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

-

 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

   https://www.theblogchatter.com

   #BlogChatterA2Z #BlogChatterA2Z2021        




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

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE STRANGE CASE OF THE MISSING TEETH

-
Image
                                                                            Clipart.com I cannot forget the shocked expression on the young dentist’s face. “Where are all your teeth?” “Uhh… in my mouth, where they should be?” I mumbled, perched on the leather chair as he peered into my mouth. His eyes widened with bewilderment as he leant forward, almost falling into the gaping cavern in front of him. “Three missing here… three on the other side! Two more here and a broken tooth!” I was quite shocked out of my wits. Where had all my teeth disappeared to? I did recall a few sittings earlier where some of my wisdom had been yanked out, but eight and a half teeth? I was a walking miracle! More importantly, an ‘eating’ miracle! When my better half agonised over one painful grinder that made lif...
Read more

Clouds and Waves by Rabindrananth Tagore - Poetry: The Best Words in the Best Order - #BlogchatterA2ZChallenge2021

-
Image
     CLOUDS AND WAVES Rabindranath Tagore Amazon.com Serenity in the Garden Mother, the folk who live up in the clouds call out to me - "We play from the time we wake till the day ends. We play with the golden dawn, we play with the silver moon." I ask, "But how am I to get up to you?" They answer, "Come to the edge of the earth, lift up your hands to the sky, and you will be taken up into the clouds." "My mother is waiting for me at home," I say, "How can I leave her and come?" Then they smile and float away.    But I know a nicer game than that, mother. I shall be the cloud and you the moon.  I shall cover you with both my hands, and our house-top will be the blue sky.  The folk who live in the waves call out to me - "We sing from morning till night; on and on we travel and know not where we pass.            Sunaina Coelho I ask, "But how am I to join you? They tell me, "Come to the edge of the shore and stand wit...
Read more

The Miracle of Love - Fiction - Post Number 8: #MyFriendAlexa

-
Image
Credits: Col. Gopinath Menon The waves crashed on the rocks, a sound that Sudesh loved, as he sat feeling the freshness of the spray on his face. Voices echoed around him, and he could feel the vibration as people jogged along the beach, and his sightless eyes turned towards the movement. He had been coming to this spot for many months now, ever since he had shifted to Mumbai, after his mother had passed away.  The sound of the sea evoked a vision that he could only feel, not see. He could smell the delicious puris that Ram Prasad was frying, very near to where he sat. Every day the cheerful proprietor would look for a moment when there were few customers, and hand over a plate of piping hot puris and delicious potato curry to the gentle blind man who sat there, so young and so uncomplaining!                                                 ...
Read more