Wednesday, February 5, 2014
"We Wear the Mask"
"We Wear the Mask"
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides 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.
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, O great Christ, our cries
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!
(1896)
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OMG this sooo antisemitic! It alludes to Christ but not Adonai what's the deal????
ReplyDeleteHaha michelle. This poem is about how people often hide how they truly feel and put on a face of happiness. Everyone masks their true emotions.
DeleteOkay so I feel the need to start something that will draw forth a bit of controversy on this poem so there is part 1: the offended Jew perspective. I find the poem to be depressing because it touches upon emotional suffering and the attempt to keep it hidden. Not only does the poem acknowledge this "guise" worn to hide feeling, but it also lauds it. The poem generalizes everyone to be suffering, and rather than asking or seeking solace, the poem supports the concealment of such emotions. So what is the purpose of referencing Christ? Showing religious ties of course, but this also leads me to wonder if the narrator truly believes in Christ because I find the last line to be somewhat sarcastic in it's "let the world dream otherwise."
DeleteOhhh i see what you mean! thats a good point michelle :)
DeleteSee I disagree with you there, it never praises the covering up of one's feelings, it merely states that everyone does. And they reference Christ not to offend people of other religions or mock Christianity, it's just talking about praying. The exact words are "our cries to thee from tortured souls arise" and it's just the wordy version of saying 'when we're upset about stuff we pray to Christ'. It's just a statement about prayer not an intention to belittle the religion.
DeleteI researched the author to get a perspective of why he might have written this poem. Turns out he is an African American poet! This makes me think it doesn't have anything to do with religion but with the African Americans after slavery had ended (I think this was written about 30 years after the Emancipation Proclamation). If it is interpreted by this perspective then it makes more sense. The world was still very racist giving an African American good reason to wear a subtle disguise. This also is very prevalent in the line "With torn and bleeding hearts we smile" because even though people were awful to him it would have been a death sentence for him to talk back to someone, so he wore a mask. In the last stanza it says "But let the world dream otherwise" maybe telling the reader that the world would not like to accept the terrible things they had done to their race, this he thinks should be said but he wont so he wears a mask. I like the meter in this poem and how it repeats through each line it kind of sounds like it could be a kid song.
ReplyDeleteP.S. The only thing I could think of when reading this poem was Chevy Chase!
I agree that the meter is really cool, and as you said, it gives the poem a song-like sound. I think the repetition and the sort of rhyme (slant rhyme?) also help it sound more song-like.
DeleteWhy Chevy Chase, Harpreet?
DeleteI fail to understand you ms. prodromo
DeleteThis poem seems like it could be for certain people who feel that they must hide who they are (or their beliefs), but it could also be for people in general who live behind a false front. It made me think of The Bluest Eye (but in a general sense) because it is mentioned at some point that Pecola hides behind her ugliness, when her mother and brother use it differently. It also made me think of Macbeth (false face must hide what the false heart doth know - or something like that).
ReplyDeleteI agree about how it relates to the Bluest Eye. The characters do not thing thy can fit in for their state of being "ugly". They never want to show people themselves when they are breaking down and they try to be strong by "hiding behind the mask".
DeleteI completely agree with what you're saying about hiding if you differ from the norm. I love that you alluded to The Bluest eye and I can not agree more with the idea of this poem describing a hidden side. Although Pecola never hides behind something she isn't. She just feels depressed and unworthy because of the way she looks.
DeleteI hadn't thought about it, but this poem definitely ties into the "Fair is foul, foul is fair" theme of Macbeth. I can also see the loose ties to The Bluest Eye, too, but the Macbeth allusion is ESPECIALLY strong. Thanks for that!
DeleteI agree with the reference to Macbeth and The Bluest Eye. The reference to eyes is very similar to The Bluest Eye. I thought this poem also reminded me of the story with Arnold Friend. Both Arnold Friend and the narrator seem to be hiding behind something.
DeleteCreative thinking Kate. This poem surely relates to the theme of Macbeth, "Fair is foul and foul is fair." It is a shame that society has to believe that they need to hide who they truelly are. I believe that the third stanza was sort of sad. It just proves my point that society believes hiding your true self is the right thing to do.
