We Wear the Mask
Kyle Bigelow
Dr. R. Clohessy
English 202-203
July 7, 2013
An Unfolding of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s: We Wear the Mask
The poem is concealing the pain and suffering as an ex-slave. Paul Laurence Dunbar created this masterpiece of literature around the same time former slaves were seeking civil rights and equality in America. He symbolizes the mask as a smile or grin that covered up the true emotions underlying – the unhappiness, disparity, and hopelessness. He was effective by using that symbol to denote hope in the midst of the sorrowful journey African American’s were on. The writer expresses the optimistic endurance of pain and affliction with the mask that blacks would wear to deceive white people into believing that everything was okay.
The mask wearer did not want the world to focus so much on what was really happening on the inside. He wanted to take the focus off of the pain and struggle and divert it towards the hope and strength that was within the individual. The poem has a deep emotional touch to it, when you understand what the mask represents -- freedom, peace, happiness and hope. The hope and perseverance that a former slave possessed would somehow free the soul from the bondage of mental and spiritual chains. The writer perfectly illustrated the mask to make the reader understand that there is one thing that cannot be taken away -- hope. As hard as it was to smile in all of the agony and pain that African American’s endured on a daily basis, it was done, and so cleverly that no one noticed.
Paul masterfully designed the poem to spark hope and encourage the reader. The African American’s would one day overcome oppression. Just because they were without equal rights and liberties, they refused to let that dictate their joy, happiness and peace. The writer perfectly wrote the poem to trigger an emotional response in the reader by telling him, "We wear the mask that grins and lies, it hides our cheeks and shades our eyes -- this debt we pay
Dr. R. Clohessy
English 202-203
July 7, 2013
An Unfolding of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s: We Wear the Mask
The poem is concealing the pain and suffering as an ex-slave. Paul Laurence Dunbar created this masterpiece of literature around the same time former slaves were seeking civil rights and equality in America. He symbolizes the mask as a smile or grin that covered up the true emotions underlying – the unhappiness, disparity, and hopelessness. He was effective by using that symbol to denote hope in the midst of the sorrowful journey African American’s were on. The writer expresses the optimistic endurance of pain and affliction with the mask that blacks would wear to deceive white people into believing that everything was okay.
The mask wearer did not want the world to focus so much on what was really happening on the inside. He wanted to take the focus off of the pain and struggle and divert it towards the hope and strength that was within the individual. The poem has a deep emotional touch to it, when you understand what the mask represents -- freedom, peace, happiness and hope. The hope and perseverance that a former slave possessed would somehow free the soul from the bondage of mental and spiritual chains. The writer perfectly illustrated the mask to make the reader understand that there is one thing that cannot be taken away -- hope. As hard as it was to smile in all of the agony and pain that African American’s endured on a daily basis, it was done, and so cleverly that no one noticed.
Paul masterfully designed the poem to spark hope and encourage the reader. The African American’s would one day overcome oppression. Just because they were without equal rights and liberties, they refused to let that dictate their joy, happiness and peace. The writer perfectly wrote the poem to trigger an emotional response in the reader by telling him, "We wear the mask that grins and lies, it hides our cheeks and shades our eyes -- this debt we pay
Cited: Dunbar, Paul Laurence. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 7th Compact Interactive Edition. U of SC; X.J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia. Print.