What’s Behind the Mask?
In a world full of so much injustice and hurt, it is no wonder we put on fronts and wear masks that ensure no one sees beyond the pretty smiles. In his poem, We Wear the Mask, Paul Laurence Dunbar uses powerful descriptions to deliver the message that people hide their pain and suffering from those around them. The use of “we” in the opening stanza of the poem, “We wear the mask that grins and lies” (stanza 1), proposes this a universal problem and that all humans are able to identify with this form of deceit. Paul Dunbar lived from 1872-1906, in which, he developed into successful writer, despite many obstacles that were thrown in his path. He was an African American and the son of two ex-slaves. Dunbar understood the value of smiling politely and not doing anything that would displease someone. During a time when “being nice” was a social survival skill for many African Americans, …show more content…
I believe one of the most important themes this poem portrays is suffering. Not just minor inconveniences, but deep, torturous sufferings, where it feels like the whole world is against you and there is no help in sight. Because of this suffering, we wear masks to hide the truth and pain inside us. Dunbar describes this suffering well, when he wrote, “With torn and bleeding hearts we smile…why should the world be over wise, in counting our tears and sighs?”(4,6,7) This suggests we are doing the world a favor by hiding our suffering and plastering on fake smiles. He goes on to cry out to Christ for spiritual guidance and it appears that in crying out to Christ, he was able to smile regardless of the torment arising in his soul. This poem clearly establishes the intensity of deeply, rooted physical and emotional suffering, which causes people to hide because of the fear of being misunderstood or as Dunbar put it, it is better to “Let the world dream
In a world full of so much injustice and hurt, it is no wonder we put on fronts and wear masks that ensure no one sees beyond the pretty smiles. In his poem, We Wear the Mask, Paul Laurence Dunbar uses powerful descriptions to deliver the message that people hide their pain and suffering from those around them. The use of “we” in the opening stanza of the poem, “We wear the mask that grins and lies” (stanza 1), proposes this a universal problem and that all humans are able to identify with this form of deceit. Paul Dunbar lived from 1872-1906, in which, he developed into successful writer, despite many obstacles that were thrown in his path. He was an African American and the son of two ex-slaves. Dunbar understood the value of smiling politely and not doing anything that would displease someone. During a time when “being nice” was a social survival skill for many African Americans, …show more content…
I believe one of the most important themes this poem portrays is suffering. Not just minor inconveniences, but deep, torturous sufferings, where it feels like the whole world is against you and there is no help in sight. Because of this suffering, we wear masks to hide the truth and pain inside us. Dunbar describes this suffering well, when he wrote, “With torn and bleeding hearts we smile…why should the world be over wise, in counting our tears and sighs?”(4,6,7) This suggests we are doing the world a favor by hiding our suffering and plastering on fake smiles. He goes on to cry out to Christ for spiritual guidance and it appears that in crying out to Christ, he was able to smile regardless of the torment arising in his soul. This poem clearly establishes the intensity of deeply, rooted physical and emotional suffering, which causes people to hide because of the fear of being misunderstood or as Dunbar put it, it is better to “Let the world dream