We Wear the Mask

Read the poem and answer the questions.

WE WEAR THE MASK

by Paul Laurence Dunbar

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 sighs?

Nay, let them only see us, while

We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries

To thee from tortured souls arise.

We sing, but oh the clay is vile

Beneath our feet, and long the mile;

But let the world dream otherwise,

We wear the mask!

The mask that the author describes is the best example of what literary device?

• Imagery

• Symbolism

• Alliteration

• Metaphor

Tags

CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RL.7.4

Why does the author include line 4 in the poem?

• 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

• To show how our emotions can act as a mask

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.7.4

Which of the following best describes a central theme of the text?

• It's important to hide our emotions from the world

• Silence allows people to stay strong in difficult situations, even though it does have consequences.

• Identity comes from what we do and are, not what we look like.

• Everybody wears some kind of mask

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

Which of the following quotes best supports the theme?

• “We wear the mask that grins and lies, / It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes” (Lines 1-2

• This debt we pay to human guile” (Line 3)

• “O great Christ, our cries / To thee from tortured souls arise.” (Lines 10-11)

• “We sing, but oh the clay is vile / Beneath our feet, and long the mile” (Lines 12-13

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.7.2

Which of the following is an example of personification?

• "This debt we pay to human guile"

• "With torn and bleeding hearts we smile"

• "We wear the mask that grins and lies"

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

Tags

CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RL.7.4

What is the mask a likely metaphor for?

• What is the mask a likely metaphor for?

• A necessary tool

• People's feelings

• A forced way of life

Tags

CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.7.4

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"

Tags

CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RL.7.4

What is "the world" referring to in line 6?

• The physical earth

• The speaker's family

• A new generation

• The people of the earth

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.7.4

Why must the people (the “we” mentioned) wear the mask?

• The people wear the mask to keep their identities a secret.

• The people wear the mask to protect their faces and themselves.

• The people wear the mask to hide their suffering.

• The people wear the mask because they are told to by the larger society.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

How does the poet develop the theme?

• by describing the masks in a creepy, threatening way

• by giving examples of things in life that lead to suffering

• by having the speaker describe what it means to live a hard life

• by contrasting the image people present and the way they really feel

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.W.7.9A