which causes the reader to pause and revaluate what he has read.
Its 7:09 am and Olivia is woken up by a wetness between her legs. She looks down and finds that the wetness is actually her water that broke. She anxiously wakes up her husband John, and the two of them quickly gather their things. After nine long months of waiting, John and Olivia are finally on their way to the hospital to welcome their first child into the world. The two have already chosen Jacob Alexander as the baby's name and have the nursery ready for him at home. Once at the hospital, Olivia and John meet with their doctor, Dr. Rodriguez, who assures the anxious couple that everything will be fine and their new son will be in their arms in just a matter of hours. It is now 8:22 am and the pain from Olivia's contractions is beginning to grow stronger. Several hours later, Olivia is in crucial pain but is only dilated 4 1/2 centimeters and is beginning to bleed. Knowing that something is wrong, Dr. Rodriguez realizes that the baby's heart rate is declining and that Olivia's blood pressure has significantly dropped as well.
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).
"We Wear the Mask" by Paul Dunbar was published in the late 1800’s, a time when African-Americans, like Paul Dunbar, were treated very poorly and had access to very few rights. Many changes were occurring during this time, and individuals were having a difficult time coming to terms with them. African Americans in particular found themselves caught in a culture that was not suitable for them. Dunbar expresses these feelings in the tone, which is shown by misery, anger and unhappiness. He uses the metaphor of wearing a mask to express the overall oppression of African Americans in this time period. Dunbar uses a lot of figurative language throughout this poem. He uses the word "we" to speak for the entire African American population as well as his self. He does this because he is painfully aware of the status his own race is living in. Throughout this poem, Paul Dunbar illustrates the horrific injustices they had to undergo while "wearing the mask" to hide their true emotions behind a smile. I have chosen a few lines in the poem “We Wear the Mask” to break down and show what each line really means through this figurative language Dunbar uses. I chose to examine lines 1 through 11, and 14 and 15.
Paul Laurence Dunbar, dispatches the cold troubles of African Americans in the lyrical poem, "We Wear the Mask." In this poem, Dunbar links imagery, rhythm, rhyme, and word choice to in order to institute a connection to the reader. From reading the poem, one can infer that Mr. Dunbar is speaking in general, of the misery that many people keep concealed under a grin that they wear very well. But if one were to go further and take the time to research Mr. Dunbar’s selection of this piece and the era of which this poem was written, one would come to understand that this poem focuses entirely on Paul Laurence Dunbar’s viewpoints on racial prejudice and the struggle for equality for the African-American’s of his time period. Though this analysis is not based on the meaning of this poem, it is necessary that in order to demonstrate the sound of analysis, one must first understand the poem.
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.
Ultimately, Dunbar is trying to convey through his poem the necessity of masking emotions under certain circumstances. In “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar, the literary elements of metaphors, diction, and symbolism develop the theme that the
"Stopping by Woods" The visible sign of the poet's preoccupation is the recurrent image of dark woods and trees. The world of the woods, a world offering perfect quiet and solitude, exists side by side with the realization that there is also another world, a world of people and social obligations. Both worlds have claims on the poet. He stops by woods on this "darkest evening of the year" to watch them "fill up with snow," and lingers so long that his "little horse" shakes his harness bells "to ask if there is some mistake." The poet is put in mind of the "promises" he has to keep, of the miles he still must travel. We are not told, however, that the call of social responsibility proves stronger than the attraction of the woods, which are "lovely" as well as "dark and deep"; the poet and his horse have not moved on at the poem's end. The dichotomy of the poet's obligations both to the woods and to a world of "promises"--the latter filtering like a barely heard echo through the almost hypnotic state induced by the woods and falling snow-is what gives this poem its singular interest.... The artfulness of "Stopping by Woods" consists in the way the two worlds are established and balanced. The poet is aware that the woods by which he is stopping belong to someone in the village; they are owned by the world of men. But at the same time they are his, the poet's woods, too, by virtue of what they mean to him in terms of emotion and private signification.