We Wear The Mask

The lyric poem “We wear the mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar is a poem about the African American race, and how they had to conceal their unhappiness and anger from whites. This poem was written in 1895, which is around the era when slavery was abolished. Dunbar, living in this time period, was able to experience the gruesome effects of racism, hatred and prejudice against blacks at its worst. Using literary techniques such as: alliteration, metaphor, persona, cacophony, apostrophe and paradox, Paul Dunbar’s poem suggests blacks of his time wore masks of smiling faces to hide their true feelings.

Paul Laurence Dunbar, dispatches the cold troubles of African Americans in the lyrical poem, "We Wear the Mask." In this poem, Dunbar links imagery, rhythm, rhyme, and word choice to in order to institute a connection to the reader. From reading the poem, one can infer that Mr. Dunbar is speaking in general, of the misery that many people keep concealed under a grin that they wear very well. But if one were to go further and take the time to research Mr. Dunbar’s selection of this piece and the era of which this poem was written, one would come to understand that this poem focuses entirely on Paul Laurence Dunbar’s viewpoints on racial prejudice and the struggle for equality for the African-American’s of his time period. Though this

In The Things They Carried, the reader will learn a lot about the thoughts and emotions of the soldiers. The author will discuss what they think and do to not look weak or scared. “ They carried their reputations. They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were too embarrassed not to” (O’Brien,21).The soldiers fear being seen as weak or dishonorable by their fellow soldiers and families.

P.T.S.D. a commonly known disorder, that has harmed soldiers in combat over the last century. A 2015 study by Ashley Hayes, found that PTSD it is not only affecting returning veterans. Further it is veterans, that are becoming a rising concern to society. Hayes implies, people who have served In the military and or Iraq, are “returning home changed men”. The exposure to trauma leading to these symptoms is no surprise, as much severity has proven ptsd when people come face to face with life altering events.

As the chapter continues, it paints more of the emotional burdens soldiers go through. Soldiers are known to be tough and because of this, they want to be tough. Soldiers do not want to show any sign of weakness that may make them appear inferior to the enemy or a fellow soldier. “They carried their reputations. They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing” (20). Soldiers often put on a tough persona over who they truly are. This traps emotional pains inside of them that they do not freely express. This can often cause more problems to the soldier in the future where these emotions will flood out of them. All of these emotions that they trap within themselves because it is expected of them to be tough will eventually catch up to them and haunt them. It is not expected of them to show any sign of weakness. Soldiers truly go through hell, even more mentally than physically.

Soldiers going into their 2nd tour/war enter into it with a at least 5% of them being depressed; leading symptoms in PTSD. With P.T.S.D coming up that is becoming very bad but it can be helping people at the same depending on what treatment that they take. P.T.S.D in veterans is very serious but it can also be cured by the multiple resources. The topic of P.T.S.D possesses a multitude of causes, which negatively impact the victim, his or her family and the society in which the victim lives; nevertheless, many treatments or solutions are provided for the victim to lessen that impact on the future of his or her life.

Fear is the most powerful emotion humans can feel. It is so powerful that, someone who is extremely fearful or lacks fear, is said to have a mental disorder. Fear is vital, a necessary response to danger that protects us from danger. Yet fear can dictate how you live your life and can motivate you to do questionable things. In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien shows that a soldier’s greatest fear is the fear of shame and that this fear can sometimes cause soldiers to act against their own principles. Tim O’Brien shows this fear through the different characters in his platoon and how they all share a common fear, only differing in the way they show it. While O’Brien told us about a soldier’s physical burdens, he told us that “They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing.”

War is then revealed as destructive to a soldier’s psychology. Soldier may often do anything to keep sanity amidst a never ending war. Soldiers will block out feelings in order to cope. Dismissal of emotional reaction and the dehumanization of soldiers

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in a northern town near Dayton, Ohio on June 27, 1872 (Brawley 12). His parents instilled in him the value of an education, and he excelled at the all-white Dayton Central High-school where he held the titles of class president, the president of the school literary society, and the editor of the school's newspaper (15). Dunbar was extremely well learned; he spoke and wrote in Standard English, but just as often his poetry was written in black dialect. As one of the first professional African American literary figures (Baym 1038), Paul Laurence Dunbar's poetry consists of two distinct styles: his dialect pieces with the simple rhyme schemes of the ballad lyrical form, such as his 1897 poem When Malindy

The psychological burden that plagues the soldiers the most is fear. The fear of death. Even though the soldiers’ experience fear at some point, showing that fear only reveals vulnerabilities to the enemy and sometimes the crueler fellow soldiers. “They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing – these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight.” (O'Brien, 1990) The

Diction, line structure, syntax, figurative language, and imagery. The theme is brought out by these five structures of writing. These five structures individually portray parts of the theme, but when they are all put together, they portray the theme in its entirety. These elements of structure give life to the theme and make that writing piece more alluring. Writers use these five elements of structure to create a sense of emotion and theme in their writing. Diction, figurative language, and syntax are used to bring the theme, society does not want others to see their weaknesses therefore they hide their true selves behind a “mask”, to life.

The military serves as a major component in our nation 's security. All people around the country continue to rely on them every day to defend our nation’s freedom. Without a doubt, the complex responsibilities of military members encompass large amounts of anxiety, selfless service, and occasionally, terrifying events that cause a negative influence on a person’s life. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a serious and tragic illness among members serving in our military. Mayo Clinic (2014a) defines PTSD as a " mental health condition that 's triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it" (p.361). In certain circumstances, this is a daily experience for many members of the military, but more specifically, the significant impact it has on the groups of men that conduct patrols, air- raids, and a variety of other special operations in the most dangerous territories in the world.

If you just read Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask” from a literary perspective, you will see a story about people wearing a smiling lying mask. From a symbolic point of view “We Wear the Mask” is much more than just a people wearing a mask. This poem symbolizes world problems that existed during the nineteenth century and problems that still exist today, such as racism against the African American community. It represents the pain and the struggles that they had to face during that era, and how they smiled through all the hard times. This poem could also represent people with depression. Spiritual Guidance is used in the end of the essay as well.

The author’s organization of the passage supports the main idea by talking about it, what it’s made of, how it’s made, and how they use it. We all know that the main idea is the importance of the tribal masks. According to the text “few people understand just how special these masks are.” Each paragraph explain everything we need to know. “The Tribal Masks” are design based on their personal style and their tradition’s. In the third paragraph the author explains how they are made. According to the paragraph “The Wood”, they are made out of wood “because the trees are considered an important part of the natural world.” Before they cut down the trees/the tribe performs a ceremony asking permission to the tree to cut it down. The fourth paragraph

This short story written by Paul Laurence Dunbar, The Ingrate has three main characters, Mr. and Mrs. Leckler, white farmers who owns a large plantation in the South, and Josh Leckler, their slave. In this story, Josh is determined to escape to Canada called the ‘land of freedom’. Mr. and Mrs Leckler are clueless about Josh plan to escape from slavery. Mrs. Leckler, taught Josh the “three R’s (reading, writing. ‘rithmetic), by her husband’s request. Mr. Leckler being the slave master is breaking the law by allowing Josh to be educated. Although, Mr. Leckler breaks the law to teach Josh, to read, he still use language such as “teaching a nigger to cipher!” Josh would dream about “the forbidden vision of freedom.” After he awaken from his dream, he heard a voice (metaphor) “out of the woods and whispered to him “Courage!” –and on that night the shadows beckoned him as the white hills had done, and the forest called to him, “Follow.” Josh envisioned slavery as a “deep night.”