Essay on Northwest Coast Tribal Art

During Maus, the illustration of masks is made very obvious. The features are pronounced and it is very clear that the characters are wearing masks. The illustration of

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.

Alaniz stated that the indigenous people created the mask to be used in the war against their corrupt government. Since the mask was worn during a time of war, the solid red color of the mask could symbolize the blood of the fallen. The use of thin fabrics and the thin glued on strap show the minimal amount of

Wearing a mask isn't always wearing you. Throughout time people have been wearing mask’s. For example people used it to protect themselves, hide from someone else, they can use it for religious reasons or even to be happy. An example of this is when the jewish people were hiding from the germans. or In my dad's a liar he was is protecting his kid from knowing the truth that they were broke.

The mask, in its general aspect, was intended to emphasize the contrast between a brave appearance and a craven nature.

At first, the mask is worn as camouflage, in order to arrange for food other than fruit. For this reason, Jack wears a mask “for hunting… like in the war” (66), this way, he is capable to efficiently hunt for pigs. Therefore, the mask is used for contributing meat to the boys’ society, resulting in an improved diet. Later, the mask progresses, into more than just a disguise for hunting pigs, but rather a way to become barbaric, since the mask conceals the values of society and releases their natural instincts and urges. For instance, when Jack “[begins] to dance and his laughter [becomes] a bloodthirsty snarl… the mask [is] a thing on its own, behind which Jack [hides], liberated from shame and self-consciousness” (66).

A lot of masks contain extreme amounts of detail due to the fact that the mask is supposed to represent a higher meaning. For example, animals are commonly used as a theme in mask art. A very interesting thing about when Africans use animals as their theme, the person who wears the masks represents the spirit of the animal portrayed. This allows the masks wearer to communicate with said animal, like to tell the spirits to keep certain animals away from their village. Buffalo, hyena, hawks, and antelopes are the most commonly used animals used for the masks. The most widely used animals by tribes are antelopes. Antelopes symbolize the agriculture of the African land and are usually worn to enable better crops. Tribes often use parts of the animals they create the masks with to help reach the spirits from the animals. For example, antelope horns, fangs of a warthog, and crocodile teeth. These pieces to the mask help represent the virtue in which the people involved with the mask are trying to create. Masks are also represented as humans. When the masks is supposed to represent calmness, the eyes will slights closed, masks representing wisdom will have large, detailed foreheads and ones with small mouths

The character that I have chosen to design a mask for is Hamlet. In my mask design I have chosen the colour blue, a noose and a dagger. I chose the colour blue because blue represents depression; throughout the play Hamlet shows many signs of being depressed. After Hamlet’s father’s death, Hamlet went into a mode of not having anything to live for. He himself would rather have died than live in a world where someone who is so corrupted ruled.

One such scene depicts the conflict of being a hero, where glory and action are epitomes of such and shows the plaguing realisation that being a hero is a gloomy, depressive and inhumane course of life that ultimately reddens the original person unrecognisable. Jesse James is strikingly enrapturing attention from the viewer in the blue robbery scene. His face is only partly covered by an banange , in contrast to the full masking of the other members of the gang, whom of which have a white sheet with rugged holes pierced through where the eyes and mouth would be on their faces. This clothing symbolisation addresses the fact, that although Jesse James had help during robberies, his face was the only one which was appointed with fame. The irony of so is shown through Jesse’s demeanour. He shows no happiness, no heroism, none of the traits that gave them the label of being a hero. He, ultimately, was the one wearing the biggest mask.

Although these masks have similar qualities, they differ greatly. The creator of Mask A used a lite colored material that has blue ascents in it, while the creator of Mask B used a darker, single toned material. Mask B is wider then Mask A and its facial features are more prominent and bold. The lips, nose and eyes

Actors wore masks so the audience new [knew] who they were playing and how the character was feeling. There were both female and male masks. The expressions on them were either serious looking or frivolous. The masks were also built to help amplify the actors voices.

In my personal reading book, Wren, the main character puts on a mask to boosts everyone's hope around her as she makes herself, and everyone around her feel more safe with the current situation. As they are stuck in a world where they are forced to work for these humans who make her risk her life to catch dangerous criminals, and if they deny they are faced with death. Another character, Callum, partners with Wren. They are both scared, and you can see because it shows what they think in their head, but they put on a mask, to remain brave and tough as they are forced to follow orders, by their human “bosses”. In another book i'm reading, Ashes, the main characters, Tom Alex, and Ellie, Find themselves in a situation where their daily life is fear, because the earth as they know it, is on the verge of destruction. Ellie who is nine years old, is easily frightened and angered, so Alex and Tom both have to put on masks and change their personas to big strong warriors and act brave so they can make Ellie feel secure in the unsecure world they are stuck in. “Masks confine or suppress your true emotions” but really they help express yourself more than you could without a mask. Many think that masks are used to hide emotion but in reality they are used for more. Transitioning from work to home, as an

The color choices I decided to use for my mask include red, purple, and black. The upper left and right half are filled in with red and purple and the chin is filled in with black to exhibit how the hidden meanings behind red and purple really contribute to the feelings that black conveys.Purple has been shown to convey a sense of confusion. Red has been shown to convey a sense of anger. Anger and confusion both can lead to a scenario of extreme chaos. Chaos can lead to a lot of mystery and fear. Mystery and fairly are evidently sensed through the color of black.I also used different symbols to additionally represent the theme of chaos. These symbols include a shell/conch, question marks,exclamation points,and the symbol of chaos itself. The conch is actually shown in LOTF to prevent chaos, so I predicted it would be quite imaginative to use it as a symbol. I also use question marks and exclamation points as when people feel confused or angry, they decided to utilize punctuation such as question marks and exclamation points to convey their confusion and anger. Lastly I used the symbol of chaos as this is the symbol that was conceived by Michael Moorcock himself. Artistic techniques that I used to improve the quality of this mask were drawing and

In this essay I will argue that the use of mask is vital in creating a believable and consistent character for performance. The techniques used in masks not only help to define a character but also help an actor improve their improvisation techniques.

His face, however was obscured by a white mask the hooked around his ears and lower nape. His black eyes were clearly visible, but where the mouth opening should be is smooth, painted over to look like a wide, black smile.