Paul Laurence Dunbar – "Douglass" and "We Wear the Mask"

Dunbar's "Douglass" and "We Wear the Mask" are both different poems that both have a somber mood. "Douglass" talks about Frederick Douglass (Dunbar). It says that they are in a situation where everyone needs Douglass to be there for them and comfort them and reassure them (Dunbar). "We Wear the Mask" is different, in that it says that the world sees us as certain people, but in all reality we only let them see us with masks on (Dunbar). It claims that the world never knows the real person behind the mask, and that the world may not even know we have a mask on (Dunbar). They may take us at face value, which would not allow them to see very much of a person, and not try to get to know us at a deeper level at all (Dunbar). These poems are both very different, but they both have the same note of sadness in them that makes the reader upset (Dunbar). These poems are not cheerful or happy, and could easily ruin someone's mood. These poems fit in the Realist period, because they are both realistic (Dunbar). While they may be sad, they are both realistic and could possibly be true (Dunbar). They are both also emotional and they are in the moment, not looking toward the past or the future (Dunbar). These works are not Naturalistic, because there is no science involved (Dunbar). There was a lot of emotion used in writing these two works, and there was no studying of humans or of their reactions to different situations (Dunbar). These works are also not Regionalistic, because there is nothing in them about a certain place (Dunbar). Dunbar is not trying to promote a certain area or put down a certain region, and there is not even the mention of certain places anywhere in the works (Dunbar). These works kind of show society, but they show it through Dunbar's eyes so it is a tainted view (Dunbar). These works show society as a mean, ruthless, emotionless group, and that is not always true (Dunbar). Sometimes society can be very kind and open-hearted, so the view of society in these works is not necessarily to be trusted (Dunbar). There is nothing in these works about religion, and the only mention of government is in "Douglass" when he is trying to say that slavery should have ended sooner (Dunbar). That is also the only mention of nature, because he compares how long it took slavery to end and the obstacles that it had to go through in terms of nature and the sea (Dunbar). There is nothing really about human nature except for the fact that humans will always try to hide their true emotions if they are not deemed appropriate for the time that was taking place (Dunbar). There was nothing about the American Dream, except the African Americans' American Dream of being freed from slavery (Dunbar). The only figurative language was the comparisons to nature, and those are pretty self-explanatory (Dunbar). There was not a Hero involved in these works, and the Hero could only be the one to save them from slavery (Dunbar). Dunbar was an author that stood for his beliefs but often felt caged in by society (Dunbar).

Dunbar, Paul L. ""Douglass"/"We Wear the Mask"" American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. Columbus: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 568-71. Print.