“We Wear the Mask” is a profoundly impactful and poignant poem authored by Paul Laurence Dunbar, a highly influential African American poet who emerged during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Dunbar employs vivid imagery, figurative language, and a notably evocative tone to examine the theme of identity and the masks that individuals adopt to obscure their genuine emotions and challenges within a racially oppressive societal context. The title itself, “We Wear the Mask,” sets the tone for the poem and establishes the central metaphor. The word “mask” symbolizes the facades people put on to hide their pain, anguish, and true selves. Though not an actual mask, Dunbar uses it to denote the outer portrayal people embrace instead of their true identity (Knol 10). The use of the plural pronoun “we” indicates a shared experience, which further supports the idea that Dunbar is speaking of a community-wide phenomenon when he discusses the issue of masking.
Dunbar investigates the hypocrisy that permeated his era. In the opening line, “We wear the mask that grins and lies,” Dunbar captures the inherent duality of the masks people put on for social interaction (Dunbar para 1). The “lie” stresses the act of deception that covers the wearers’ inner problems, while the “grin” represents the fake smile people project publicly to conceal their genuine emotions. Dunbar delves deeper into the mask metaphor by juxtaposing happy and sad pictures. It conceals our faces and casts a shadow over our eyes,” he explains. We owe so much to cunning people” (Dunbar para 1). In this context, the mask serves as a tool to hide one’s genuine emotions from the rest of society. The phrase “debt we pay to human guile” suggests that the mask-wearers are coerced into hiding their true identities by prevailing norms and biases in society.
Dunbar stresses the mental and emotional toll of hiding behind a mask throughout the entire poem. According to him, “with torn and bleeding hearts we smile,… And mouth with myriad subtleties” (Dunbar parag 1). This statement expresses the anguish felt on the inside by those who are coerced into hiding who they are. Their hearts may be “torn and bleeding,” but they keep on smiling and conforming while using a variety of subtle techniques to get by in social situations. The poem also alludes to the anxiety one feels while deciding to take off a mask for fear of ridicule. In “Why Should the World Be Over-wise,” Dunbar asks, “In counting all our tears and sighs?” (Dunbar para 2). This saying implies that people are too indifferent to the problems of those who wear the clothes to even try to understand them on a deeper level.
As the poem winds out, Dunbar injects a spirit of determination and fortitude. “But let the world dream otherwise,” he says, “We are the Masked Riders!” (Dunbar, paragraph 3). The wearers of such a proclamation are showing that they are unwavering in their commitment to shield their authentic selves and keep their pride intact, despite the turmoil going on inside their heads. Dunbar’s philosophy, which he worked to further with a group of notable African Americans including Coleridge-Taylor, is highlighted in this work (Hampton 36). In “We Wear the Mask,” Dunbar delivers a scathing indictment of the prejudice and double standards African Americans must endure in American society. The poem sheds light on the plight of people who, despite internal anguish, must put on a brave face for the outside world. Dunbar encourages reflection on the costs of hiding one’s true self and the complexity of identity in the face of adversity through the use of striking imagery and an arresting metaphor.
Works Cited
Dunbar, Paul Laurence. “We Wear the Mask.” Poetry Foundation, 2023, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44203/we-wear-the-mask.
Hampton, Makeda Danielle. “Songs for High Voice: An Annotated Guide to African Romances, Op. 17 by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.” (2021).
Knol, Nancy, and Brian Karsten. Inspired Words: Devotions for Readers. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2021.
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