We Wear the Mask
... In the poem, “We Wear the Mask,” author Paul L. ... Throughout the poem, Dunbar uses the words “The mask,” which points out that this mask is universally worn by many instead of “a mask” which can mean different types of masks. The mask can also symbolize the inner circle of the black community. In the beginning of the poem, the author sets the stage for the ultimate deception in the first line of the poem, “We wear the mask that grins and lies (131). ... Despite the fact that people know they are lying, they continue to “wear the mask. ... Dunbar can also be saying that “the mask” is grinning and not the black men, depicting the happy- go- lucky black man on the plantation. ... Frequently, people say that truth rest in the eyes; however, Dunbar shows us that when we “wear the mask” no one can even see our eyes and therefore they do not know the truth that lies within. ... It also shows that even when people have things they want to say they cover them up with “the mask. ... Moreover, people “wear the mask” so others will not see their pain. ... In the last two lines of the second stanza, Dunbar goes as far as to say, do not let people know your business, “Nay, let them only see us while we wear the mask!