DeleteBy just reading the first 2 lines, the last word of 2 lines a piece rhymed. For example: lies, eyes, guile, smile, etc. I think this poem is about how people do not show who they really are because they are afraid. They hide what they really feel and put out a happy and smiling face. This poem was written awhile back, so it could possibly be written about slaves and the feelings they didn't show: our cries
ReplyDeleteTo thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile.
I also think that this poem could be about slaves and how they were all hiding behind the person they were expected to be.
DeleteThis poem is about how we bottle up our emotions and put up a happy front when we're actually depressed or sad. I noticed that the first and the last stanzas had an aa bb c rhyming scheme while in the middle stanza, with only 4 lines, only the first two lines rhyme, I wonder why that is.
ReplyDeleteI think this poem is about how people hide how they really feel and act like everything is fine when its not. Its saying that everyone wants to let their true feelings out but they are scared to. In the part of the poem that says "We wear the mask" its a metaphor for hiding behind a fake personality so people don't have to show what they're really feeling. I also noticed that the first two lines of each stanza rhyme.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the rhyme but it is more than just the first two lines. The first stanza has a rhyme pattern where two consecutive lines rhyme but he second and third stanzas are a little different. The last two lines on the last two stanzas do not rhyme.
DeleteI also agree, it has a rhyming pattern of AABBC, AABD, and then AABBAD.
DeleteWhen I first looked at this poem the word "We" stood out to me. I am not sure who "we" is but I can tell there are more than a lot of them and they are all going through the exact same struggle. It also reminds me of fair is foul and foul is fair, because all these people are hiding behind a mask and people think differently of them then what they actually are. I also think this poem has slant rhyme.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the fair is foul and fair is foul relationship because this poem is all about hiding how you truly feel and putting up a front. There is definitely slant rhyme in sort of cuplet form.
DeleteThe horribly resentful diction in this poem seems to point the author belonging to a repressed social class. Just the word "guile" has an incredibly negative connotation, not to mention the lies and the bleeding hearts. From the time-frame, I would have to guess that the author is African American, since the Holocaust has not happened yet. The author may be showing how his race survives in a highly prejudiced society: by masking all weakness with feigned happiness and ignorance.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Spencer about everything you said. I believe the narrator had to hide his feeling of oppression because he lived in a world dominated by the white men while he himself was a black man. With this poem, his diction shows that he does not want to be wearing the mask and hide his emotion, but he can't let anyone see him as weak or vulnerable.
DeleteWhen i read the poem i thought that it represented humans overall, however i like how Spencer realted this to slavery, which might be the authors purpose of writing. Slaves didn't really have anyone they could complain to, so they just "wore a mask"
DeleteYeah, I agree with your ideas on the diction. That "torn and bleeding hearts we smile" line is very powerful and vivid. It really emphasizes the difference between what they show on the outside and how the emotions they hide behind the mask.
DeleteFirst of all clearly there's allusion to Jesus. The word "smile" draws my attention.. like the whole poem is full of words like "tears" "cries" "guile" "vile" and then you see the word "smile" and it is repeated! It's the emotional conflict in this poem I guess?
ReplyDeleteI like the weird rhyme (I don't know if there's a specific word to describe this kind of rhyme)..
I like what Michelle said, honestly I would've never thought of the poem that way so yeah thanks Adler.
hi Dona :)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteJoshua Gray Gray 1
DeleteAS English II, Period 3
Ms. Prodromo
2/6/14
My interpretation of this poem, in MLA format of course, is that the author is describing the reality of how no one, slaves, slave owners or otherwise, hide behind false masks. These masks can be ones of confidence, happiness or indifference, but they are masks none the less. I find the line "we pay this debt to human guile" to be particularly interesting because I think it is very true. It could be referring to how much we hide behind our lies and misconceptions, and how we owe so much to dishonesty. I also find the repetition of "We wear the mask" to be placed in an unusual manner. Its placement at the end of the second and third stanzas does not follow the rhyme scheme or rhythm. That line is also half of the syllables represented in the stanzas above, and could be referring to how many times we only see or are half a person, because we try to hide being what we are not.
مرحبا :)
Deletesorry but i don't read arabic:P and the Gray 1 was at the side of the line, but blogger is unkind to formating
Delete*cough josh is a suck up cough*
Deletejust kidding....kinda :p
Josh, if you weren't dead to me, I would say this is quite good...
