"We Wear the Mask" Analysis

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

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

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

• Tragedy should be openly mourned and not hidden away.

• Social pressure can turn independent people into just faces in a crowd.

Which of the following quotes best supports the idea of why people wear masks?

• “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

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

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

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

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

• The people wear the mask to hide their suffering.

Which word best describes the speaker's tone?

(a)  

• resentful
• joyous
• victorious
• boisterous

What does "the world" refer to in line 6?

(a)  

• Society
• The physical earth
• The speaker's family
• African Americans

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

• They are randomly chosen by the author.

• Those are the speaker's favorite parts.

• Those are the only parts that a mask cover.

• These parts of the face are vital for expressing emotions.

How is the poem structured?

• It contain contains four stanzas with three lines each.

• It contains fifteen stanzas with five lines each.

• It contains 15 lines arranged in one stanza.

• It contains three stanzas with varying lines in each stanza.

Match the following terms to an example from the poem.

• "... the mask that grins and lies,"

• Personification

• "With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,"

• Alliteration

• "Why should the world be over-wise,"

• Hyperbole

In stanza 3, what does vile mean?

Which of these lines contain language that conveys a sense of anguish?

• "...our cries / To thee from tortured souls arise."

• "We wear the mask!"

• "It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,"

• "But let the world dream otherwise,"