WE WEAR THE MASK ~ Paul Lawrence Dunbar Biography Born on June 27, 1872, Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the first African American poets to gain national recognition. His parents Joshua and Matilda Murphy Dunbar were freed slaves from Kentucky. His parents separated shortly after his birth, but Dunbar would draw on their stories of plantation life throughout his writing career. By the age of fourteen, Dunbar had poems published in the Dayton Herald. Paul Lawrence Dunbar's poem, first published in Lyrics of Lowly Life (1896), is a reaction to the racial climate of the late nineteenth century. He talks about hypocrisy, deception, and the fact that black Americans often resorted to seeming content with their social circumstances. But behind all that seeming, though, is just a bunch of lies trying to cover up the fact that they were feeling pretty rotten and unable to talk about their feelings in an honest way. So what we get in We Wear the Mask is a lyrical exploration of all that pretending and the truth that hides behind it. Since the truth is a rather painful one, we get the sense that all of those masks aren't doing such a great job of covering things up. We Wear the Mask is applicable to all sorts of people and circumstances. By writing it the way he has done, he has opened up the world of poetic interpretation in a much more universal way. In 1898, Dunbar's health deteriorated; he believed the dust in the library contributed to his tuberculosis and left his job to dedicate himself full time to writing and giving readings. He died on February 9, 1906, at the age of thirty-three. We wear the mask that grins and lies, Ithhides 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. 5 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, © great Christ, our cries 10 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! 15 Vocabulary ‘guile: human deception myriad: a countless or extremely great number of people or things subtleties: gentle, less obvious vile: disgusting, unpleasant, sickening Summary 70The speaker opens the poem with the declaration that we wear masks that hide our true feelings. He goes on to emphasize the severity of the pain and suffering that these masks try to cover up. By the end, we understand that all of the politeness and subdued emotions are just phony disguises of the painful truths that hide behind them. Those masks certainly aren't doing anyone any favours. Questions 1. Name two things that the mask hides. (2) 2. — Quote two words from line 10 that clearly contradict each other. (2) 3. How does the image of "torn and bleeding hearts" impact on your understanding of what the mask is concealing? (2) 4. What is the speaker's motivation for wearing a mask? (2) 5. Do you empathize with the speaker of the poem? What action would you take if you found yourself living under similar circumstances? (2) Form ‘The poem takes the form of a rondeau, It has 15 lines with only two repeating rhymes and a refrain (chorus). Title Since the title is also the poem's refrain, we know it's very important. It's also common for the title of a rondeau to match its refrain. Either way, there's no mistaking that "We wear the mask" is the poem's main point and also the biggest problem contextually. Dunbar is reminding us — with the title and the repetition — that people wear masks that may look nice with lots of smiles and singing, but they're nothing more than a series of lies that cover up painful truths. Analysis Lines 1-2 We wear the mask that grins and lies It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes, Repetition of the title to emphasize that we wear masks, The use of “we” suggests that it is something everyone does, a universal act. Since we're not sure who exactly that “we” is referring to, we can assume it more specifically refers to black Americans of the time, since Dunbar was an early pioneer of the Harlem Renaissance that came later in the 1920s, Masks are often used as symbols for disguises and deception. We hide behind them for different reasons, but here we notice that these masks aren't just for dress-up. What else could they represent? In line 2 the people wear them because it “hides” their “cheeks” (expressions/emotions) "shades" their “eyes” (thoughts/emotions). Note: The eyes are the window to the soul; they can show our emotions). In this case, we think of the slaves who worked under harsh conditions and were beaten (some to death). They would obviously want to hide their expressions/thoughts, i.e. their emotions. Lines 3 and 4 This debt we pay to human guil With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, nLine 3 tells us that the people wearing these masks owe it all to "human guile.” The word “guile” simply means a sort of deceitfulness, not being real. Notice that the speaker says “human guile"; this suggests that the poem can be applied to not only the black American struggle, but also the general human struggle. After all, telling lies and being someone we're not is just a common part of daily life. ‘As we saw in lines 1 and 2, these lines also have a lot of figurative language that's building upon the extended metaphor of masks representing human deception: “tom and bleeding hearts we smile” Line 4 begins to develop the truths behind those masks and we get the sense that there's a lot of pain there. Those hearts are not just “torn’, but also "bleeding"; this emphasizes the struggle and duality that the speaker is addressing If someone is ‘torn’, it usually means that there are two sides pulling at the same time. If someone is "bleeding", we can assume that that person is