A Woman In A Mask: A Psychotic Joke

The appearance of something is almost always the opposite of what it is in reality. In this time, masks are used everywhere. Masks are used to hide reality and give a different appearance. Appearances can be deceiving and will almost always trick you into thinking something that is not true. Literature, social media, and pop culture show that people will change themselves so they conform to societal expectations. In most literature, masks are used as a device to show appearance instead of reality.

Determined to find exactly what altered masks can do to an identity, an experiment involving 18 female college students and a clinical trainee was conducted. Gergen’s intentions were to “find the factors of an individual’s choice

The government is able to force the citizens to keep their masks continually through propaganda. The main character Fles, as well as all of the other members of society, believe that if they see their real faces, instant death would overcome them. Fles was hopping on rocks near the river when he tripped, sending his mask off his face. When he peered into the water, Fles was dumbfounded to not die and flabbergasted to see that he was beautiful. He ecstatically ran into the establishment, his town, to show the world what was behind the masks, but to everyone else, Fles’s actions were unheard of and completely abhorrent. Before the establishment members killed him, “Fles’s eyes pleaded with them, yet the only thing they saw in his eyes was the intent of harm, not help.”(Unknown, 3) This quote shows the use of equality by force because the people in Fles’s establishment are so afraid of the consequences set in place by the government that Fles’s aberrant behavior was worth killing him. The threat Fles proposed seemed greater than the death of one person. Overall, the self-preservation the townspeople used against Fles is explained by the government’s use of propaganda which is obtained by equality by

Different people put on a different mask depending on what “part” they are playing . Whether that be with peers, friends, teachers or parents you change because of the surroundings. Masks make you feel untouchable while you wear them, but when you take the mask off you feel monstrous about the acts committed while wearing your disguise. The power masks hold cannot be explained, they can turn the innocent into the barbaric. Masks have been worn throughout history. A good example is the German Nazi Swastika that symbolizes World War Two. The Nazi’s Swastika resembles their mask of genocide, deception, and tragedy. They wore this on their left arm and felt domination. They did not feel remorse for the inhumane acts they committed while hiding behind “their masks.” Once the war had completed, many Germans felt disgrace for their actions. The novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding was published at about the same time World War Two was occurring. Golding took ideas from the annihilation of the war and put it into the context of his story. Some of his ideas were inspired from the cruelty of war. William Golding was a British novelist, playwright, and poet known for his award winning book Lord of the Flies, published in 1954. In Lord of the Flies, most of the boys abandoned the civilized society they had always lived, and resorted to being savages.

"I wish every day could be Halloween. We could all wear masks all the time. Then we could walk around and get to know each other before we go to see what we looked like under the masks." Auggie Page 73. Why-

We all mask something; everybody does. Think about actors, dress up, students, or criminals. They all mask something and it helps them disguise their real character. Most people just jump to the conclusion that masks are harmful, but some masks worn are for others sake. They are worn to cover yourself from the community or the world. Masks are more beneficial than harmful.

The Mask may have started out with strict rules and uses; such as religious ceremonies, however, today they have become less serious with more levity interjected into their meaning. Halloween masks also reflect the spirit of merriment despite its sometimes gruesome appearance. This simple face piece has endured through time and has continued to grow to encompass the masses, demonstrating it will be a part of our lives for a long time to come with its all-inclusive

to believe the mask wearing is anything other than a burden, a dark shadow in a supposedly free society.

Which is also the role the play in Dunbar’s poem. The mask is a way to represent the ways in which people hide and lie about what they are actually feeling underneath. Dunbar is also trying to inform us that masks are a way of self-preservation. The speaker of this poem seems to be very laid back and calm while discussing this, he seems to be at peace or have accepted that this is the way in which things are. It is also never clearly stated if the speaker is male or female, it is just assumed that the speaker is a “he”, this leaves it open to a universal voice, so that it is not specifically limited to any one individual or group of individuals feeling this way.

Masks are used in society to conceal one’s appearance and also as a means for impersonation. When we encounter someone wearing a mask, we assume they are pretending to be whatever that mask depicts. We are aware that there is a person underneath, but we assume that they bear no resemblance to the mask they wear. If they were, then why would they were a mask in the first place?

In society, people are constantly worried about “fitting in” and fear being themselves will hinder their ability to conform to society. Many people fear that being themselves will have a detrimental effect on their social life, and others feel that they are outcasts and that they need to be someone they’re not in order to be socially accepted. People often try to hide their true personality, and wear a “mask.” To metaphorically wear a mask is to express yourself the way you want to be seen, rather than how you actually feel. This instills the idea that one’s own personality is not good enough, creating a fear of being yourself, causing people to wear a “mask.” People wear these masks in an attempt to navigate in society, to preserve innocence,

There are some people who get carried away by people’s appearances or actions and often do not understand or know the reasons behind what they see. For example, “On Nuclear Disarmament" the author states something that draws much attention. He says that Jennie Wade was home when she was shot to death, but that she was not the only victim. He also mentions that almost all the casualties were civilians, men, women, and children who had no part in the war. In this case People were being killed innocently, the actions of others were bringing causes to their lives. That is why I believe that people’s judgment towards others should not be only based on their actions. We need to understand the motivations and circumstances

The audiences would not believe that Anonymous is omnipotent if they watch an ordinary human, who wears glasses, T-shirt and jeans, speaking as a representative and promising to defeat authoritative governments. Then, the Anonymous movement would not appear different and more powerful than other failed gatherings. However, masks have frightening power to create new identities, because facial characteristics are the primary way of recognition (Burton 47). For instance, people choose to represent themselves by their online avatars, which are new identities conceived by digital facades. In this case, putting on a mask means adopting a new persona, an extraordinary one. Even if audiences rationally know the person in the video is a fellow human being, the mask suspends audiences’ disbelief in the divine figure of Anonymous (Anonymous - Operation Egypt #opEgypt). Thus, the mask adds credibility to Anonymous message since gods are perfect and cannot be wrong. Not limited to resembling outlooks, Anonymous also appropriates God’s personality characteristics to enhance its authority

Masks are often worn in tribal or religious ceremonies, to conceal a person’s identity for the sake of protection, and in costume play. Masks offer people a chance to both conform and deviate from the culture within which they find themselves, dependent on the setting. In the wake of the SARS pandemic of 2003, photos were circulated on nightly news reports of people in China wearing health masks. In Japan, people often wear health masks not only to prevent the spread of illness, but also to aid in the control of hay fever (Baseel). The use of health masks would appear commonplace in Asian countries, but that is not the case in America. So how do people in American culture respond to those individuals who wear masks, either by choice or by necessity? I decided to find out on a rather small scale by wearing a health mask for thirty-six hours while outside my home and observing the reactions of others.

A common discovery that many people make sooner or later throughout their life is that they feel so much more comfortable with the protection of a mask. They experience a feeling of freedom, because they feel like they are anonymous. People do not have to worry about what others will think about them because they do not know who is behind the mask. The person with the mask can say or do whatever he/she wants without consequence. There are many different types of façades. One would be commenting as an anon online. Another would be a literal mask that one would see at a masquerade party. A mask forms a sort of protective barrier that defends ones social status granting freedom to act in whatever way one pleases.