Understanding the Poem We Wear the Mask by Paul Dunbar - Research Paper Example

?The ability to create an understanding of a poetic theme is dependent on the language which is used with the poem. When looking at different aspectsa poem, there is the ability to uncover different beliefs and understanding about what the meaning of the poetry is. The poem by Paul Dunbar, “We Wear the Mask,” is one which uses poetic language to describe the main theme. Without the language, there is the inability to understand what the main theme is and what the philosophy of the poet is. However, Dunbar is able to create imagery of what the mask is and how this relates to the relationship which one has to wearing a mask. The theme which Dunbar presents is one which is based on each individual wearing a mask. The narrative voice in the poem is one that observes society and those who are surrounding a condition. The observations are able to describe the concept of wearing the mask and what this means within society. This is combined with the understanding that the mask that each individual wears doesn’t allow them to be true to themselves and the beliefs they have. The theme is then described further by understanding what the mask is and defining the aspects that are a part of the mask. The concepts are then able to create a different understanding of the mask and the layers that each individual carries through various situations. The main type of poetic language that Dunbar uses is with imagery. This is done by describing the different features of the mask and how this relates to the individual. The imagery is first stated with words that describe the mask, such as “grins and lies,” and the ability for the mask to “hide our cheeks and shades our eyes” (line 2). These images show the mask as the main concept while relating it to the individuals that are in every day life. When moving through the images of the mask, one is able to relate to a presentation or performance and the theatrical ideas that are a part of the mask. The descriptions continue with “our tears and sighs” (line 7) to show the same type of imagery that the mask holds with individuals that decide to hold the ideologies of the mask. The imagery which Dunbar uses continues not only in describing the mask and how it relates to each individual. There is the building of a performance and stage through the observation of those that wear a mask. This occurs in every stanza of the poem. Dunbar first shows that it is the individual wearing the mask by showing what is behind the mask when he writes “with torn and bleeding hearts we smile” (line 4). This reference shows the side under the mask of the tears and bleeding then showing the mask of smiling for one to lose their true essence. This continues with the image of the world being the one to look at the mask and not recognize this truth. Dunbar first states “why should the world be over – wise” (line 6) then follows this later with “but let the world dream otherwise” (line 14). These two statements refer to the world not understanding or believing that there is something hidden, like it is looking at each individual wearing the mask. The world is personified as the audience and becomes one that is an image of looking and being detached from those wearing the mask. The concept of the mask then continues with describing the metaphor and simile through the poem. The mask becomes the individual that is observed by the narrator in showing the false components that one carries and which causes them to move away from their true essence. Dunbar states “We sing, but oh the clay is vile / Beneath our feet, and long the mile” (lines 12 – 13). The clay that Dunbar refers to is the human that is wearing their own skin to hide who they really are. The metaphor continues with one being beneath one’s feet and long with the mile, specifically which is associated with the individual carrying their own body through a journey without holding their true essence. The mask then becomes the individual through the metaphor that is created. The metaphors then show how it is the human that carries the mask from who they really are instead of defining the truth of an individual. The poetic language that is used by Dunbar continues with the symbolic meaning that is used. The main symbolic meaning comes in reference to the Biblical ideologies that are in the poem. Dunbar writes “We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries / To thee from tortured souls arise” (lines 10 – 11). In this symbolism there is reference to the Christian belief and the cross that Christ was tortured on. The tortured souls come from those who have the same type of mask by belonging to the false beliefs or religious torture that is symbolic of the torture which Christ went through. The idea of Christ and the Biblical reference to sacrifice for the cross become the main ideologies. This is followed with the understanding that the torture comes from not having the purity and same truth that was a part of the beliefs of the religion which Christ held. The use of poetic language in the poem of “We Wear the Mask” by Dunbar shows a variety of techniques to show the main point. One is able to understand the main theme that Dunbar places to the audience and draws a deeper understanding of the meaning of the poem. The concept of the poetic language then becomes the main way in which Dunbar is able to create this ideology while creating a different approach to showing how each individual is walking away from truth and falsehood. In the poem, metaphor and simile, imagery, symbolism, personification and other forms of techniques are combined to show the main point. With this, there is the ability to show the audience what it means to wear a mask and be a part of a performance that many show as their life. Works Cited Dunbar, Paul. “We Wear the Mask.” Lyrics of Lowly Life New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. Read More