Analysis Of We Wear The Mask - 910 Words

We Wear the Mask by Paul Laurence Dunbar, is a rhythmic poem that uses its melodic tone to address the excruciating misery and suffering Black people lived through during the 19th century. The facade of normality they had to wear during such an oppressive time is symbolized through Dunbar’s use of a â€Å"mask†. This theme is similar to the memories that are hidden and locked away in the novel â€Å"Beloved† by Toni Morrison. In Beloved, music has a similar yet unique role to the rhythm in We Wear the Mask. Music in Beloved acts as an expressive catharsis that characters employ to vocalize their innermost painful memories, that otherwise would be suppressed and ignored to carry on with daily life. The rhythmic nature of Dunbars poem suggests that†¦show more content†¦Not only does Dunbar speak of the turmoil of one person but what makes this poem so controversial in fact, is that he sheds light on the experiences of the tortured people of an entire race with the use of the plural form of the first person â€Å"we†. Similar to the poem, Beloved uses melodic tones for a unique purpose. Much like the melodic tone used in We Wear the Mask, Beloved uses songs(negro-spirituals), to express feelings character would often otherwise not have the ability to vocalize. Paul D, out of all the other characters in this novel may sing the mosts. It was some time before he could put Alfred, Georgia, Sixo. schoolteacher, Halle, his brothers, Sethe, Mister, the taste of iron, the sight of butter, the smell of hickory, notebook paper, one by one, into the tobacco tin lodged in his chest. By the time he got to 124 nothing in this world could pry it open.(133) As this quote illustra tes, and as we’ve seen throughout the novel, Paul D has constant trouble talking about his past as a slave and the traumatizing events that have happened to him, so he keeps all of his memories and emotions locked away in his â€Å"tobacco tin box†(a figurative replacement for his heart.). â€Å"Was that it? Is that where manhood lay? In the naming done by a white man who was supposed to know?†(147) As a slave under theShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of We Wear The Mask851 Words   |  4 Pages Paul’s Dunbar poem â€Å"We Wear the Mask† is one of his many famous works published in 1896, first African American poet writer. He was the son of two former slaves, born in Dayton, Ohio, who escaped slavery and was the only color student during his high school years. During his life of being an African American, he faced many aspects in life, such as discrimination, and being denied as well as his own kind were during the Harlem Renaissance. Dunbar’s poem â€Å"We Wear the Mask† corresponds to his lifeRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem We Wear The Masks 842 Words   |  4 Pagesthat it would be?† Every day we make decisions that affect us and everyone around us. Sometimes the decisions we make are influenced by the people around us. There are influences that we see and some that are perpetuated on our thinking. The poems convey the importance of being true to oneself regardless of others opinions. Everyone you meet is not necessarily who you think they are. Many hide their fears and aspirations just like the speaker in â€Å"We Wear the Masks†. This poem was written in 1896Read MoreAnalysis of a Poem â€Å"We wear the mask† Essay936 Words   |  4 PagesAmber Davis Professor Quirk Literature 101 February 28, 2013 We Wear the Mask The lyric poem â€Å"We wear the mask† by Paul Laurence Dunbar is a poem about the African American race, and how they had to conceal their unhappiness and anger from whites. This poem was written in 1895, which is around the era when slavery was abolished. Dunbar, living in this time period, was able to experience the gruesome effects of racism, hatred and prejudice against blacks at its worst. Using literary techniquesRead MoreAnalysis Of Barbie Doll And We Wear The Mask1147 Words   |  5 Pages​â€Å"There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.† - Soren Kierkgaard. â€Å"Barbie Doll† by Marge Piercy and â€Å"We Wear The Mask† by Paul Laurence Dunbar are two pieces of poetry that vocalize the issues of ignorance and unrealistic social standards within society. Marge Piercy is a well-known novelist, poet, memoirist and activist. She was born on March 31st, 1936 in Det roit, Michigan into a family of labor workers, activists and creativeRead More Analysis of We Wear the Mask by Paul Laurence Dunbar Essay1345 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of We Wear the Mask by Paul Laurence Dunbar â€Å"We Wear the Mask† by Paul Laurence Dunbar is a renowned piece of literature that has been the subject of various literary criticisms over the years. Because of the poem’s indirectness and generalized ambiguity, the interpretation of the â€Å"we† that wears the â€Å"mask† and why they do so is left unanimously undisclosed. It is up to the interpreter and the support given by the interpreter to produce a valid representation of the meaning thatRead MoreThe Mask We Wear: An Analysis of Sonnet 138 Essay1762 Words   |  8 Pagessonnet as a play where the characters are covered by masks. Furthermore the sonnet illustrates that through lies, characters are able to hide themselves and become something they are not. By changing oneself, one gives into mediocrity, because if one puts on a mask to be like everyone else, then that individual will never be able to be themselves. Although â€Å"Sonnet 138† depicts the speakers’ willingness to settle for false love and put on a mask, Sonnet 138 depicts a relationship that its very survivalRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem We Wear The Mask By Paul Laurence Dunbar1539 Words   |  7 Pageshave hid from emotions; by putting on a false expression to mask the feeling of embarrassment, shame, pain or fear. Like the saying goes, â€Å"Don’t judge a book by its cover† by Bo Diddley. Don’t assume the happy, jubilant, joyous expressions that someone is expressing is real. Emotions are part of everyday life, but not everyone feels the need to express themselves honestly. In the poem â€Å"We Wear the Mask† by Paul Laurence Dunbar, the mask symbolizes the imaginary wall slaves hide behind for survivalRead MoreThe Language of the Black Condition and All Conditions: Paul Laurence Dunbar’s â€Å"We Wear the Mask†984 Words   |  4 PagesPaul Laurence Dunbar’s poem, â€Å"We Wear The Mask† cleverly talks of the black condition in a language so universal that it could apply to any race of people that tries to hide their emotions from the world in order to survive. Dunbar argues for the reality of the black man’s plight in America, the black mans struggle for equality in the world, and the struggle for peace within. These are circumstances of the poet’s life that influenced his writing of the poem. PARAGRAPH 2: Background informationRead MoreShadows On The Skin : A Study Of Dually Randall And Paul Laurence Dunbar957 Words   |  4 Pagesthat harsh time. A careful analysis of â€Å"We Wear the Mask† and â€Å"Ballad of Birmingham† expose that the shadows cast on their skin has a lasting impression. Dunbar and Randall both use interesting imagery in their poems to display how the character truly feels. In the â€Å"Ballad of Birmingham,† stanzas such as â€Å"Her eyes grew wet and wild†(26) and â€Å"Drawn white gloves on her small brown hands â€Å"(19) are used to display visual imagery to the reader. Likewise, â€Å"We Wear the Mask† contains visual imagery whenRead MoreWe Wear The Mask By Paul Laurence Dunbar925 Words   |  4 PagesDunbar’s spectacular poem, We Wear the Mask, contains a central valid argumentative point of which many disagree. Many critics believe that Dunbar was particularly writing to slaves or to African Americans who had experienced racism as if this race of people are the only ones who put on masks in front of others. However, Dunbar’s poems should be seen as one written for a universal audience because the poem can apply to anyone who has ever felt pain. The simple word choice â€Å"we† and â€Å"our † support this