Masks Literary Analysis: Seventh Grade By Gary Soto

Equality’s Mask A mask is something that covers all or part of the face, worn to hide one's identity. A mask can also be defined as anything that disguises or conceals a person or an object. People often use masks because they do not want others to think poorly of them.

Sometimes things are not as they seem. People often choose to hide their true self in hopes to protect themselves from the wrath of others.

One way masking is beneficial is saving people’s lives. Specifically, in Alex Rider: The Story of an Assassin, Yassen Grevovich concealed his identity to make it to the train without being killed. The text says, that Yassen’s town was destroyed by the government for an unknown reason. He was the only one that escaped from his town. Everything else was demolished completely by bombs. His parents, friends, and family were killed. Nothing was left in him but himself. He was lucky enough to make it to town, but he had nowhere to go. He decided the first thing he will do is get out of Russia. After what seemed like an eternity, he made it to the train stations. He was about to walk inside, until he saw a lot of security guards inside. He knew clearly

is the mummies, he stated: ". . . The one little kid, the one that asked

“I feel like the word ‘DIVERGENT’ is branded on my forehead, and if he looks at me long enough, he’ll be able to read it” (164). When Tris gets attacked by some of her fellow initiates, Four gives her advice to stay safe. “‘You think I have to pretend to be vulnerable?’ I ask, raising an eyebrow. ‘Yes, I do’“(285). Lord of the Flies shows that people hide behind masks to liberate themselves of shame. Jack is an excellent example for a character who uses masks to cover his true self. When Jack makes himself a mask made out of mud, he becomes a different person. “He looked in astonishment, no longer at himself but at an awesome stranger” (31). “He capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness” (33). When the boys kill the pig, they are all somewhat horrified that they did it, but Jack makes a joke out of it and puts on a mask. “He giggled and flecked them while the boys laughed at his reeking palms. Then Jack grabbed Maurice and rubbed the stuff over his cheeks” (195). Social media allows people to also use masks.

Masks and identity are a huge part of The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman. They’re used in many different cases and in different situations to conceal the character's true identity to provide protection or to help characters relate to others. Masks are also used to take away identity in a way that's harmful. Ones identity is a very important part of who they are and the loss of identity can cause a lot of personal destruction. One instance shows a positive outcome of the masks when Vladek wears a pig mask to hide the fact that he is jewish so he can talk to the polish man on the train to get home safely. This is an example of how the masks are used to provide protection and conceal one's true identity.

This Quote is from Pamela Caughie‟s article “Passing as Modernism” which defines the reason behind passing, According to Caughie passing isn 't simply pretending to be white, but is way for an individual to shift the

People use masks for more than one reason, but masks are often used to prove a point or to show an emotion. Even in ancient Greece, dramatic masks were used in theater so that people in the top row of an amphitheater could see the emotion on actors' faces. This use of masks was for entertainment, but it also stresses the importance of human emotion and how important it was considered even to the ancient Greeks. Some people, however, don't use an added mask to show human emotion. They use their face, and that face can serve as the only mask necessary to prove a point. A face can be a mask that is used to show people someone's emotion literally, or it can be used as a figurative mask to hide emotion. It is ironic how the literal masks of the

Masking is important concept of African American literature because an abundant amount of blacks had to hide their true feelings and could not express themselves during slavery or post civil war. In the poem, We Wear the Mask by Paul Dunbar, the speaker describes how African Americans put on a façade in everyday life to hide their true feelings. In line 2, “It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,“ shows the general public but specifying African Americans and the way they express and don't express their true feelings. Not being able to show these emotions indicates wearing a mask or not showing their true self. In line 4, “With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,” starts to show the truth behind the mask and realizing pain is contributing to this façade.

Hiding oneself seems to have become second nature to the majority of today’s society. Everyone has the mask they wear when they’re at school, work, home or out with friends… then they also have their natural mask; the one that shows who they are when it’s three in the morning and they’re all alone in their room. The mask that doesn’t need to hide the depression they feel. The mask that allows them to reach deep inside their minds without judgment. The mask that lets them think and feel for themselves.

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.

I believe for myself it depends on the situation that I’m in. Of Course I couldn’t show my Vulnerability for everyone, but only for selected people in my life. Because my Vulnerability is what makes me unique from others. In my life, I use the mask in different ways situation. For instance, I could use the mask to show my family that I’m feeling well fine and I’m great, but in real something is hurting me inside. A person can’t stop hiding vulnerability and don’t use masks, because then all people would know everything about him/her and he/she won’t have any privacy in their lives. Another way that I could use a mask for example, if I hate a someone and I really want to treat him badly, but I can’t, because he is close to me. In this type of

I have experienced what Paul Laurence Dunbar talks about in his poem. I have worn a mask that grins and lies. “We wear a mask that grins and lies.” I don’t always want others to know how I feel. For example, my mother and I had gotten lost on our way home from visiting my sister in college. It was a one lane road surrounded by forest in the middle of the night and the GPS stopped working. We were in the middle of nowhere and I could tell that my mom was freaking out. I could also tell that she was trying to hide her feelings. I put on a brave face and continued to reassure her, and myself for that matter, that we would be fine and that we should keep going. Eventually we made to the highway and we both breathed a sigh of relief. I agree with

On page 41 line 130-150 Victor’s french teacher Mr.Bueller asked is anybody knew french in his class and Victor raised his hand but he really didn't know french, he only raised his hand because he wanted to impress Teresa since she was in his french class. Mr.Bueller asked Victor a question in french but of course he didn't know what Mr.Bueller asked. Victor didn't answer so Mr.Bueller asked another question so Victor tried to make up some sentence that sounded french like. Mr.Bueller didnt hear what Victor said so he told him to repeat and Victor did and when he did that's when Mr.Bueller knew that Victor didn't know french so he just moved on. Victor felt so embarrassed after that, like he wanted to go hide in a hole. I have been embarrassed multiple times but the most recent one was in a volleyball game. I was on a roll with my serving and people was cheering me on but then i missed one serve and i was really embarrassed because people was rooting for me and i

A character’s traits are what defines their entire self and reveals a plethora of information about how they would respond in different situations. The way they present themselves to the world, whether it is accurate or not, tells a lot about them. My character tends to remain quiet in an unfamiliar situation. They put on a mask in hopes of staying out of the spotlight. By keeping to themselves they lessen the risk of others being able to target them. Psychology Today says that masks are worn because of Imposter Syndrome or fearing that the world may be able to figure us out (Sparks). This is important to realize as it explains how how one acts in certain situations most likely does not reflect their true self.