We Wear the Mask

By: Paul Laurence Dunbar

We Wear the MaskWe wear the mask that grins and lies,

  It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes

This debt we pay to human guile;

 With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,  

And mouth with myriad subtleties.

 Why should the world be over-wise,  

In counting all our tears and sighs?    

Nay, let them only see us, while            

We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries  

To thee from tortured souls arise.    

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

Type of Poem: Lyric Poem

This is the most common type - includes all other verse forms (sonnet, ode, ballad, etc.) Lyrics were originally sung to the accompaniment of a lyre, from which the term was derived.

Type of Verse: Rhyming Verse

Rhyme is most often used at the ends of verse lines, though internal rhyme occurs within the line

We Wear the Mask

Iambic tetrameter In this metric pattern, a line has four pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables, for a total eight syllables.

~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

We wear the mask that grins and lies, ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

This debt we pay to hu- man guile; ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /

 With torn and bleed-ing hearts we smile,

We Wear the Mask

The theme within in this poem relates to the time period in which it was published. In 1896, though slavery was banned, there was still a lot of prejudice. Many African Americans were forced to conceal their pain and anger behind a mask.

We Wear the Mask

Symbolism - use of one idea or object to represent another or an aspect of life

~ In this poem the mask symbolizes hiding true feelings from the outside world. A way of protecting oneself from others.

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We Wear the Mask

Metaphor- an implied comparison between two different things; identifying a person or object as the thing to which it is being compared

~ In this poem the mask is compared to the

way the people were “masking” their feelings from their oppressors and each other.

We Wear the Mask

The relationship of the title to the poem:

The poem’s title is directly related to what the poem is saying. Dunbar’s family were ex-slaves and felt they, along with others, needed to hide their feelings about slavery and their place in society. They believed their true feelings would cause whites to retaliate. So they chose to conceal their emotions in order to move forward.

We Wear the Mask

Explain the meaning of the poem. What message is the poet sending us?

The poem is sending us the message that people wear masks that suggest happiness, when their inner feeling are far from it.

About the Poet

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in Dayton Ohio on June 27, 1872. His father, Joseph and Mother Mitilda Murphy Dunbar were emancipated slaves.

He published his first book of poetry, Oak and Ivy, at his own expense in 1893. His second book, Majors and Minors, was published two years later.Due to the success of Majors and Minors he was able to publish a third volume of Poetry in 1896, Lyrics of Lowly Life, which was printed by a major publishing company.

He was hired as an assistant in the Library of Congress. In 1898, he married Alice Moore, but they separated in 1901.

Dunbar contracted tuberculosis when he was almost thirty. He returned to Dayton where he died on February 9, 1906.

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My Original Poem

By:

Lia Sage

The Storm

It’s dark and coldNowhere to goI see it nowMoving so fastAll hope is lostThere’s no more lightThe rain pours downAlls lost tonight

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Presented by: Lia Sage

Date 9/28/09 Class ECE 3602

Bibliography: http://drb.lifestreamcenter.net/Lessons/Poetry/elements.htm

http://www.dunbarsite.org/