"clay is vile beneath our feet" What is the speaker implying about humanity?

He expresses that humans- made from clay (Biblical reference) is weak and our treatment of the earth wreaks havoc and destruction

Describe the speaker of this poem.

He is desperate in his cries for humanity to change

He is critical of humans We have no sense of self

He is judgemental He does not conform to the way we live

Which of the following is an example of personification?

"We wear the mask that grins and lies"

"Nay, let them only see us while we/Wear the mask"

"With torn and bleeding hearts we smile"

"This debt we pay to human guile"

Why does the author include line 4 in the poem?

To show how our emotions can act as a mask

To show how a broken heart can make us smile

To show how much a torn and bleeding heart can hurt

To show how a broken heart doesn't really hurt

Which choice best represents the central idea of the poem?

Our faces do not always show our real emotions

It's important to hide our emotions from the world

It's important to know more than other people

Everybody wears some kind of mask

Why is it important that the mask "hides cheeks and shades eyes" instead of nose, teeth, ears, etc?

These parts of the face are vital for making expressions of emotion

They are randomly chosen by the author

Those are the only parts that maska cover

What is the impact of the author’s word choice on tone?

The author’s word choice creates a tortured and agonizing tone.

The author’s word choice creates a bitter and cruel tone.

The author’s word choice creates a sarcastic tone.

The author’s word choice creates an optimistic tone.

Which is an example of hyperbole?

"With torn and bleeding hearts we smile"

"Why should the world be overwise"

"We sing, but oh the clay is vile"

"But let the world dream otherwise"

What effect does the repetition of the phrase “We wear the mask” at the beginning of the poem and the end of each stanza have on the poem’s meaning?

It develops the theme, “It is painful to falsely display smiles and happiness to others.”

It develops the theme, “Continuous behavior will become habits that create resilience.”

It develops the theme, “Presentation is more important than reality.”

It develops the theme, “When the world seems happy, all will go well.”

What does the mask symbolize in the poem "We Wear the Mask"?

The mask symbolizes the false fronts that some people feel they must wear in order to be accepted by society.Dunbar could be referring to the mask that black people feel they must wear in white society

The mask symbolizes the truth. It is a reflection of what we really are in society today

"Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask." Find the alliteration in the above two lines (look at the beginning sounds of words):

the w-sound in "while we / Wear"

Assonance is similar vowel sounds in nearby words. We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,— In the two lines above you have the long i-sound in the words lies, hides, eyes. Where does assonance occur in the line below? "Beneath our feet, and long the mile"

the long e-sound in beneath...feet

Who do you think "we" refers to in the poem? In other words, who is "we"?

"We" refers to African Americans of Dunbar's time suffering from racism and discrimination

"We" refers to Hispanic Americans of Dunbar's time suffering from racism and discrimination

True or false? The mask that "we" wear is a mask that shows our suffering and misery. Find at least two lines which support your answer.

False, " We wear the mask that grins..."; " With torn and bleeding hearts we smile"; "

True. "We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries"; "We sing, but oh the clay is vile" (any three)

When the speaker says, This debt we pay to human guile; what does he mean by "human guile"?

Human deception or human trait of tricking people into believing a falsehood

How do we pay off our debt to human guile? by doing what?

by wearing a mask; in other words, by pretending to be happy on the outside when we are really suffering on the inside

by wearing a mask. In order to blend in within our surroundings and the people who inhabit it, we shun our pain in favour of acceptance

we cover our true selves in fear of judgement and negative comments

What does "mouth" mean in the line above?

part of the body that we eat and speak with

True or false? In the above two lines, the speaker is asking why should the world know how miserable "we" actually are

False, "Nay, let them only see us, while / We wear the mask." OR "But let the world dream otherwise,"

True, "Nay, let them only see us, while / We wear the mask." OR "But let the world dream otherwise,"

True or false? Underneath the happy mask, "we" are really suffering and miserable. Find at least two quotes that support your answer:

True, "With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,"; "Why should the world be over-wise, / In counting all our tears and sighs?"; "We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries / To thee from tortured souls arise.";

False, "We sing, but oh the clay is vile / Beneath our feet, and long the mile;"

In the line, "But let the world dream otherwise," the speaker is saying the world should be allowed to

dream whatever the world wants to dream

believe that "we" are miserable

How does the sound device in line 5 contribute to the meaning of the poem?

The alliteration (‘m’ in ‘mouth with myriad’) adds to the musical quality of the rhythm. Music normally is associated with joy and celebration but in this case, it masks sadness. Communication is masked beneath ‘subtleties’ to hide anger, suffering and frustration.

The alliteration emphasizes the repetition of the idea that we hide who we are in favour of acceptance.

Critically comment on how the tone is ‘masked’ in the poem by referring to the contrast between ‘grins’ (line 1) and ‘cries’ (line 10).

The ‘grins’ are a mask that feigns happiness and pleasure. The ‘cries’ implore relief from suffering. The tone appears to be one of acceptance, indifference, detachment or composure (‘grins’) when in fact, beneath the ‘mask’ there is anguish, agony, despair (‘cries’).

The poet emphasizes that our masks hide what we truly feel. We are not really happy but smiling to fit in and not share our burdens with others.

We wear the mask- Paul Laurence Dunbar

Quiz

•

English

•

11th - 12th Grade

•

Practice Problem

•

Medium

•

CCSS

RL.11-12.8, RL.8.4, RL.11-12.2

+25

Standards-aligned

N_ Fillis

Used 77+ times

FREE Resource

37 questions

Show all answers

1.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Which one of the following is a metaphor of being a hypocrite?

"Mask"

"Hide"

"Eyes"

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

2.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

The word "the" in the title is an example of a/an

Article

Place

Subject

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

3.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Which word indicates that the speaker omits specific identifiers?

"we"

"wear"

"masks"

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

4.

MULTIPLE SELECT QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Why do you think the speaker chooses to omit any specific identifiers?

He does this to be inclusive of all people guilty of being hypocrites

He believes in human beings, not collective labels

This illustrates his statement that we are all equal

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

5.

MULTIPLE SELECT QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

How do the biblical allusions in the third stanza help emphasize the speaker's emotional conflict?

These emphasizes his need for Christ to cleanse people

Exclamation of disbelief in humanity

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

6.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What is the poet stating in Stanza 2?

The world is too preoccupied to be dealing with our issues

The world is a precarious place

We are far removed to believe the world cares about our issues

We will not share our burdens. It portrays us as weak individuals

We would rather wear a mask- pretend

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

7.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

"We Wear the Mask" is an example of what kind of poem?

rondeau

eulogy

elegy

sonnet

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

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We wear the mask- Paul Laurence Dunbar

37 questions

Which one of the following is a metaphor of being a hypocrite?

The word "the" in the title is an example of a/an

Which word indicates that the speaker omits specific identifiers?

Why do you think the speaker chooses to omit any specific identifiers?

How do the biblical allusions in the third stanza help emphasize the speaker's emotional conflict?

What is the poet stating in Stanza 2?

"We Wear the Mask" is an example of what kind of poem?

A repeating line of verse in a poem is called a:

"Cheeks, eyes, and masks" in "We Wear the Mask" are examples of:

"O great Christ" is an example of an:

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