Name: Danel Peña. Facilitator: Pedro Antonio José flete. Matricula: 16-0305.

Subjects: Ingles elemental ll.

 Index

● Introduction………………………………………………………………………….1

●   Body of work………………………………………………………………....2

●   Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….3

●   Bibliography………………………………………………………………….4

● Annexed………………………………………………………………………….5
We Wear the Mask

Times were tough in America during the turn of the century (before the days of Netflix and Slurpees).
Lots of changes were occurring, and many folks had a difficult time coming to terms with them. Black
Americans in particular found themselves caught in a culture that appeared somewhat better than it had
been before and during the Civil War. But the fact of the matter was: things just weren't so peachy.

Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem, first published in Lyrics of Lowly Life (1896), is a reaction to the racial
climate of the late nineteenth century. He talks about hypocrisy, deception, and the fact that black
Americans often resorted to seeming content with their social circumstances. But behind all that seeming,
though, is just a bunch of lies trying to cover up the fact that they were feeling pretty rotten and unable to
talk about their feelings in an honest way.

So what we get in "We Wear the Mask" is a lyrical exploration of all that pretending and the truth that
hides behind it. And since the truth is a rather painful one, we get the sense that all of those masks aren't
doing such a great job of covering things up.

By now you're probably thinking that Dunbar's work is going to leave you feeling really angry or really
sad. But there's a silver lining to this poem, as difficult as it may be to find. Dunbar was one of the first to
create a more objective perspective of what was going on in American culture. In other words, he kind of
took a step back and looked at things in a less personal, less emotional way, making "We Wear the Mask"
applicable to all sorts of people and circumstances. By doing that, he opened up the world of poetic
interpretation in a much more universal way. And we at Shmoop (along with many other folks) thank him
for that.
 Body of work

WHY SHOULD I CARE?

Paul Lawrence Dunbar is considered to be the first major black poet in America. He helped pave the way
for the artists of the Harlem Renaissance that came later in the 1920s. And more importantly, he was one
of the few African Americans of his time speaking honestly about the hypocrisy he saw around him.

All of that took a lot of guts, since it was pretty dangerous back then for black Americans to speak out
about white supremacy and social injustices. Those guts became a major inspiration, not just for the
artists that came after him, but also for folks in America (both black and white) who needed a good dose
of reality.

So, as you read "We Wear the Mask," consider not only the courage that came with writing it but also the
message that we can still apply to today's culture. After all, it's not like somebody suddenly waved a
magic wand and made all of the prejudices and hypocrisies of the world disappeared. These kinds of
problems are still around today, and if folks don't speak up about them, none of us can really expect to see
them change, right?

The writer exhorts us to live in a full, transparent way, so that the world knows who we really are. It asks
us to be honest with ourselves and with everything around us. This world is full of falsehood and vanity
that blind us and does not allow us to express ourselves.

We are fully invited, to live without masks, to live with total honesty and sincerity, to leave the hypocrisy
to one side.

In our hands is to be a spokesman for this message, to bring it to those around us, to instill others to live
with honesty, and even more to educate our children with these important values, since in them is the
future and development of our society .
Conclusion
To finish with this topic, I can only say that for me it was an honor to read this interesting paper that has
given us much to think about and analyze about our lives. For me it's like I'm connected to the writer,
because everything he has written here is as if I had it in my head too.

Because since I have use of reason, I see how the world is handled, with so much indifference lack of
solidarity and honesty, it is something I have seen very badly. Since my way of being and thinking has
always been and will be, be sincere as much as I can with others and with myself.

I want you to remember and always carry with you, that life is much more fun if we live it to the fullest,
always showing us at all times and in all places who we truly are. It is that life tastes better when we are
sincere and honest.

Bibliography
Poetry fundation. (2017). Retrieved from Poetry fundation: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44203/we-
wear-the-mask
 Annexed

We Wear the Mask

BY PAUL LAURENCE Dunbar

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;