My Mask Meanings

The black veil represents, covering the face in shame. Reverend Hooper enters the church with a black veil over his face, causing quite a disturbance among his congregation. He preached a sermon on secret sin and what we hide from those closest to us. The Reverend Clark tries to talk Hooper, on his deathbed, to take the veil off. He claimed it was a sign of his sadness and refused. The phrase “He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face” (338). The Reverend Hooper points out on his deathbed that the only difference between himself and the people is that they conceal their sins.

Masks have held countless uses and meanings throughout history. Masks have been used in plays, like those of Shakespeare, traditional dances, social gatherings, even as a form of casual or corporal punishment. Although masks have several different uses in different cultural situations, the meaning of the masks is generally the same. Masks are used to conceal an appearance and assume the identity of another. Metaphorically, masks can be used to hide feelings, to protect oneself, and to block out the outside world. Many of these examples are shown in Art Speigelman 's Maus.

This mask holds back all the sorrow, protects you from being further destroyed by others words or actions, and covers up the real extreme problems people are facing such as suicide and drug overdose. Both texts use these “masks” metaphorically to show how the people protect themselves.

In reality the veil represents the secrets everyone is hiding within themselves. The unifying theme is the conflict between the dark, hidden side of man and the standards imposed by his puritanical heritage. Hawthorne brings evil and unauthorized desire into the way of puritan life, and in so doing suggests a insightful truth that is disturbing in its implication, that is to say that we can never hope to know each other's true selves. The themes in the story are suggested by the veil-symbol, the tension between the minister and the community. Every person has something to hide from the world. The veil is symbolic for the cover up of peoples secrets. Although most people would not wear a veil, the minister is proving a point. By wearing a simple black veil Mr. Hooper is making all the villagers evaluate their everyday actions in life. The symbolic value of the black veil lies in the physical and mental dilemma that it creates between the minister and his environment, and the guilt it conveys. Many people believe that the face provides information about a person's primary characteristics, therefore, predicting a persons possible behavior. As a result, by

“Like circus performers, we smear on makeup to become someone else. Far beyond applying a little lip gloss or hair dye, our mask attempts to cover up who we really are. Our mask attempts to cover up who we really are […] what we’ve been through, what we know to be important, and what we are afraid to share with others”. (O’Leary, 36) John O’Leary focuses heavily on the concept of taking off our masks in his inspirational book, On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life. What O’Leary means by this analogy is that we should all break the barriers which we have erected to protect ourselves from the world, walls that were built after being hurt, experiencing something traumatic, or perhaps after being betrayed. However, such walls oftentimes do not benefit ourselves in the way that we may wish. Instead, more often than not, our masks do the opposite, and they isolate us from what we as humans need most: friendship, companionship, and love.

Gender roles often have disastrous consequences for people who struggle to fill their assigned stereotype. Last Wednesday, Carnegie Mellon had a special showing of a new film, The Mask You Live In, that focuses on how society’s narrow definition of masculinity can cause more harm than good.

They also seek to show how this facade separates and alienates you from society, peers, reality, and spirituality. " 'Have patience with me, Elizabeth!' cried he, passionately. 'Do not desert me, though this veil must be between us here on earth. Be mine, and hereafter there shall be no veil over my face, no darkness between our souls! It is but a mortal veil--it is not for eternity! O! You know not how lonely I am, and how frightened, to be alone behind my black veil. Do not leave me in this miserable obscurity forever!' 'Lift the veil but once, and look me in the face,' said she.'Never! It cannot be!' replied Mr. Hooper." " 'Tremble also at each other! Have men avoided me, and women shown no pity, and children screamed and fled, only for my black veil? What, but the mystery which it obscurely typifies, has made this piece of crape so awful? When the friend shows his inmost heart to his friend; the lover to his best beloved; when man does not vainly shrink from the eye of his Creator, loathsomely treasuring up the secret of his sin; then deem me a monster, for the symbol beneath which I have lived, and die! I look around me, and, lo! On every visage a Black Veil!' "

In the readings the the veil and mask both symbolize how people treat you when you’re different. In “The Minister’s Black Veil” it shows that the pastor wearing the veil that the people treat him in a rude even disrespectful way, and in the “We Wear the Mask” it also shows the disrespect given to people who are different. In these readings it shows that it’s easier to hide your emotions then share what’s really wrong. They both symbolize wrongs with the people not wanting to hear the full story before judging you, or even judging you at all. They both show a form of rejection for things that they feel necessary or can’t change.

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

We Wear The Mask was written in 1886 with post slavery America being the significant historical backdrop. In this poem, Dunbar explores the duality of experience of African American's at this time. The outward experience presented to the world at large - “We wear the mask that grins and lies” - versus the inward truth of suffering and turmoil - “With torn and bleeding hearts we smile”.

In We Wear the Mask, the author’s purpose is to push the reader to feel something about the way things were in his perspective.

Conflict plays a huge role in people’s lives. No matter what the circumstance, a person will be in situation in their life where there are two sides fighting each other and the person must figure out how to solve the situation. The masks of Comedy and Tragedy are a good representation of conflict. They are both opposites of each other; one being a symbol of happiness and the other being a symbol of sadness. When you see these two symbols next to each other, you will find a symbol of conflict. Since everyone experiences conflict on a daily basis, the Masks of Comedy and Tragedy can be very relatable symbol. I believe that I relate to this symbol enough to see it as my icon. The masks of Comedy and Tragedy show two sides of the way I feel and my social behavior.

The movie the Mask you live in is about the problems boys face each and every day. There were many couple of boys who were interviewed and explain what made them to be engaging in bad behavior or what makes them to wear mask when going to school. Many boys said the problem they mainly face is being bullied by friends at school, and influenced by peer pressure or being molested by siblings or parents, as a result boys grow with anger in their hearts because they don’t feel loved. Many boy think that if they don’t Rape, sleep with a woman or do something bed then they are not men enough. There are many men and women who are raising awareness to teach boys how to deal with pear pressure and the problems they face each and

The film The Mask You Live In was written, filmed and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. It was released on January 25, 2015 at the premiere of the Sundance Film Festival. Jennifer also released a similar film called Miss Representation, a film about what the expectations of a woman were according to the media. According to the film, using hyper-masculinity among boys and young men through parental teachings and social expectations in the United States negatively affects them psychologically as it affects their way of decision-making and become more isolated throughout their lives. I firmly agree with Newsom’s message she was trying to send out to her intended audience, the parents and our society at large communicated through statistics shown as title sequences and the testimonies coming from boys and men who were once at-risk.

When selecting the optimal theme for my mask, the one that really stood out to me was chaos. Distinctly, the choice to select chaos was partly biased due to the fact that I could brainstorm various various scenarios where chaos nearly overwhelmed, but over time I discerned that everyone encounters a situation in where the chaos interfering with their life simply leaves them confused. From the beginning of my life to this day itself, I have experienced obstacles such as depression/anxiety due to numerous barriers such as family, friend, and health problems. When meticulously observing the different theme options, I also sensed that fear would be a great representative to use for my mask as it also connected with my life, but it just didn't provide