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We Wear the Mask

A Raisin in the Sun
Directions: Please read the following poem. After you read the poem, answer the discussion questions on this
paper or on a separate sheet of paper.

Paul Dunbar: Biography

BornonJune27,1872,PaulLaurenceDunbarwasoneofthefirstAfricanAmericanpoetstogainnational
recognition.HisparentsJoshuaandMatildaMurphyDunbarwerefreedslavesfromKentucky.Hisparents
separatedshortlyafterhisbirth,butDunbarwoulddrawontheirstoriesofplantationlifethroughouthiswriting
career.Bytheageoffourteen,DunbarhadpoemspublishedintheDaytonHerald.Whileinhighschoolhe
editedtheDaytonTattler,ashortlivedblacknewspaperpublishedbyclassmateOrvilleWright.
Despitebeingafinestudent,Dunbarwasfinanciallyunabletoattendcollegeandtookajobasanelevator
operator.In1892,aformerteacherinvitedhimtoreadhispoemsatameetingoftheWesternAssociationof
Writers;hisworkimpressedhisaudiencetosuchadegreethatthepopularpoetJamesWhitcombRileywrote
himaletterofencouragement.In1893,DunbarselfpublishedacollectioncalledOakandIvy.Tohelppaythe
publishingcosts,hesoldthebookforadollartopeopleridinginhiselevator.
Laterthatyear,DunbarmovedtoChicago,hopingtofindworkatthefirstWorldsFair.Hebefriended
FrederickDouglass,whofoundhimajobasaclerk,andalsoarrangedforhimtoreadaselectionofhispoems.
DouglasssaidofDunbarthathewasthemostpromisingyoungcoloredmaninAmerica.By1895,Dunbars
poemsbeganappearinginmajornationalnewspapersandmagazines,suchasTheNewYorkTimes.Withthe
helpoffriends,hepublishedthesecondcollection,MajorsandMinors(1895).ThepoemswritteninStandard
Englishwerecalledmajors,"andthoseindialectweretermedminors.Althoughthemajorpoems
outnumberthosewrittenindialect,itwasthedialectpoemsthatbroughtDunbarthemostattention.Thenoted
novelistandcriticWilliamDeanHowellsgaveafavorablereviewtothepoemsinHarpersWeekly.
ThisrecognitionhelpedDunbargainnationalandinternationalacclaim,andin1897heembarkedonasix
monthreadingtourofEngland.Healsobroughtoutanewcollection,LyricsofLowlyLife(1896).Upon
returningtoAmerica,DunbarreceivedaclerkshipattheLibraryofCongressinWashington,DC,andshortly
thereafterhemarriedthewriterAliceRuthMoore.WhilelivinginWashington,Dunbarpublishedashortstory
collection,FolksfromDixie,anovelentitledTheUncalled,andtwomorecollectionsofpoems,Lyricsofthe
HearthsideandPoemsofCabinandField(1899).Healsocontributedlyricstoanumberofmusicalreviews.
In1898,Dunbarshealthdeteriorated;hebelievedthedustinthelibrarycontributedtohistuberculosisandleft
hisjobtodedicatehimselffulltimetowritingandgivingreadings.Overthenextfiveyears,hewouldproduce
threemorenovelsandthreeshortstorycollections.Dunbarseparatedfromhiswifein1902,andshortly
thereafterhesufferedanervousbreakdownandaboutofpneumonia.Althoughillanddrinkingtoomuchin
attempttosoothehiscoughing,Dunbarcontinuedtowritepoems.HiscollectionsfromthistimeincludeLyrics
ofLoveandLaughter(1903),Howdy,Howdy,Howdy(1905),andLyricsofSunshineandShadow(1905).
ThesebooksconfirmedhispositionasAmericaspremierblackpoet.Dunbarssteadilydeterioratinghealth
causedhimtoreturntohismothershomeinDayton,Ohio,wherehediedonFebruary9,1906,attheageof
thirtythree.

We Wear the Mask

PaulDunbar

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!

Discussion Questions
We Wear the Mask
1. What is the tone of the poem?

2. Is there a rhyme scheme? If so, what is the rhyme scheme?

3. What type of person, or what group of people, wears the mask in the poem?

4. What are three words that you do not recognize in the poem? Get a dictionary and look up the definitions.
Write the words and definitions below.

5. What is your favorite line? Why?

6. If you were to summarize the moral of this poem in one sentence, what would it be?