injured — figuratively, of course. We understand the metaphor even more when we consider the imagery of a mask. On one side there's the disguise, and on the other there's the truth The “smile” also builds on the original description of the mask that “grins and lies”. It emphasizes the duality in line 4 that starts with torn hearts and ends with a smile. As a slave, for the sake of survival, itis easier to comply and “smile”. Line 5 And mouth with myriad subtleties. The word “mouth” here is used for talking (not eating). Line 5 refers to the many (“myriad”) polite formalities ("subtleties") that were common in the nineteenth century for black Americans, especially those used to address white people in conversation. Remember, this poem was written way before the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s; life was very racist and dangerous for black Americans if they didn't use these “subtleties” By using the word “mouth” instead of ‘talk’, the speaker conveys the feeling that there is something mechanical about these "subtleties", maybe even less than human. Considering the slaves (his parents’ experiences), we can imagine that, again, for the sake of survival, the slaves would mumble in compliance a “myriad subtleties” (polite words) in order not to make their masters/slave drivers aggressive The mood: there is something vacant, dull, and even lifeless about line 5. People aren't living; they are trying to survive their circumstances. Lines 6-7 Why should the world be over-wise, In counting all our tears and sighs? The second stanza starts with a rhetorical question (a question in which we don't expect someone to give us a real answer). Rhetorical questions are usually used to prove a point, so we know the speaker is trying to emphasize what we've seen so far in terms of masks, suffering, hypocrisies, etc. The question has a slightly sarcastic tone to it, as if the speaker is suggesting that there's nothing “over-wise” about knowing the truth that's plain to see, with or without the masks. In other words: if ‘something is staring you in the face (e.g. segregation, lack of civil rights, violence), then taking notice of it doesn't take all that much “wisdom”, By line 6, we also get more of the universal themes behind the poem when the speaker includes the word ‘world’, The problems he is referring to involves everyone, even if some people choose to ignore them. We have more figurative language in line 7: “counting all our tears and sighs" emphasizes the severity of the truth behind those masks. The words “all our” tell us that there are many tears and many sighs to “count” and they don't just belong to the speaker. nThe second stanza highlights that the speaker represents a much larger group beyond himself, even if he doesn't provide specifics. Lines 6 and 7 show that people feel real pain; the world has a responsibility to recognize human suffering. Perhaps the people wearing the masks also have a responsibility to themselves and each other to be honest about their suffering. Lines 8-9 Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask. In lines 6 and 7 we saw the rhetorical question that emphasized the truth behind the masks, while here in lines 8 and 9 we see just the mask and the people wearing them. The speaker is saying here that, instead of the world seeing the truth, they see only the masks and the lies. The tone here in “let them” suggests that the world is being spared the truth, via ignorance, perhaps because the truth is harder to accept than the mask. The speaker is reminding us that the people wearing the mask need to be more honest about their situation too. So, all the sarcasm that we hear is stressing the problem that exists on bath sides: the world that ignores the problem and the people suffering who aren't being honest. We have our first instance of enjambment that takes us from one line to the next without any pauses (punctuation). We are eased right into the refrain "we wear the mask", which makes it stand out in ‘comparison to the rest of the poem. Pertaining to the slaves and black Americans, the masks protected them from the perspectives and judgments that were cast upon them by white people. Instead of showing the people what they felt, they pretended to be okay with their circumstances/conditions, They didn’t want to worsen their suffering. Lines 10-11 We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. Line 10 begins with the repetition of that “smile” that covers everything up, reminding us that the false masks are the real problem The speaker then addresses Christ; he is looking for s chance for salvation (“souls arise). The allusion to Christ emphasizes the speaker's need for help that the world will not provide. Additionally, "O great Christ” is an example of an apostrophe (addressing someone who's not really there), which makes the speaker's emotional conflict feel all the more daunting. ‘Also we see more duality in line 10 that begins with “smile” and ends with “cries”. The speaker ‘seems to be emphasizing that “torn” metaphor that we saw earlier in lines 3 and 4 with all of these ‘opposing forces. So, by the third stanza, we start to see more of the truth behind the masks. And as we see the truth, we begin to notice that the speaker's language is becoming more emotional and distraught: “O great Christ’, “cries”, “tortured” The plain truth of the matter is that these are “tortured souls” (e.g. slaves) that are crying for help even if they appear to “smile”. We have more enjambment here too that keeps the ideas in lines 10 and 11 connected without interruption. So we get the sense that the