Racism Exposed In Paul Dunbar's They Wear The Mask
In “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Dunbar, the poet talks about human sorrow due to racism and it is demonstrated through symbolism, allusions, and personification. “We wear the mask that grins and lies” is symbolism because masks have long been used for deception or protection. In this poem, it is used as symbolism for both. In Dunbar’s poem, he describes everyone as needing these masks to hide their true feelings from the rest of the world and as personal protection from the views of others. “… O great Christ...” in line ten is an allusion to Jesus Christ. The use of this allusion is important to the theme as people do not use the Lord nor his subjects’ names in vain, and so when they use it at all, it is with a specific purpose. Dunbar prayed …show more content…
She explores this theme with the use of rhetorical questions, personification, and metaphors. “Did you want to see me broken? / Bowed head and lowered eyes?” She is asking if people expect her to be broken and crushed, but she is not anticipating an answer so these are rhetorical questions. The tone of these questions seems strong and defiant, and she refuses to be put down and expected to do something she does not wish to do. “You may shoot me with your words” is personification since words cannot possibly shoot a weapon, and so it is saying that someone can use words to try and hurt her feelings. However, Angelou gives an open invitation to try and do this, so she is aware and knows that not even someone’s best efforts will affect her. “I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide” is a metaphor for being a black woman that can go anywhere and everywhere, just like how any ocean has an extensive reach across the world. It is true because she is a prominent poet and her influence is far-reaching amongst the masses. In “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, she shows that she will always rise above the struggles she faces due to her race through rhetorical questions, personification, and
Why People Wear Mask Analysis
1000 Words | 4 PagesThe oldest found mask is from 7000 BC, and experts believe it was used for rituals and ceremonies. Masks have an important cultural context in history, and as the use of masks has progressed, humans have adopted masks into other forms of entertainment and festivities. In present times, with better understanding of human psychology, society has come to understand that people wear emotional “masks” as well. Masks have a somewhat important context in both Golding’s Lord of the Flies and Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask”. Both works describe masks as a way to hide one’s true self from everyone; Dunbar, however, depicts masks as an emotional barrier to cover up one’s true emotions or feelings, while Golding uses masks as a physical object to hide behind.
Racism In Mark Lamont Hill's 'Nobody'
856 Words | 4 PagesOvertime all things change and develop into new forms, this is even true for racism. Mark Lamont Hill’s “Nobody” takes us through the history of black Americans in the U.S in relation to state. Moreover, he reveals the storyline within the nation that has consistently marked majority of minorities as expendable, products and as nobodies. Being that the book is only around 200 pages, we only get at the surface of what Mr. Hill is analysing. Nonetheless, he expertly maneuvers through the U.S’s muddy history to display the role of the State in keeping this “nobody” identity on black Americans.
African American Culture In Langston Hughes And We Wear The Mask
802 Words | 4 PagesSuch personification mirrors Dunbar’s use of figurative language, which relates the poems in more ways than one. Dunbar touches on human features such as cheeks and eyes in his poem but also uses a spiritual element to advance his point of view. Furthermore, “We Wear the Mask” was written in 1896; a period in American history that was post-slavery but still had widespread discrimination. The spiritual connotation within Dunbar’s poem can allude to African American churches and/or the hymns slaves sung on plantations. Nevertheless, the struggle of African Americans is a symbol of both presented
Night By Paul Laurence Dunbar Rhetorical Devices
312 Words | 2 PagesIn the poem, Paul Laurence Dunbar employs the rhetorical device of rhyme structure to contrast the bondage of individual sorrow with the liberation of action. Although the speaker does not claim divine authority, the poem’s orator possesses a definitive tone, bolstering the argument and beckoning the audience. The first lines of the initial stanza, “I am no priest of crooks nor creeds / For human wants and human needs / are more to me than prophets’ deeds,” display Dunbar’s use of rhyme structure to connect a single idea. Dunbar emphasizes the deeds of a prophet, a religious figure chosen by God to interpret His Will, to perhaps convey that time spent discerning the Will of God causes individuals to lose sight of the wants and needs around them.
Masks in 'We Wear the Mask' and 'To Kill a Mockingbird'
1218 Words | 5 PagesIn Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem, “We Wear the Mask” the speaker wears a mask to hide his internal suffering because he does not want the rest of the world to think he is weak. This poem relates the prejudice black people face against white people. The speaker starts the poem with the lines, “We wear the mask that grins and lies,” (1). Here he describes the kind of “masks” that he wears.