DeleteJosh, I like your view of the odd placement of "we wear the mask". It made me feel there was some name for it. So I Googled it, turns out it is similar to a ballade (or at least with the ending). I also mentioned the meter in my first reply and it sounded familiar as well. During my searches iambic tetrameter is the name for that. Knowing this I searched some more and found that this type of this poem with the opening line repeated in the refrain of the others, along with iambic tetrameter, is called a rondeau. So odd as it might be the placement was definitely on purpose.
Delete*cough* Eva doesn't know how to do the cough thing *cough*
Joshua Gray
DeleteAS English, Period 3
Ms. Prodromo
2/6/14
Good research Nathaniel. *cough* eva's a liar *cough*. Love you too Ms. Prodromo! #notsucking up
I totally agree with this comment!
DeleteThe word "smile" stood out to me because of how different it was to the other various words that were somewhat depressing.
So this is a nice poem. I'm starting to hear about the "mask" that we all hide behind a lot. I really don't like the fact that people today feel that they are not worth expressing themselves, that they feel the need to act in a way that society finds correct. Oh, and Michelle, it would be very hard for the author to mention all of the different gods represented around the world and if they did, then the poem would lose its meaning, so I do not think that they are being antisemitic, they are just not going to waste the time and effort.
ReplyDeleteI agree Max. I think the author and time period also add to the way only Christianity in mentioned.
Deletei doubt the author was trying to be offensive, but I also think he was trying to uphold the faith that was probably drilled into him. I disagree again that he was trying to make fun of Christ, but was serious when he alluded to praying to Him and using Him as a confidence.
Max, I agree that people don't express themselves and they just want to fit in. They do this because they don't want to be a creep or a wierdo. Also I agree with Josh and disagree with you about disrespecting Christ.
DeleteHow insightful of you, Max!
DeleteThis poem is quite depressing. That is all.
ReplyDeleteLike that isn't obvious already Austen. Look more at the diction!
Deletei love the detail of your response, the fact that you dug so deep through the authors words to find every meaning to the poem amazes me.
DeleteLOL--Spencer!
DeleteDoes this make you a sadboy Jack?
DeleteBefore I say anything about the poem, I just wan't to say that I really relate to this poem. I always hide behind a "mask" or a different ego. I'm afraid of what people would think of me. Now relating to the poem, I think mask relates to peoples personalities or egos that they make up in order to fit in, or not be judged. I really want to relate this to the song "Creep" because a person who does not hide behind a mask is different. People who weara "mask" will think the person is a creep or a wierdo. In the song, there is a stanza that basically shows how the person is different because the person is showing his true self, while everyone else is using a fake personality. The author is telling that people live in a world full of lies, and we wear a mask to hide ourselves from not "fitting in."
ReplyDeleteI think the POINT of this poem is to say how EVERYONE really wears an "emotional mask" going about their lives. (Maybe not...that's my opinion anyway.) I do agree with you when you say people wear this "mask" in order not to be judged.
DeleteWell excuse me, Jenna!!! I was only adding a personal backround from my life. Is that so bad?
DeleteAs this poem states, it's easy to hide from problems by masking one's feelings and pretending nothing is wrong. I'm especially intrigued by the lines "We sing, but oh the clay is vile / Beneath our feet, and long the mile; / But let the world dream otherwise" because I think the message it's conveying is depressing and simply ridiculous. The speaker is saying that everyone knows their lives are a mess, but they go along singing and hope that they're fooling themselves. Instead of wearing figurative masks and pretending the world is great and happy, the speaker should work to make it ACTUALLY great and happy! They should write "seize the day" poems instead of moping around and making everyone feel pessimistic. Well, that's my two cents, anyway.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kayley. Someone who gets me!
