We Wear The MAsk

A detailed Summary of We Wear The MAsk


The central element of Paul Lawrence Dunbar's poem, we wear the mask, is the very words of the title. He repeats them in every stanza and they are a pivotal element that influences a reader's text selection for interpretation. These words alone indicate something being hidden or cast aside for a different appearance and they compel the reader to find out about just what it is the author is really writing.

At the beginning of the poem the author is offering the reader justification of personal feelings. It's easy to relate to any pain that causes the author to "wear the mask" that hides our eyes (line 2) form an inner sadness. It is human nature not to want to share our intimate feelings with the world and not allow them to be "over-wise" (line 6) of our personal problems. So, we put on a smile to these feelings (line 10) and only Christ in heaven-above knows the torture of our souls (line 11). Even though the pain is long (line14). At one time or another for whatever reason we all have worn "the Mask." Therefore the reader feels he/she understands the poem.


If the reader happens to know (and realize) that Dunbar was a black poet, true understanding of the literary text may begin to appear. However, a single misdeed or problems may still be considered the devil's advocate here because Dunbar never admits to his cultural context. The reader is left to guess the origins of the tortured souls (line 11) and still does not truly know the reason for the author's mask. The reader might yet ask, "But what happened...?" "What injustice is being referred to?"

Paul Lawrence Dunbar (1872-1906) was a black, American poet. Although he was born "free" in Dayton, Ohio Dunbar was the son of a former slave. He probably heard many stories of the cruelties and injustices suffered by these people; he very likely suffered prejudicial and racial sadness of his own. With this cultural context as knowledge it is easy to decipher that Dunbar indeed writes about the qualities of black life. Contrary to some of his other skillful sentiments, this poem was not written in black dialect and offered it another disguise. Many readers in my group had no idea the poem was about black

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lawrence Dunbar's, Ohio Dunbar, Wright University, Dayton Ohio, Lawrence Dunbar, wear mask, Wear Mask, mask reader, souls line 11, Paul Lawrence, dayton ohio, line 11, black life, souls line, cultural context, paul lawrence, american poet,

Approximate Word count = 749
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

join now Save Paper

Related Essays

  • We Wear the Mask We wear the mask by paul dunbar In this paper we will examine how human faces are equated with wearing a mask and lies are a necessary part of everyday life. ... 1242 words
  • We Wear the Mask Analysis of ampquotWe Wear the Maskampquot In one of Paul Lawrence Dunbaramp39s most famous poemamp39s ampquotWe Wear the Mask,ampquot he describes the harsh reality of the black race in ... 623 words
  • We Wear the Mask ... In the poem ampquot We Wear the Maskampquot, Paul Lawrence Dunbar uses prose to bestow his thoughts about oppression and although there is no exact form, the composition ... 741 words
  • The Mask ... The 1896 poem ampquotWe Wear the Maskampquot, Paul Laurence Dunbar illustrates this theory. ... Perhaps we are not harming a soul by the mask we wear. ... 747 words
  • African American Poetry ... fifteen and sixteen, Delany again reinforces the mask theme, ampquotI turned aside until the mask/ Was slipped once more in place.ampquot ampquotWe Wear the Maskampquot Paul Laurence ... 1194 words

Professional Essays

  • Poems of Claude McKay ampamp Paul Dunbar The formal structures of Claude McKayamp39s ampquotIf We Must Dieampquot and Paul Laurence Dunbaramp39s ampquotWe Wear the Maskampquot operate in unusual ways. ... 978 words
  • Two African American Poems The formal structures of Claude McKayamp39s ampquotIf We Must Dieampquot and Paul Laurence Dunbaramp39s ampquotWe Wear the Maskampquot operate in unusual ways. ... 978 words
  • A Clockwork Orange ... Again, we are seeing Burgess commentary on living in such a state. ... view of badness, either extreme forces the individual to wear a mask that does not ... 1207 words
  • Mark of Zorro ... Thus, we see how appearances can play with perceptions. ... Don Diego has to wear a mask in order for anyone to appreciate a real component of his self. ... 777 words
  • Selected American Literature ... origin. Works Cited Dunbar, Paul Laurence. ampquotWe Wear the Mask.ampquot American Literature: A Prentice Hall Anthology. 2 Vols. Ed. Emory ... 3876 words
  • Fictionalized Story of Shakespeare in Ancient Greece This time ... ... The actors represent types more than individuals, and the exterior presentation of type is embodied in the mask. In my time, we wear masks as wellnot ... 1771 words


Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.
Home Join Now Support
Acceptable Use Policy About us FAQ
All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
© 2002-2009 DirectEssays.com. All Rights Reserved.