speaker is meditating here on his people's plight and need for spiritual guidance without any punctuation getting in the way. tual guidance ("O great Christ’) and the Lines 12-13 We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile; BSo not only are these people smiling through their pain, but they are also singing. Again, here's more of an indication of something that appears to be content but isn't, Think of blues music, for ‘example, What musicians sing about is awfully sad, even if it still sounds nice. All that “singing” might also be an allusion to the common stereotypes associated with black ‘Americans who all supposedly love to sing and entertain, or the slaves who sing to help them endure. The second half of line 12 works more with the Biblical allusion we saw in the previous lines. The “clay” is the earth, but it may also be a reference to the origins of man: “Remember that you have made me like clay" (Job 10:8-12) So the speaker is saying that they're singing through the pain while standing above the earth that’s “vile” (wicked) because it provides only pain and suffering for these folks. And yet that vile earth is still their home/origins, which makes things even worse. Notice too that the language here has that same sort of emotional distress (“oh the clay is vile”) that we saw in lines 10 and 11 (°O great Christ’). At this point, we see behind the mask more fully and things are awfully sad back there. Yet, those “feet” and the imagery of walking that long mile indicate that there's hope. Perhaps this is all part of the journey, as difficult as it may be. Since that mile is ‘long’, we understand that there’s still quite a way to go before any salvation or redemption can be had. Lines 14-15 But let the world dream otherwise, We wear the mask! The speaker is reminding us of that worldly responsibility that has yet to be acknowledged: ‘let the world dream otherwise’. If the world is dreaming, it's safe to assume that people aren't clever enough to see what's really going on, mostly because the world chooses not to be. Again, perhaps it's easier to just accept the mask and avoid the truth. We hear that word ‘let’ again as if the world is being spared the harsh reality. It's similar to the way a child might experience things; we “let” children do things. Because the people who are wearing the masks are adults, the tone is patronizing on purpose. Bear in mind too that this dream that the world is havi those he represents than anything else. So, by the very end we see the mask in the same sort of way it appeared in the first stanza, only this time we get that extra exclamation point to drive it all home. By now we know what is behind the mask: lies, cries, and pain that people aren't being honest about, (In the case of the slaves, they had no choice; they wore masks to protect themselves from being beaten to death or thrown into the sea.) We also understand that the “masks” people wear, no matter what they look like, are not to be completely trusted. What can be trusted is honest discussion and the efforts people make to fix the hurtful and destructive stuff they see around them. is more of a nightmare to the speaker and Symbols The Mask Before the days of simply wearing them for Halloween, masks were often used as a symbol for deception, hypocrisy, and lies. Dunbar’s poem is no different. The speaker 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. He's not talking about a real mask of course, but rather it's a symbolic ‘one that represents the things people say and do that aren't honest. Dunbar also reminds us that 1%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. + Title: We know that mask is at the heart of the poem and the problems the speaker addresses. Perhaps we can go even deeper to say that the entire poem, therefore, wears a “mask” since atitle defines a poem. + Line 1: The opening words are not only the poem's refrain, but also get right to the point about what Dunbar’s poem is about. Those masks may “grin’, but they also “lie”. + Line 2: The mask hides everything, including "cheeks" (facial expressions/emotions) and “eyes” (thoughts/emotions), which symbolize the truer essence of humanity since we often express ourselves best using facial muscles (cheeks) and our eyes. + Lines 9, 15: The refrain reminds us just how pervasive that mask is. It's not enough to just mention it in the title. The speaker strategically reminds us throughout the poem that this is no small occurrence, and therefore needs to be emphasized. Smile This is not the sort of smile you have after indulging in your favourite chocolate bar. It's more like the kind of smile a person has when (s)he is upset, but doesn't want to upset you, too. So that person may just grin and bear it and hide his true feelings. But that kind of smile isn't helping matters in Dunbar's poem. In fact, it's making things worse because that smile is hiding the full extent of the ‘emotional conflict he's referring to. + Line 1: Although people may “grin”, they also “lie”. This sort of smile doesn't get more false 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". One can only imagine the hate that black Americans/slaves had, and their vengeful thoughts while “grinning”, + Lines 4, 10: It's also used to emphasize the duality of the emotional conflict the speaker addressing. Notice that both lines have on one side: the “smile”, and on the other: words like “orles" and “torn hearts”, + Line 12: Although the speaker is talking about "singing", we get the sense that he's referring to the same sort of smiling appearance. Singing and smiling are usually happy expressions, but