We Wear The Mask

WE WEAR THE
MASK
Paul Lawrence Dunbar
Biography – Paul Lawrence Dunbar
Poem was written in 1896
First year of civil rights movement
Parents were freed slaves
Was able to attend school, but was the
only African American at his school
One of the first African American
poets to gain national recognition.
By the age of fourteen, Dunbar had
poems published in the Dayton
Herald.
Form:
The poem takes the form of a rondeau:
The Rondeau is a fixed poem type of French
origin.
It is composed of 15 lines that are divided into

three stanzas namely, a quintet, a quatrain, and a
sestet.
The first and the last lines of a rondeau are

identical and it follows the aabba aabR aabbaR
rhyme scheme.
R= Refrain
Metaphor for human deception.
We = everyone,
universal Repetition of title = emphasis Personification
on message
We wear the mask that grins and lies,
Expressions/emotions Thoughts/emotions
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,
Not just black Americans, everyone.
This debt we pay to human guile; Human deception
Two sides pulling Refers back
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, to line 1,
easier to
Pain, emphasises the struggle and pretend
duality the speaker is referring to. everything
A mask has two sides, one side the is fine.
disguise, the other the truth.
Vacant countless/many
tone Refers to speaking, mechanical Polite formalities expected in 19th century
And mouth with myriad subtleties.

World = involves everyone, not just black people should be aware Sarcastic, doesn’t take wisdom to see the obvious
Why should the world be over-wise,

Emphasizes the severity of the truth behind the masks
In counting all our tears and sighs? Rhetorical question
Implies many, not just the author’s

Enjambment
Nay, let them only see us, while
Ignorance, spare them the hard truth World doesn’t
see the truth.
We wear the mask.

Sarcasm is stressing that the problem exists on both sides.
World ignores, people suffering are not honest.
mask Apostrophe:
addressing someone
Needs help that the world won’t provide who is not present
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries

Enjambment Duality, contrast
Not truly happy Salvation emphasises “torn”
To thee from tortured souls arise. metaphor
Illusion of happiness Refers to Earth, but also to Job 10:8-12
We sing, but oh the clay is vile “Remember that you have

made me like clay”
Wicked
Language becomes more
emotional, we begin to see truth
behind the masks
Journey, hopeful that thus is just the beginning
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;

Long: still quite a way to go before
salvation/redemption
But let the world dream otherwise,

Like a child, patronizing Not seeing the truth, more of a nightmare to the
speaker
We wear the mask!

Symbols: The Mask
Often used as a symbol for deception, hypocrisy, and
lies.
Refers to them, directly and indirectly, as the reason
why black Americans, slaves and people in general
are unable to speak honestly about their suffering.
Represents the things people say and do that aren’t
honest.
Dunbar also reminds us that masks are sometimes a
crucial part of self-preservation, bearing in mind the
dangers that black Americans/slaves often faced if
they chose the more honest route.
Smile
The kind of smile a person has when (s)he is
upset, but doesn’t want to upset you, too.
Hides the truth.
B saying “grin” instead of “smile”, the speaker
also hints at the sinister quality of it, when we
consider the connotations of the word “grin”.
Refer to lines 4 and 10, used to emphasize the
duality of the emotional conflict the speaker is
addressing.
Singing and smiling are usually happy expressions,
but here they are covering up the painful truth.
“We” The World
Primarily directed towards black By keeping things universal,
American people as a whole or the thematically and stylistically, the
slaves (his parents). speaker is suggesting that it’s all
Can also refer to all people. connected.
Since the “we” is so ambiguous, it also So, ignoring problems doesn’t keep
serves a literary purpose too in them away.
suggesting that maybe the poem also
wears a mask that hides its specific
subject, perhaps to protect the poet.
Can apply to anyone.

We Wear The Mask

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WE WEAR THE

It is composed of 15 lines that are divided into

The first and the last lines of a rondeau are

And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be over-wise,

In counting all our tears and sighs? Rhetorical question

Implies many, not just the author’s

We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries

Illusion of happiness Refers to Earth, but also to Job 10:8-12

We sing, but oh the clay is vile “Remember that you have

Beneath our feet, and long the mile;

But let the world dream otherwise,

We wear the mask!

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