Journal 15



This week we discussed the poem “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar. For this journal, explore your mask. What does it say? What does it hide? Who built it?

My mask;

In order to better understand the mask i wear i had to dissect the poem "we wear the mask". Paul Dunbar paints a picture for the audience of the type of mask we all hide in. The type of mask that has in part been constructed by society. A mask where we hide our emotions and smile through the pain because why burden the rest of the world when they too have their own pain to mask.

So the mas that i hide under is complex on its own. I agree with Dunbar because my mask also hold similar characteristics to the one he described. I too hide my emotions back, and smile through those moments i thought i would never get past. We do this, i do this so as to not burden those around me or anyone in general. However, like everything this is flawed because as human we are creature whom love to interact and it is necessary to express these emotions (its healthy). Another huge characteristic of my mask is that in a sense it changes shape,inorder to "survive". As i mentioned before society has a huge influence on everyone,including myself. It teaches us what to praise and what to look down upon,it builds us up only to come crashing down on us and destroy us completely. So with each passing day the mask,my mask changes from new knowledge ,new experiences, and new emotions. 

Even though the mask provides strength at times when i dont have any to go on,it has a lot more that it hides than that it shows. It hides me ,my true self ,sometimes as a defense mechanism but ther times simply to conform to the norms imposed upon us all. Knowing when to take it off and when to put it on is vital, because we all have a mask but it's learning how it functions, and making sure that it does not "take over " is what matters.