DeleteI'm actually under the impression that the speaker is saying how much it utterly sucks to hide oneself like that, but I agree that writing about it probably wouldn't be helpful in any form whatsoever
DeleteThe first thing I noticed about the poem was the rhyme and how the last two lines of the last two stanzas did not rhyme. When the narrator uses "we" in the poem, I think he is referring to is all humans having to hide how they truly feel. I also think the "tortured souls" are the slaves that have passed or ancestors of the author. I think this poem may have been written to address the "elephant in the room" in terms of how people go about their lives like they have been happy forever.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really good take on the poem, other than what everyone else has been translating it to mean. Pretty awesome. #maplesyrupdoesn'tmixwellwithpicklejuice #meow
DeleteTo be totally honest, when i read this poem, religion was the last thing that came to mind. I know Ms. Prodromo might yell at me and say "THERE IS SO MUCH RELIGION" while shaking her fist and cursing me to damnation, buuuuuuuuuuut I really don't see any religion. Yes, I notice the speaker said Christ, but to me, it doesnt make me feel that all the sudden the poem is religious. I think the speaker is merely adding this on for more effect and nothing more *prodromo shaking her fist* and when I reread it again and again, my opinion stays...sorry.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I love how this poem basically says that the happiest person you know could really truely be crumbling to pieces on the inside or at least not as happy as they seem. To be completely honest I could go on and on for days and days about this poem. However, one of the things I love the most is that the speaker does not want the world to know he is hurting one the inside. He doesn't feel important enough and almost feels like if he were to let his true feelings show, he would be putting a burden on the world, so he keeps it inside.
Prodromo is not shaking her fist!
DeleteThe first thing that stands out in the poem is rhyme. "lies, eyes" "smile, guile" I love the diction!! It's amazing how you can come to understand what this poem is about by just looking at a few words. The poet gives a life lesson through his poem; Dunbar say that no matter how happy a person may seem, there is always pain somewhere deep down in their heart. I AGREE WITH THE POET, THAT IS SO TRUE. Usually when people are sad/depressed, they seem to remember God and pray to Him a lot more than they usually do, and i think that'e what the poet is trying to show by mentioning Christ. People, many people put on a guise to the world. Some do it to avoid questions while some simply don't want to annoy others with their problems.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your statement about how deep down inside of every person there is pain. It really helps capture the meaning of the pome.
Deletethe author of the poem states that we all wear masks to hide our emotions and feelings. he emphasizes the harsh feelings we feel using words like "torn and bleeding hearts" and "debt we pay to human guile." The author also says this "mask" shades our eyes hiding our emotions from others. The author uses the word we making the reader feel included in his description of humans and how we hide our emotions. Because the reader feels included, it emphasizes the sadness the reader experiences during the poem. this makes me sad. #sadboy #emotional #crying #sad
ReplyDeleteYou know Spencer, I don't think we've ever bonded like this before. I'm glad to see this poem made us both #sad and brought #tears to our eyes. It's truly #emotional. We are S A D B O Y S. Hopefully the next poem is just as #sad, so we can bond again.
DeleteThis poem is about people covering their true emotions with "masks". They hide their evil, depression, and other emotions by pretending to be feeling a different way. I am very interested in the meter of the poem. It seems as if it flows perfectly until the last line in each stanza. In my opinion, I think this sudden stop of flow symbolizes the fakeness of people and that some people are not what they seem to be.
ReplyDeleteThis diction of this poem is great! The words "torn" and "bleeding" give insight to the narrator's feelings. He is obviously hiding his emotions and is not enjoying doing so. I found the first line interesting. The fact that the mask "grins and lies" gives an evil connotation to the mask. In addition, I thought the last stanza sounded very religious. The part about tortured souls also shows how the narrator doesn't like having to wear this "mask."
ReplyDeleteSo the poem is about how we hide out true emotions. The mask is our face covering our hearts. The words he uses like #Tears, torture, bleeding, and cries really sets a #sad and sinister tone. I'm with Spencer on this. It's #emotional and makes me a #S A D B O Y. #crying
ReplyDeleteAdrien got my back, what a #emotional response. My #tears are all over my keyboard #sadboys.
DeleteI'll keep this in mind, #sadboys
DeleteThe mask that is talked about in the poem is the face of a person. The narratirs talks about the the face is happy and has a smile but that on the inside one is trult unhappy. There is a saying that eyes are the window to the soul and when the author says that this mask shade our eye it may meam that the mask does not allow anyone to truly see our emotions and that we hide our emotions from the worl because we are afraid of the reaction.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you but maybe when he says shade our eye it might mean that the real us don't see that everyone else feels the same way or maybe they are so blinded from what they are doing to realize that they can show themselves without the mask.
