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  • Poetic Elements and Message of We Wear the Mask

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    Algren Alcalde
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    The document contains notes on poetic elements like "guile" and "myriad" and analyzes the poem "We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The poem is about African Americans hiding their true feelings and pain behind a mask of smiles to the outside world due to the deception and subtleties they face from human cunning. It discusses how they smile and sing but cry out to Christ about their tortured souls and the difficulties they face while putting on a mask for the world.

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    We Wear the Mask Annotation Sheet

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    The document contains notes on poetic elements like "guile" and "myriad" and analyzes the poem "We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The poem is about African Americans hiding their true feelings and pain behind a mask of smiles to the outside world due to the deception and subtleties they face from human cunning. It discusses how they smile and sing but cry out to Christ about their tortured souls and the difficulties they face while putting on a mask for the world.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    26 views2 pages

    Poetic Elements and Message of We Wear the Mask

    Uploaded by

    Algren Alcalde
    The document contains notes on poetic elements like "guile" and "myriad" and analyzes the poem "We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The poem is about African Americans hiding their true feelings and pain behind a mask of smiles to the outside world due to the deception and subtleties they face from human cunning. It discusses how they smile and sing but cry out to Christ about their tortured souls and the difficulties they face while putting on a mask for the world.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 2

    NOTES ON POETIC ELEMENTS ____________________________________

    __________
    guile – sly or cunning intelligence
    myriad – a countless or extremely great
    NOTES ON THE MESSAGE OF THE POEM
    number
    ____________________________________ ____________________________________
    ____________________________________ We Wear the Mask ____________________________________
    ____________________________________ BY PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR ____________________________________
    ____________________________________ ____________________________________
    __________________________________A_ We wear the mask that grins and lies, ____________________________________
    __________________________________A_ It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,— ____________________________________
    __________________________________B_ This debt we pay to human guile; ____________________________________
    _________________________________B With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, ____________________________________
    __________________________________C_ And mouth with myriad subtleties. ____________________________________
    ____________________________________ ____________________________________
    ___________________________________A Why should the world be over-wise, ____________________________________
    ___________________________________A In counting all our tears and sighs? ____________________________________
    ___________________________________B Nay, let them only see us, while ____________________________________
    ___________________________________C We wear the mask. ____________________________________
    ____________________________________ ____________________________________
    ___________________________________A We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries ____________________________________
    ___________________________________A To thee from tortured souls arise. ____________________________________
    ___________________________________B We sing, but oh the clay is vile ____________________________________
    ___________________________________B Beneath our feet, and long the mile; ____________________________________
    ___________________________________A But let the world dream otherwise, ____________________________________
    ___________________________________C We wear the mask! ____________________________________
    ____________________________________ ____________________________________
    ____________________________________ ____________________________________
    ____________________________________ ____________________________________
    ____________________________________ ____________________________________
    ____________________________________ ____________________________________
    ____________________________________
    ____________________________________
    ____________________________________

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