In the black literary tradition, the meaning of “masking” refers to the disguising of true feelings in order to acclimate into society. Black people often wear a cheerful mask, pretending everything is happy-go-lucky, while “masking” or disguising the hardships, and feelings of misery underneath. “We wear the mask that grins and lies…with torn and bleeding hearts we smile.” Poet, Paul Dunbar emphasizes the necessity of “masking” as a means to a slave’s survival in his poem “We Wear the Mask.” He explains that many slaves concealed their feelings of anger and frustration in order to avoid punishment, or worse death from their masters. Being a child of former slaves himself, Dunbar is able to use the real life circumstances from his parent’s
