Chaos In Masks

Andrea Sanchez English 4 Dr. Don Jobe Fall 2014 Essay on "In Defense of Masks" “In Defense of Masks”, by Kenneth Gergen regards that it is not possible for humans to adequately find a coherent self identity without an aftermath. Gergen states, “to the extent that they do, they many experience severe emotional distress” when trying to do so (172). He refers to Erik Erickson, a psychologist who speaks about how self-alienation can result due to the pressures of society to individuals with various masks of identity.

The mask I wear is one that sings and smiles about all things. My mask covers many of my downfalls and scars from past time that wish could go a far. It’s like a veil or curtain that hides the actor or the bride before they put on a show. My mask is happiness but I do not wear it all the time. I try to hide struggle-some bind and think that everything is okay so I can go on and live another day. Mainly because the speedbumps and struggle will just get in my way. I like to think of myself as happy inside but most of the time I just want to lay back and cry. But when the mask is on I cannot run or hide because off my face I would have to pry. Like a poor little caged bird just wanting to fly. Maya Angelou said in “Caged Bird” “The caged bird sing with fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still” I feel like with the mask I can seek after “thrill” but not have to face the problems I feel.

Have you ever wondered why you enjoy being scared? In Allegra Ringo’s interview, “Why do some brains enjoy fear?”, with Dr. Kerr, a scare specialist, he states that many enjoy being scared because the brain triggers “a flood” of adrenaline, dopamine, and endorphins. To enjoy the feeling of being terrified, our brains have to process that we are in a safe space. Scary movies, stories, roller coasters, and haunted houses all create a breathtaking response to fear. These experiences we have with fear are said to create self-confidence, relieve stress, and even bring us together. Americans spend over 7.5 billion dollars on Halloween activities and costumes. Dr. Kerr states in the interview, that people love Halloween so much because it constructs a strong emotional response and build stronger memories. Dr. Kerr also says that when we are happy, or afraid we release hormones that help those moments “stick” in our brain. We all love a good scare! “The Raven”, by Edgar Allen Poe, and “Beware: do not read this poem”, by Ishmael Reed both analyze the allure of fear through symbolism and descriptive imagery, which is a part of gothic literature. Both Poe and Reed signifies their themes differently but both themes allude to the fascination of fear.

After watching The Mask You Live In, I thought it was interesting to see how the notion of oppression of women across many cultures. So I grew up in an Asian family and that has impacted me greatly. In East Asia, the majority of the population view women as inferior to men. As a matter of fact, women are often viewed as objects simply to reproduce and help extend the family.

Nothing is more real than the mask we choose to show each other who we are. In a coming-to-age novel, A Separate Peace, John Knowles depicts the common rivalry between young adolescents, where masks are used often. Gene is a student at an elite boarding school, Devon, when he meets Finny. As his jealousy grows towards Finny, it leads to an awful life-changing decision. When they are planning on a double jump, Gene bounces on the limb causing Finny to suffer from a horrible fall. Finny later finds out about the truth and runs away in fury, which caused him to break his leg again. As he was receiving a surgery for his injury, Finny died. Gene’s transformation involves the changes of his mask and shadow, which results in his later acceptance of

The title of Dunbar's “We Wear the Mask” (1896) emphasizes the essential idea of the poem, which is deception and illusion. The title is repeated in all three stanzas. This tells the reader to keep the title in mind while reading the poem. The persona of Dunbar is conveyed to

The colors on the mask that I chose are very important to his character. They were chosen specifically from the quote, "Jack planned his new face. He made one cheek

What are masks? One usually thinks it is an object the individual puts on and takes off.

Science tells us that humans are animals, and as animals we are subject to factors such as survival of the fittest, and natural selection. Although some may coin us as “humane,” different and set apart from the savagery of animals, we still retain our primal side, even if it is deeply rooted within us. Humanity has come a long way from the grumbling of cavemen; however, it is the constrictions of society that keep us civilized and sane. In the novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, boys are stranded on an island without civilizations blinding restrictions. With the absence of adults to keep the boys under control, and serve punishments for violations of moral taboos residing from the old life, the true nature of humanity gradually begins

A month ago, I recieved an invitation to a masquerade ball. I chose to wear a mask that represents the awareness of mental illnesses. The masks’ background is blue and yellow, which resembles depression. Along with the colors, it also possesses the silver ribbon for people whom retains mental illnesses. The semicolon resembles a horrible period in peoples lives. Lastly, the whale symbolizes emotion.

For my mask I chose the topic of Ralph’s transition. The mask portrays Ralph’s savagery breaking through his civility. The topic of Ralph’s transition was chosen for a particular reason. That reason being that in the beginning he had the most resources and the most people willing to abide by him yet he still managed to lose sight of the main objective and become savage towards the end of the novel. It is easy to lose sight of main objectives when put in power, but when the lives of others, as well as your own, hang in the balance there is no room to mess up. Even towards the end of the novel when almost everyone left him he still had Piggy and Samneric. Before I chose Ralph as my topic, i considered choosing the theme of savage versus civil

Resident informs security concerning someone wearing a scary clown mask next to the Tavern heading towards Sandy beach. Security notices 4 youths entering Buccaneer Way with one of the youths trying to hide his face from the camera.

I hope you guys are ready for a good start. Awesome! As you can clearly see, I am wearing a mask, hiding my true face and feelings from the society. Who knows what pain and misery I am going through in my life at the moment! However, who, after all, has not worn a mask on occasion to conceal their frustration and disappointment? One particular group in our society who were forced to wear a mask to conceal with true feelings about their situation, was African Americans during the fight for civil rights. Although we can really not understand exactly what these individuals went through, obviously we can relate to the concept of wearing a mask in that we all have a façade that we wear in our daily life. Paul Laurance Dunbar, the son of a slave, has written many poems to talk about white

My mask represents the fears that I hide from the world: the fear of losing sight of what's most important to me, the fear of the unknown, and the fear of showing weakness. The blindfold over the eyes of my mask represents my fear of losing sight of what’s important. I never want to stop trying to do the best I can do. What’s most important to me is my family, friends, and my goals. I want to go to college and get a successful job. Another fear that I have is my fear of the unknown. The unknown is represented by the question mark on the blindfold. I hate not knowing what’s out there. This is one of the reasons I don’t like the dark. The final fear that I keep hidden is the fear of showing weakness. The teardrop represents my final fear. When

They eye has a blue and yellow outline, which yield a very pleasing, bright color combination. They eyebrow is slanted up to portray a happier, more relaxed look. The red plus represents the medical field, a field I hope to get into as it is my favorite. The orange and blue man right next to the plus sign represents martial arts, a hobby in which I kept for six to seven years and I still plan on keeping. The other half of the mouth is pointed upwards, showing satisfaction and happiness with the peace I managed to attain with myself. On top of the eyebrow, there are two symbols (the soccer ball and the A+ grade) which represent some of my high school goals. These goals are to obtain good grades and make the varsity soccer team (just to name a few). To the side of the mask, one may see a shooting star, which is an allusion to the saying “shoot for the stars”. My goals are to shoot for the stars, and I will stop at nothing to achieve them. Finally, below the mouth, there is an attempted drawing of a fist. The fist symbolizes the will and dedication I have to move on and achieve my goals. The significant colors I used for the good side of the mask are blue, orange, red, and yellow. They are bright colors and I was able to make some neat combinations which I used in the mask. The bright colors symbolize brightness in my life as I beat whatever overcome me in my