- 1
What is "the mask"?
The mask is the way that people—particularly Black people—present themselves to the (particularly white) world while hiding their inner experiences. Students should note the different purposes Dunbar assigns to the mask: it projects a constant happy face ("grins and lies"), protects the wearer from having the world see their true emotions ("Why should the world be over-wise"), and obscures the true suffering and misery from public view.
- 2
To whom do you think the "we" in the poem refers? Why?
Answers to this question might depend on how much students have thus far learned about Dunbar—for example, whether they have done the "Life of Dunbar"...
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