DeleteI feel the mask is someone who is trying to hide from their problems. They could be depressed on the inside but put on a smile for everyone to see. The author thinks that no one should see sadness and only happiness and joy. It is a really depressing poem and the author uses great diction like "bleeding", "tortured" and "torn" which really emphasizes the unhappiness of the poem.
ReplyDeleteJesse, I think you're turning to the dark side... ("bleeding" "tortured and "torn" is great diction!)
DeleteWell from the title I can tell that the poem has to do with people wearing masks. The poem is about how we as people hide are true selves behind a mask of deception. We hide away are pain, fear, and hate so that we can put on a fake smile for the whole world to see. The first two lines of each stanza has ending rhyme. Its a great poem that made my night better. #Iputmeowmixinmypudding
ReplyDeleteThe tone of the poem is supposed to be depressing I suppose.
Delete#donteatthecatfood
ReplyDeleteEvery two lines rhyme except for the fifth line in each stanza. The rhyming makes the poem easier to read and makes it flow easily. Masks usually hints at covering something up. In this case, people cover up their emotions with masks. This is sad and mysterious poem. We hide our true selves to try to fit in better. With the mention of eyes, they are used as a gateway into your soul. Us as humans look at the bad and what is wrong other than what is good in the world.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is talking about how people use masks all the time and so much is hidden behind them. We seem cheerful but are actually crying or bleeding. I like this poem because it rhymes but it's sad. In the third stanza it questions whether to let people see their real emotions but rejected that idea. I like that there is an allusion to God because it shows how unnatural it is to always have a mask and seem happy.
ReplyDeleteThe poet in the beginning declares that we wear masks that hide our true emotions. He emphasizes the pain and suffering that these masks try and cover up. In the end of the poem, we understand all the politeness and dispirited feelings are just disguises of painful truths that hide behind the mask. The poet then declares that they aren't doing any good to people. As a Batman fan, I reminds me of Bruce Wayne(Batman) and The Joker; they each have a mask that hide their their inner feelings. Bruce wears a mask of delight, happiness to the people around him. Behind his mask, he is lonely, miserable for the death of his parents. The Joker smiles, laughs and thinks everything is worth laughing. Behind his mask, his horrific past continues to flow around but still manages to smile.
ReplyDelete:) Leave it to Arianna to compare this to Batman! I agree with you completely though and it made me think that in a way we are all Jokers and Batmans because we have all seen, done, and, heard horrible things in our lives and continue on with life wearing a mask.
DeleteThis poem is about people wearing masks to cover up their true feelings. People hide themselves behind masks because they are afraid of the consequences of showing their true selves.The rhyming in this poem is interesting. The rhyming at the end of some of the lines makes the poem sound kind of like a song.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is genuinely bad%#$!!!(sorry but it had to be said). I love it!! The first part that caught my eye was the illusion to the myriads, which, seeing as how I've seen "Pirates of the Caribbean" more than once, it's function as imagery is really profound. It's really difficult to put how much I love this poem into words, but I'll try. First, there's the fact that most of us can probably relate to the idea of a guise, and have probably used it many times around people that we don't really like, so the emotion is that much easier to connect to. Second, there's the use of sentence-ending punctuation, especially the exclamation point at the end, that makes this poem more into a desperate prayer of sorts, begging for the necessity of the "mask" to end. "O great Christ" also adds to this. Lastly, there's the fact that the rhyme pattern always breaks on the last line, which seems to help incorporate the rhyme pattern into this idea of the mask. I love this poem.
ReplyDeleteTom I thought you had a very good response to the poem. I guess it is because you thought it was "Bad%#$!!!". I also love how you said that because of the use of guise it made the poem more connectable for the reader.
DeleteThis poem is powerful because it is something that everybody can relate to. People hide behind masks that portray something different than what they really feel, whether that be something they do consciously or unconsciously. People are conforming to society, in this case because they are forced to, but nowadays to fit in. I believe that the mask has changed a bit since when this poem was written in the 19th century. Today, we have developed a new mask: social media, and I believe it is a problem in our world today. However, the narrator acknowledges the pain he is hiding behind the mask, yet he is still forced to wear the mask. They all wear the mask.
ReplyDeleteThis pome makes me think about the topic I am using for the research project. It is a sad pome, it talks about how people cannot show who they are in fear that they will not be excepted. It is also creepy the diction is very strong with words like: grins shades and bleeding, it has a dark connotation
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michaela that this poem has a dark connotation and how this poem relates to our research project! People feel the need to hide their emotions because of what people may think and because of the expectations that have been set.
