A Theme of Racism in We Wear The Mask by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Luarence Dunbar once wrote a sad poem titled “We Wear the Mask”. By reading this short poem many people would ask the questions: What is going on or what is the “Mask”?, Who is this happening too?, and Why is this happening?. There would be several questions being asked about this poem coming from readers that do not know what is going on. Back in the 1960s Racial Discrimination was a term used to describe a terrible treatment to a group of people acccording to thier race, color, or ehinicity.

To begin with, when Paul laurence Dunbar wrote this poem was around the time that slavery was abolished. Even though Dunbar wrote this poem he still was around to experience the horrible effects on racism and hatred towards black people. Some readers may be confused about who is wearing the mask. The wearers of the masks are African americans. They wore these masks to hide their true feelings and to try their best and fit in or get alone with the whites. People may ask “Was the mask real?” no the mask was not real, the blacks just pretended to smile when they were around white people. African Americans even sang songs to pretend that they were happy.

Paul Laurence Dunbar uses imagery in his poem for the readers to get a better understanding of why the African Americans had to wear “The Mask”. The imagery is used to speak to the struggles of black people. Most people that read this poem could be confused about what the mask symbolizes? The mask symbolizes how African Americans should hide their true feelings and be who the white people expect them to be. Black people were viewed as stereotypes. The poem shows that the blacks should “mask” their emotions for the whote society in order to get by. Using a mask to hide someone's feelings or emotions is called “double consciousness”. Famous civil rights activist W.E.B. Dubois wrote about how African Americans can only survive is if they play a role in which the white people assigned to them or one they can respect. During this time African Americans are actually being someone that they are not. They are living in two different worlds or living two different lifestyles. They are masking their emotions and acting differently when they are in the whoite society but, when they are around their own people they act normal. This particular poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar shows that African Americans had to pay a price for being black. In the poem it says “With torn and bleeding hearts we smile” that is saying that black had to live a life that made seem like they were not worth being a human. In the poem the debt is being paid to human guile.

Although, Dunbar did use imagery and symbolism but he also uses hyperboles as well. Stanza one line four “with torn and bleeding hearts we smile” this particular line that Dunbar uses is a hyperbole. In the poem this line meant to have psychic wounds inflicted on black people. Paul also uses metaphors in his poem, stanza one line one “we wear the mask that grins and lies”. Dunbar put this particular line in his poem to get the reader to understand that blacks had to “mask” their true feelings and their emotions around white people. Paul laruence Dunbar used several types of figurative language in his poem.

In the meantime, as people out in the world read this poem, they will ask the question “how is we wear the mask still relevant to today's society”. As Paul wrote this poem he is reflecting on the Jim Crow Laws from 1877-1950s. Sadly there is still racial bias going on in today’s society. Racism still exists in the 21st century, and it is not just directed to black people, there are other races that go through racial discrimiation as well. In We Wear the Mask, the first verse explains the different type of disguises or mask that many yblack people had to wear so they would not get in trouble with the white society.

Throughout the poem, Dunbar describes how the persecuted and tortured African Americans pretended to smile and sing songs to hide their “tortured souls”. All the smiling, grinning and signing that the black people did was kind of like a survivor skill. They smiled, grinned, and laughed just so they can survive. Essentially, if the blacks would have showed their true feelings, they would have gotten beat and tortured. For someone to get beat and tortured for showing their true feelings and emotions that is pretty cruel.

Dunbar talks about human guile in his poem, readers may ask the question “how did the black people pay off their debt to the human guile”? The African Americans paid their debt for hiding their true inner selves. The mask helped them hide their true faces and put on a fake smile to please the white people. Dunbar also wanted the readers to know that the African Americans owed something to the human race’s tendency to use dishonesty for their own purpose in life. The African Americans also paid their debt to human guile by abiding the suffering that came along with them keeping themselves hidden. When readers read this poem, eventually they would ask the question; “well how did their debts get repaid”? In the last stanza of the poem it talks about the African American slaves had tortured souls and that they cried out to Christ for help or relief, they also observed that their earthly experience was extremely unpleasant and extended. Reading that particular stanza could help the readers get a better understanding of how the African American slaves debts get repaid.

Paul Laurence Dunar wrote this poem to explain why the African Americans had to hide their unhappiness or annoyance. Back in the slavery times, if a black person showed how they really felt or complained several times then it would most likely get so much worse for that certain individual. The African Americans only had one choice, and that choice was to put on a mask that hides their true emotions. There was a lot of pride involved in this poem as well. If the blacks showed that the white people was getting to them or that their self-pityness was bothering them, then they gave the whites all the power and authority to run over them. That is the main reason why the blacks wore the “mask” to protect themselves from getting tortured. They kept their pride inside, they did not admit defeat because they knew that someday they will be free from this terrible nightmare.

All in all, racial discrimnation was very hectic back in those times. This poem was clearly aimed for the white audience. Paul Laurence Dunbar was trying to draw the white people's attention so they can understand that black people may seem happy and satisfied, but under that mask they are really hurting. Underneath the mask that black people wore, their hearts were being broken because of the pain and suffering they went through and because of the treatment they got from white people. Till this very day in the 21st century, racial discrimination still goes on, on a day to day basis. Most black people out in the world still feel the same way towards white people as the slaves did back in the day.