We Wear The Mask
Mood + tone
Relevance to modern-day readers
General evolution
Poetic structure
Theme
Poem's summary
Sound devices
Figurative language & imagery
Historical background of poem
Poet's life & body of work
Paul Laurence Dunbar published “We Wear the Mask” in 1895. "We Wear the Mask" is a lyrical exploration of all that pretending and the truth that hides behind it.Dunbar was one of the first to create a more objective perspective of what was going on in American culture.
Its very much relevant because it triggers a social problem that we live on till this day because it show the reality that many people living a lie and don't admit it
lyrical
No matter where you are, there's no getting around issues of society and class. In Dunbar's "We Wear the Mask," society looks mighty cold and even a little dumb, when it comes to the realities the speaker refers to. And since the speaker is talking to a pretty big audience, we get the sense that he's not limiting this poem to any one society or class
Tone: pity, guilt, regret
the poet was very successful in influencing the readers emotionally and convinced many on what is the reality of what we live in
Paul Laurence Dunbar was one the first influential black poets in American literature.Dunbar also wrote in conventional English in other poetry and novels, Dunbar was prolific during his relatively short career: he wrote a dozen books of poetry, four books of short stories, four novels, lyrics for a musical, and a play.
Mode: sad, gloomy, depressing
The author writes about how people hide their true feelings with masks especially the African-American. He points specifically to the immense suffering of black people and the necessity of painting on a happy face as a survival tactic
Metaphor: The author compares the mask in line 1 to the false emotions
personification: 'We wear the mask that grins and lies"
brings life to mask.
Rhyme: eyes , lies
onomatopoeia: Oh!
yasmine-alia 11c