Use Of Masks In The Great Gatsby
696 Words | 3 PagesHe utilizes the mask when he says that “I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford…” (Fitzgerald ##). He wants everyone including Nick Carraway, the narrator, to know that he is a valuable and worthy person. However, it backfires when Nick Carraway says “I knew why
Masking And Signification In Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man
914 Words | 4 PagesMasks hide the truth and obscure the facts. They form a barrier between what is real and what is an illusion. Yet, during from the moment blacks were brought to this continent in chains, to the moment they were granted civil rights in the 1960’s, masks were a method of survival. Another way of life for African Americans was the practice of signifying. Signifying is mostly seen in the black literary tradition as a means for African Americans to take back power from the white through misinformation and deception.
Racism In Staple's Just Walk On By Brent Staples
1069 Words | 5 PagesRacism isn't born, it is taught! This essay "Just walk on by Brent Staples" is written in the mid 70's when racism was at its peak. Racism is not only common today it's been a part of American history. Staples works as a journalist in a predominantly white society. This essay deals with racism, stereotypes, and prejudice.
Faces By Sara Teasdale
323 Words | 2 PagesThe main theme of the poem is centered on the masks that we wear in society, but the poem digs deeper than the simple statement, ‘we all wear masks’. Teasdale presents the insight that when we are walking on the sidewalk, surrounded by the chaos of the streets, we delve into our own thoughts and the mask lifts. Because we are among strangers rather than coworkers, family, or peers, we do
Comparing Mother To Son 'And Langston Hughes' Still I Rise
628 Words | 3 PagesThe author uses personification which expresses the theme because it shows people saying mean things about the speaker, but they keep moving on. In the poem Angelou states, “You may shoot me with your words, / You may cut me with your eyes, / You may kill me with your hatefulness” (21-23). This literary device is used to show that the speaker will keep moving on no matter what people say about them and how it is relatable because sometimes you get that look from someone. Another device Maya Angelou uses is a simile because she shows that even though people are saying all this mean stuff the speaker is still happy and joyful. Maya Angelou states, “Like dust, I’ll rise” (4).
Sympathy Paul Laurence Dunbar Analysis
1652 Words | 7 PagesJoanne Gabbin notices this, stating, “Likewise, in ‘Sympathy’ Dunbar grasps the universal cry for freedom, the inevitable theme of African American literature since black poets tried to sing in a strange land. The speaker in the poem metaphorically becomes the caged bird beating its wings against bars that do not give way” (Gabbin 228). Dunbar may also have been addressing the issue of African-American literature being used for minstrel tales and dialectic stories. Dunbar, along with other African-American poets at the time, felt trapped in the style and prose he was expected to write in, which brought focus to another aspect responsible for the style of literature known as African-American literature
Paul Lawrence Dunbar We Wear The Mask Analysis
681 Words | 3 PagesThe poem I chose to analyze is We Wear the Mask, written by Paul Lawrence Dunbar in 1896. Its theme is about hiding our true feelings and emotions, and lying about who we are. When looking at Dunbar’s life history, and the political context at the time, we understand that he efficiently uses this theme in order to talk about how black people have to hide how they feel about their social status and the treatment they receive from white people. He conveys the theme to the audience thanks to a clever word choice. Indeed, he talks about “grin” and “smile”, using facial expressions as a description of the mask (Dunbar, lines 1 & 4).
Literary Analysis Of Phenomenal Woman
1775 Words | 8 Pages“Phenomenal Woman” Phenomenal Woman, by Maya Angelou is an inspiring poem that encourages women, including myself to be confident and to love themselves just the way they are. It encourages women to be independent and confident despite what others think about them, especially men. In “Phenomenal Woman”, there are various literary devices used, some of which include repetition, parallelism, metaphors and personification. The obvious repetition in the poem is at the end of every stanza, through the phrases” I am a woman, phenomenally, phenomenal woman, that’s me”.
Explication Of The Poem Africa By Maya Angelou
955 Words | 4 PagesThis explication is on the poem “Africa” by Maya Angelou. In the poem, the speaker shows the suffering of Africa by personification, imagery, and wordplay to result that Africa is moving forward to regain herself to give us all the world has done to Africa. The speaker is a knowledgeable person who is passionate and knows well about Africa. The poem takes the setting of Africa and in the time period around the 1400s - 1500s. The poem is an ABAB pattern with three stanzas.
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