Life by Paul Laurence Dunbar

In "Sympathy", "When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore", lines mean?

• it is old and happy

• it is wounded and sad

• it is tired and sleeping

• it is enjoying the cage

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When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,

And the river flows like a stream of glass, what does these lines refer to?

• the imaginary land of the bird

• the outside world is beautiful and allows freedom

• the world of the cage saves the bird from being attacked

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"But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core, " what prayer do you think the bird is saying?

• asking for forgiveness

• asking for liberation

• asking for a life in the cage

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"Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;" Why has the bars turned red? Explain in your own words.

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The poem ‘Sympathy’ is written by——

• William Makepeace Thackeray

• Paul Laurence Dunbar

• Maya Angelou

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Directions: Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow.

Paul Laurence Dunbar – “We Wear the Mask”

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 countless 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 ground is vile

Beneath our feet, and long the mile;

But let the world dream otherwise,

We wear the mask!

The people in the poem use a masquerade to

• tell a lie

• disguise their pain

• torture their friends

• pretend to be wise

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The overall message of the text; the big idea about life that the author is trying to convey is called:

• A Metaphor

• Alliteration

• A Stanza

• Theme

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Which choice best represents the central idea of the poem?

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

• It's important to know more than other people

• Our faces do not always show our real emotions

• Everybody wears some kind of mask

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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

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The speaker says, "We sing, but oh the clay is vile. Beneath our feet, and long the mile." What is the most likely interpretation of these lines?

• The people dislike the journey, so they sing a happy song to make themselves feel better

• The people's lives are difficult, but they pretend to feel when others can see

• The people are on a gross muddy road, but they still enjoy traveling together

• The people have to travel a long way, and the song helps them pas time

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