...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...
Words: 1497 - Pages: 6
...The False Appearance There are unpredictable events that occur in ones life that can lead a person to believe that wearing a mask is better than being themselves. In modern society, most everyone has put on a mask at some point in his or her life in an attempt to hide an image. No matter how this mask is created, it seems to be the only way for people to cope with reality. Mental exhaustion is draining and can come from trying to keep up with a busy and complicated lifestyle. Some individuals, choose to wear a mask to camouflage what they do not want others to see or not see. There are several reasons why a person might want to conceal the way they look or feel; for example depression, self-esteem, and the desire to fit in could have a major impact, and therefore, trigger their need to wear a mask. Depression is a major problem that effects young teens as well as many adults. Most of these people take antidepressants or some form of medication to help with their disease. Even though this is not a weakness, some keep it hidden because of embarrassment, or they are in denial and do not want to admit that they have a problem. For those who cannot afford to pay for treatment, they find other ways to bury the pain. This group of people tend to stare toward the ground and avoid eye contact with everyone around them, hoping they will not be approached by others who may want to ask questions and demand answers. For this reason, they tend to loose interest in everything around them...
Words: 910 - Pages: 4
...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...
Words: 409 - Pages: 2
...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....
Words: 447 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 475 - Pages: 2
...The best paintball mask isn't only the most costly mask out there! It will rely upon your specific needs. Do you require something light? Do you expect something ultra-safe? Do you require something in which you can inhale well? See every one of the components that will choose how agreeable a mask will be for you and at precisely that point continue to try and search for masks. This post will endeavor to control you through simply that procedure! Best paintball mask – What precisely would it be advisable for you to search for? Age is a factor! Why? Since some paintball scenes will expect you to wear a full mask if you are under 18 years of age! That is the reason. Along these lines, if you are 16 and show up sincerely for a paintball rivalry with only a work mask or just goggles, you will be denied...
Words: 506 - Pages: 3
...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...
Words: 1682 - Pages: 7
...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...
Words: 1112 - Pages: 5
...Keiyonna young Ms. Herzog Communications 27 July 2015 Literary Comparison: Deception at its greatest All it takes is a beautiful fake smile to hide an injured soul and they will never notice how broken you really are! -Unknown In this paper I will briefly compare two pieces of literature and their authors. The first is “We Wear the Mask (1896)” by Paul Laurence Dunbar and "Richard Cory (1897)" by Edward Arlington Robinson. I really enjoy poetry and was amazed at the similarities found in these two pieces despite the very noticeable difference in the authors. I started of my paper with a quote from an unknown author which will help set the tone for the two poems I will be comparing. This quote describes something we all have at one time or another. We all have at some point in our lives encountered (or will encounter) a time where we have to do or go through something that we did not want to do or experience. A time where we cannot let on to others what we are truly feeling inside. Whether it is at work or staying strong for family or friends or just putting on a front for the world. These two authors wrote poems about this very thing. Paul L Dunbar was born in Dayton Ohio on June 22, 1872 to parents who had been enslaved prior to the civil war. Just about 3 years earlier Edward Arlington Robinson was born on December 22, 1869. His parents were very well off. There is so much to be said about the lives of these two great men and the things that they...
Words: 654 - Pages: 3
...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...
Words: 630 - Pages: 3
...The Man Behind the Mask Moliere’s incredible play Tartuffe, examines the differences between a character’s true face and the mask that they hide behind. Most apparent in this play is the mask of Tartuffe himself, who is seen as a holy, religious man in one scene, and in the next as a perverted hypocrite. Although Tartuffe’s mask is probably the easiest to spot among the characters, there is another character that wears quite a mask himself. Orgon, who is the naïve son, husband, father, and brother, wears such a mask that he himself can probably not even see through it. However, his family can see through the mask, whether they know his true intentions or not, I don’t know. I believe that there are several reasons, or options, if you will, that might explain why exactly Orgon wears this horrible mask and falls for the hypocrisies of Tartuffe. Whatever the reason though, his masked character certainly caused a fair amount of disruption and strife for everyone, including himself. Orgon, being the generous man he was, invited an incredibly unholy man by the name of Tartuffe into his home, offering him shelter, food, his daughter, and even his estate. Why though, would such a practical man as Orgon be so blinded by the true nature of Tartuffe? First, I believe that Orgon, who was of good standing, could have sought to improve his social status, by taking in Tartuffe, a holy faker, who, “By the deep fervor of his heartfelt prayer,” would “draw the eyes of everybody,” at the church...
Words: 1003 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 1301 - Pages: 6
... Writing about oneself is not easy and sharing personal feelings, especially with strangers. This self-analysis assignment will show multiple masks created in challenging and significant situations that have created the person I am today. The first mask was insecurity formed in grade school where it all began. By the 6th grade, I had already attended seven different schools. No one ever seemed to like the new kid, it was very hard to fit in, and the teasing seemed never to stop. To complicate insecurity matter even further was the diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the need to take medicine. The teasing causing the insecurity could not stay in fear the teasing would never stop. I developed persona’s...
Words: 1022 - Pages: 5
...Life Behind the dark Mask Thesis Statement: Through Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Nick Garaway, Fitzgerald shows us that by living life behind a mask you are simply lying to yourself and will end up with a sad empty existence. Daisy in turn, is a woman who left what she really loved due to the fear of not having the wealth and stability that she needed in her life. She chooses money over love. Major point: Jay Gatsby is obsessed with getting power wealth and the love of his life. Evidence: He is constantly throwing lavish parties and events to awe society into accepting him for something he is not. Elaboration: Gatsby has a desire to have it all in life. Money, Power and Daisy and he does not seem to care at what cost he obtains his wishes. We can see his true self when he is reunited with Daisy. Major Point: Daisy has a strong desire to have money and she hides her feeling for Gatsby as she refused to leave her lifestyle. Evidence: Even though Daisy loved Gatsby, her greed does not allow her to follow her heart. Instead she married Tom who offered the status that she needed. Elaboration: Daisy is cheated on and does not feel loved by Tom, but this does not convince her to leave her situation, even when Gatsby presents himself and asks her to tell Tom she loves him, she refuses to do so after learning of Gatsby’s ill gotten ways of obtaining his wealth. Major Point: Nick Garraway does not reveal anything of himself; he spends the entire story focusing on...
Words: 654 - Pages: 3
...In enjoyed this week’s reading, but I decided to do my post on greasy lake. Greasy lake was written in a limited omniscience point of view with a participant Narrator. When I read the story on idea or behavior the it show is, we all wear a mask but we can never lie to ourselves. Many people have outward personas that we show the world. If it’s that were good people, courageous, fearless. The persona changes depending on the situation and with how we are interacting with it can be different if were at work, in front of family friends, our parents. This is not always a bad thing we wear these masks so that people see us as we want them to. However In greasy lake this was the mask of a “bad boy”. In the beginning of the story we get an internal monolog from the narrator setting the scene and telling us what kind of person he want us to think he is. “We were all dangerous characters then.” When the narrator says characters it really dive the point that they were acting. “We wore torn-leather jackets, slouched around with tooth picks in our...
Words: 458 - Pages: 2
