We Wear The Mask by Paul Laurence Dunbar - Poetry: The Best Words in the Best Order - #BlogchatterA2ZChallenge2021

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 WE WEAR THE MASK

PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR

                                                            Pixels

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 eyes?

Nay, let them only see us, while

We wear the mask.

                                                                     Open Culture

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries,

To thee from tortured souls arise.

We sing, but O, the clay is vile

Beneath our feet, and long the mile;

But let the world dream otherwise,

We wear the mask!

                                                        VCU News - Virginia Commonwealth

The Poet: Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 - 1906)

Paul Laurence Dunbar is a black American writer with an impressive repertoire of writing, consisting of short stories, novels essays and poetry. He is known for having represented the gamut of black lives in an America that was moving on to the next century. His poems display his prowess over poetic technique and content, and reveal the plight of the black community in American society. They reveal a conversational style peppered with colourful language. Today, Dunbar is considered as America's first renowned Black poet.

The reason why I chose this poem was because of the unique situation we find ourselves in. 'We Wear The Mask' had a different connotation at the time Dunbar wrote it. A lyrical poem, it spoke of the lives of African-Americans who suffered numerous miseries after the torturous Civil War. Yet, they were forced to hide their sufferings under a mask of happiness, as they faced racial discrimination at every stage.  It was a kind of fake happiness that they exhibited, even as they seethed within, yet smiling with torn and bleeding hearts.

                                                                                UpDivine

The only solace they got was from praying to Christ who, they believed, would be able to hear their pleas and see their misery. The second stanza is poignant. Why should the world have to endure the sighs of the down-trodden. Instead wouldn't it be better to let them see the mask of fake joy that they wear? 

How true this poem rings as we look at the state of the world today as the COVID-19 virus struts about in its virulent dance of death! Masks have become a way of life, and we hide myriad emotions under them... a truth that is agonizing to the human race as a whole. 

                                                               Paul Laurence Dunbar - Study.com

  This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2ZChallenge2021

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Comments

  1. Suchita4/27/2021 02:27:00 PM

    Beautiful poem and beautiful interpretation. My favourite so far.

    ReplyDelete
  2. deepti menon4/27/2021 09:05:00 PM

    Really? Thank you so much, Suchita. This was the first time I was reading it and it struck a chord within me too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown4/27/2021 11:31:00 PM

    Beautiful interpretation. All of us wear masks to hide our true emotions and these days its becoming stronger. In the context of the poem civil war era must have been excruciating
    Deepika Sharma

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. deepti menon4/30/2021 06:00:00 PM

      That's so true, Deepika. I think wearing a mask for any reason is painful, be it masking emotions or for protection against a virus. Thank you so much.

      Delete
  4. charly manrtin7/31/2021 05:14:00 PM

    Your Blog has insightful information related to Wear a mask and Covid-19. I also have some information related to this field. Anyone can check it out.


    Do You Need To Wear A Mask If You Are Vaccinated Against COVID-19?

    ReplyDelete

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