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 overwise,
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!
The Greatest poem that i ever read
I read this poem because a High School student, raising money for research into uveitis, used the poem to describe the lives of uveitis sufferers.
Good poetry moves us and makes us think. Our thoughts may not be those the poet was thinking, our times may be far removed from the days the poet was alive, but good poetry contains a universiality in its subject that is understood across generations and cultures.
I have uveitis which is blinding me. The poem made me cry because I don’t wear a mask: all can see my pain. It humbled me because I lack the courage to hide my fear, my anger, my desperation. Great writers speak of the human condition and Dunbar has chosen one of our better traits: our ability to retain dignity when the cards are stacked against us. He also does that remarkable thing great writers do with ease – create empathy. I like to imagine him as a poet who changed the lives of others for the better.
I understand that this poem had some African-American meanings behind it, but does anyone else think it could have another meaning…?… He expresses how “we” are hiding things inside, how “we” are hiding our true feelings, and how “we” are putting on a facade so the “world thinks otherwise”
Could Paul Lawrence Dunbar had been a Christian, talking about the masks that “we” wear because of whatever reasons???
I think this poem is not only a good representation of the struggle african americans went through, but more specifically; I believe the mask he is talking about was imposed on them. this poem was written post-civil war when black and white men were trying to co-exist. White men humored themselves with Minstrel shows and blackface acting. Even black men would paint over thier already dark skin and over-exaggerate thier mouth with huge white lips painted on. when he speaks of the tortures souls arising i think he means his fore-fathers who went through the pain of slavery.
the first time i read this poem was in a theater class for a project and what it meant to me is that sometimes children and other people hide their true selvs from everyone else like the children that are abused or the children that dont have parents that care about them but when i looked this up on here i found that it was relly about african americans and the struggle that they have went through and i read it again and it does all come into place now this is a great poem keep up the good work
This poem is one of my favorites. It so boldly interprets the struggle of prejudice and hardships endured by African americans then and now. The sad thing is it is still resonant of today, but I think it could be used as a great learning tool for teaching the past and how we could possibly change the future.
Depicts overall struggle of African Americans throughout hisstory
As an eighth grade Language Arts teacher, I found this poem be an excellent teaching tool as well as intriguing personal reading. In today’s classrooms, teachers are required to teach across the curriculum.
Not only does this poem afford one the opportuniy to accomplish this,but it also affords the teacher the opportunity to integrate real-life experiences into classroom activities as this, too, is now required in many school districts throughout our nation. KUDOS!!!
This poem is very profound. It dicribes the sruggle that Affrican Americans went through and are still going through. Absolutely great poem.
this poem is much like our country. we are supposed to be the “greatest” of all countries because we have the most freedom but we have really bad troubles
what a great poem, this is such a truthful peom It’s great Keep it up !
o my god i absolutely love that poem,the first time i read the poem i didnt realy understand the poem . but now that i understand what hes talikin about and the struggle african americans went trough.and im african american and it teaches me about my culture
Exelent poem, I just Love it
A great poem, I just love it Helped me understand the troubles African Americans had to go through in the early 1900’s.
Oddly enough, if you tell the typical english class to interpret the poem WITHOUT knowing that it was written by Dunbar, they will see it as a poem about conformity and false persona. If you tell them the background of the author, they will see it as a poem about race relations… kinda funny really.
We Wear the Mask is my favorite poem. It depicts how African Americans have adapted to the harsh world of racism. While volunteering at a local shelter,the poem depicted the Katrina Evacuees.
I first read this poems as a high school student in the South. I found this poem in my efforts to understand the slave issues we were studying and to learn and to understand what contribution blacks had made to the building of America. The poem was a key link into understanding just that. You see blacks were absent from the history books of my generation. They were only discussed as slaves. To this day I have a great appreciation for this poetic.
I have loved the poems I’ve read so far. I have never read his work before. I think I’m hooked. I just “get it!”
I was ready a book of gathered poems this morning. I saw this one, and it is exactly me, put into words that could not flow from my own in such preciseness to accomplish the goal. I love it greatly. It can be anyone at anytime. We all wear masks in a great masquerade.
This poem is one of my favorite poems in the world and I have read alot of poems. This poem can touch anyone.