We Wear the Mask

By Paul Laurence Dunbar

Poem

Paraphrase

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.

We create a face that falsely shows

happiness
It hides our facial expressions
We must wear it because everyone wants to
fake how they feel, because the world
doesnt want to see it
We fail to conceal our true emotions.

we- is a plural pronoun that

denotes the poem must be
expressing the opinion of a group
of people. But what group of
people?

Why should we let everyone know

the pain we are in?
No, they should only see us while we
portray fabricated happiness.

cheeks- tears run down cheeks

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!

We appear to be happy, but we are actually

crying out to God in pain.
We sing happily, but the ground is painful
beneath our feet and we have a long
journey ahead.
Let the world think we are happy,
Because we will cover our emotions

A Closer Look

mask- What are they trying to hide?

grin- Popular saying- grin and bear
it

eyes- the windows to the soul are

being covered, thus people cannot see
their true self
debt- word used in financial
business transactions; makes the
condition mandatorily devoid of
emotion
guile- means crafty deception to
attain a goal; cheerful sound covers
malicious meaning
torn and bleeding hearts/ tortured
souls- violent description contrasts
the calm faces they present

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.

over-wise- knowing more than

wisdom contains; understatement for
emphasis- people want to have more
power so they strive for even more
knowledge
counting- numbering, keeping a list
O great Christ- they are calling out
to God to deliver them.

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!

sing- perhaps an allusion to

traditional African gospel
long the mile- it has been a long
journey for their people
*The people are calling out to God
and have been wandering for a long
time like the Israelites*