Briefly discuss the symbolism of the mask in dunbar’s poem “we wear the mask.” what does it likely represent? why does dunbar use the image of a mask?

In “We Wear the Mask,” the mask symbolizes the social inequality present in America at the turn of the twentieth century. Dunbar uses the image of a mask to portray inequality and racism still prevalent in the United States at the time:

We wear the mask that grins and lies,

It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes

African Americans were forced to put on a smile in public and pretend as though they were treated justly:

Why should the world be over-wise,

In counting all our tears and sighs?

Inequality was something that they were forced to live with:

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries

To thee from tortured souls arise.

Dunbar also uses the mask as a symbol of American hypocrisy in the following lines. Slavery had been abolished in the nation. If Americans were really adamant about changing society, they could do so. Instead, racism and racial inequality were still evident.

But let the world dream otherwise,

We wear the mask!

honestly, school in itself just seems to be a huge waste of time. a lot of people graduate but still end up not doing anything in college anyways, which really makes the whole point of graduating seem useless. i'd rather not bring anyone's hopes up then. what i'd recommend is for whoever's reading this to simply drop out.

i mean, kanye did it. he said something along the lines of, "don't let society tell you what to do." now, he's obviously a very successful person, and since his album is called the college dropout i guess he never really had to go through all that nonsense in order to become a millionaire. the same goes for anyone else then.

it is b

explanation:

you need infomation to write a essay