WorksheetsWe wear the mask- Paul Laurence Dunbar
Total questions: 37
Worksheet time: 30mins
Which one of the following is a metaphor of being a hypocrite?
"Mask"
"Hide"
"Eyes"
The word "the" in the title is an example of a/an
Article
Place
Subject
Which word indicates that the speaker omits specific identifiers?
"we"
"wear"
"masks"
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
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
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
"We Wear the Mask" is an example of what kind of poem?
rondeau
eulogy
elegy
sonnet
A repeating line of verse in a poem is called a:
refrain
title
rondeau
sonnet
"Cheeks, eyes, and masks" in "We Wear the Mask" are examples of:
refrain
symbols
paradox
"O great Christ" is an example of an:
prayer
apostrophe
liturgy
elegy
"clay is vile beneath our feet" What is the speaker implying about humanity?
We have destroyed the earth
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 critical of humans
We have no sense of self
He is judgemental
He does not conform to the way we live
He is desperate in his cries for humanity to change
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"
The people in the poem use a masquerade to...
tell a lie
disguise their pain
torture their friends
pretend to be wise
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
What is the mood of this poem?
Agony
Happiness
Anger
Peace
What is the impact of the author’s word choice on 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.
The author’s word choice creates a tortured and agonizing tone.
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, “Continuous behavior will become habits that create resilience.”
It develops the theme, “Presentation is more important than reality.”
It develops the theme, “It is painful to falsely display smiles and happiness to others.”
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 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):
"see" ee sound
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 ou-sound in our
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
Human disgust at hypocrisy
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
In this line,
"And mouth with myriad subtleties.
what part of speech is "mouth"?"
adjective
noun
verb
none of the above
What does "mouth" mean in the line above?
to speak
part of the body that we eat and speak with
to frown
none of the above
In the following lines,
"Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?"
what does "over-wise" mean?
too knowing
finished
upside down
too smart-alecky
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,"
In the following lines,
"We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise."
Who is "thee"?
Christ
People
Government
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
believe that "we" are happy
none of the above
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.