here they are covering up the painful truth, We Who are “we"? That's a great question and we have a few possible answers too. The “we” that we get in Dunbar's poem is primarily directed towards black American people as a whole or the slaves (his parents). In a more general sense, the "we" can be all people. Since the “we” is so ambiguous, italso serves a literary purpose too in suggesting that maybe the poem also wears a mask that hides its specific subject, perhaps to protect the poet. + Title: Having “we” in the title really adds to the literary purpose of suggesting that the entire poem wears an ambiguous mask that's hiding the truth. The speaker isn't omitting specifics because he forgot about them. He's clearly doing it with a purpose. + Line 1: It's in the title and in the refrain. It also invites the reader to include himself in that We can apply the idea of wearing masks to any person we choose, + Lines 3: First, we get more of the sense that the speaker is speaking to a universal audience with the phrase "human guile”. The "we" shares this experience of “human guile”, so it's not limited to just the black American struggle or slavery. Line 4: The ‘we’ is maybe getting a little more specific, since the speaker talks about “tom and bleeding hearts, which suggests that these wounds are fresh. Historically speaking, they were very fresh. Lines 9, 15: The phrase ‘we wear the mask” stands alone in these lines so the reader can draw as many connections as he chooses. Lines 10, 12: Just like that “smile”, the “we” in these lines functions in a similarly dualistic sort of way. On one side the “we” is “smiling” and “singing”, while on the other the “we" is ‘crying’. In the end, the “we” is torn and not being honest. The World 78It's a big place — in real life and in Dunbar's poem. The world also has a responsibility to recognize the suffering that occurs not just in a personal sense, but a worldly one too. Unfortunately, the “world” often ignores the kind of suffering that doesn't immediately affect it (specific people/places). By keeping things universal, thematically and stylistically, the speaker is suggesting that it's all ‘connected, So ignoring problems doesn't keep them away. Lines 6-7: The rhetorical question we get here is directed at the ‘world’. Since it has a slightly sarcastic tone, we get the sense that the world was acting ignorant and cold towards the suffering of black Americans/slaves. Line 14: The world is allowed to “dream otherwise”, which just like the previous lines suggests that the world is behaving kind of like a child. It's dreaming instead of getting real. So the speaker is saying its time to wake up. ‘Speaker Our speaker is relatively understated, considering the subject matter he's talking about. He's not getting angry or yelling about social injustices. Instead, he has a more objective perspective. So, the speaker has a universal sort of voice that's not exclusively limited to any one person or people He takes a step back and gives us a fuller perspective of what's really going on with all these lies and hypocrisies. In doing so, he seems to suggest that this is not the sort of problem that's limited to any one culture, ot person, or time. Instead, this detached approach helps us to consider how masks are all over the place, that sometimes they're also a matter of survival in cultures where may react violently to people speaking honestly about social problems. Perhaps this is also why Dunbar's poem is still widely read today. ‘Thanks to our detached speaker, it can be applied to all sorts of social circumstances and places. LITERARY DEVICES Repetition Line 1, 9, 15: “We wear the mask’ — of the title to emphasize that we wear masks. Metaphor Line 1, 9, 15, title: “mask” — human deception Rhetorical question Line 6-7: "Why should the world be over-wise/ In counting all our tears and sighs?” - to emphasize the inhumane acts of slavery; to emphasize the needlessness of masks, suffering, hypocrisies, etc. Apostrophe/Allusion Line 10: “O great Christ!” - the speaker is addressing Christ; he is looking for spiritual guidance (“O great Christ") and a chance for salvation (“souls arise"). The allusion to Christ emphasizes the speaker's need for help that the world will not provide. Allusion Lines 12: "We sing” — singing is supposed to be a sign of happiness. Alll the “singing” may, thus, allude to the common stereotypes associated with black Americans who all supposedly love to sing and entertain, or the slaves who are content because they sing while they work. This is not true. The black Americans created Blues music, which expresses their pain and suffering during turbulent racist times; the slaves only sang to create unity to endure their pain and suffering Lines 12: *... the clay is vile” - the "clay" is the earth, but it may also be a reference to the origins of man: "Remember that you have made me like clay" (Job 10:8-12). 76Consonance Stanza 1 has a lot of repetition of consonant sounds: “grins”, "lies", “cheeks”, “shades’, “eyes”, “hearts' The repeated sound not only helps to accent the first rhyme of the poem (“lies” and “eyes’), it also gives us an underlying sense of multitudes. Alliteration Line 5: "mouth" and “myriad”. Line 11: repeatition of the T sound in “To thee" and “tortured” souls. Paradox Paradox: The poem conceals and reveals. + Conceals: The poem does not mention black people or racial prejudice. In other words, the poem itself wears a mask, + Reveals: The poem openly parades Dunbar's feelings as a frustrated black person. Thus, the poem takes off the mask and doffs all pretence and imposture, ”8