DeleteThis poem is sad and relatable. It's almost sarcastic because it is written as if we should take pride in hiding our emotions. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not a good thing either. I thought it was interesting how the poem begins with two lines in the first stanza and builds up to six lines in the last stanza. I liked the line "With torn and bleeding hearts we smile" because everyone has felt this way at some point, even if it's not as dramatic as the authors makes it seem. Also, the "clay" referenced is what was on the plantations slaves worked on which adds to the idea that this poem was written about slavery.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is very sad, but very true. I think it is about how everybody, no mater how they feel, wears a mask to hide their true feelings because people may judge them. Damn you judgey people! Also the line "Why should the world be over-wise" makes me think that the author is saying that the world doesn't need to know how others feel and that we are better of not knowing. However, after reading other peoples comments I can see how this poem could also be about slavery.
ReplyDeleteThis poem I thought had a lot of power. What gave this so much power was he diction and that rhythm. The authors decision to rime help give the poem power by adding powerful vocabulary like guile and subtleties. These words make the poem more interesting to the reader. I also like how the author talked about the eyes behind the mask. The eyes can show emotion but the author paints the picture of a greater power that the mask has that shields the eyes from the outside world.
ReplyDeleteJames, I noticed you said "power" quite a lot. I agree that this poem can be struck at heart to the reader because of the rhythm. #orchestrialproblems xD
DeleteI love this poem because so many people can relate to it. People hide their true feelings because they are afraid of getting judged. I agree with Isabella about the reference to the Bluest Eye.
ReplyDeleteI think this written piece relates to "The Batman" because Joker steals the twin, gold- plated, metal faces of comedy (the one smiling mask, one frowning mask set of art) and it reflects that the Joker is the man who can smile about anything and have total disregard for human life, but he is saddened that the only person whom takes upon the role of his best friend and character foil is the vigilante beating him to a pulp night and hourless night. The poem is saying that the world is fake, maybe alluding to the fact that the internet has many sites where someone can seem like another person because they're sitting behind a computer screen, instead of meeting with those people in real life. Those of who wear a "mask" aren't relating to the honorable ways of the "Lord of the Rings" in the fact that the knights, and rangers, dwarves and elves all look each other eye to eye, man to man and express their thoughts. When in doubt, start a fist-fight because pulling your weapon of choice is a disrespect to that person's homeland and nation, while a fist-fight is just to see a man's strength, a drunken gamble not a declaration of war on another race!
ReplyDeleteThis poem is written in an interesting way. Some words are in the present like "we smile," but other words are in past tense like "we cry for the tortured souls." It adds this affect that shows that these people have been thinking about this subject for a while. It seems to me as though the poem is about slavery because of the line "the debt we pay." The mask seems to be about hiding how they feel. with out the "mask" their true feelings would show.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is very sad and relatable. It talks about how everyone puts on a mask and hides their true feelings and emotions. In a way it is kind of encouraging those who have felt the need to hide their emotional suffering to continue to hide it which is not a good thing!
ReplyDeleteThis poem is about how people try and hide their emotions and put on a "mask" so people don't know how they are feeling. It is somewhat depressing because it shows how people are so afraid to be themselves and are so scared of what people think of them. I agree with everyone on how it relates to The Bluest Eye.
ReplyDeleteWhile I think this poem can shift toward the struggle of slavery and segregation, I think it also serves as an overall relation to how what a person puts off to the world isn't necessarily what they really are, or feel inside. On the outside this person could be the greatest person in existence, like Richard Cory, but on the inside they could be the most broken and dysfunctional person, like Richard Cory.
ReplyDeleteThe thing I noticed most about this poem was the fact that it used a lot of negative language. Words like tortured, tears, and lies give the feeling that it is really a negative thing -- wearing the mask. Wearing the mask may be a metaphor for all the different "faces" we put on around different people in our day-to-day lives and how that can hurt us and the people around us.
ReplyDeleteThis poem reminds me of the love poem on this page (I forget the title). That poem communicated that it's easier for people to not believe in love than to know they should be in pain because they're missing out on it, and this poem is saying that it's better for people to think everyone is happy than for them to know about all their suffering.
ReplyDelete