“We Wear the Mask”
by: Paul Laurence Dunbar
DIRECTIONS: Read the text below, and complete the TPCASTT chart in the margin. Then, answer the questions below the poem.
T-Title:
Make a prediction of what the poem will be about before you read it.
Answer:
We Wear the Mask
We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes--
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And a mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
guile- deception
myriad- numerous, countless
P-Paraphrase:
Explain the poem in your own words.
Answer:
C-Connotation- (word choice) List positive and negative words and figurative language below.
Positive words-
Negative words-
Figurative language-
A-Attitude:
What tone of voice does the speaker have?
Answer:
S-Shifts:
Does anything shift/change from the beginning to the end of the poem?
Answer:
T-Title:
What does the title mean now that you’ve read the poem?
Answer:
T-Theme:
What is the theme or lesson about life you can learn from the poem?
Answer:
Identify an example of alliteration in the poem. (alliteration is words near each other that start with the same sound)
Answer: An example of alliteration in this poem is,
What is your opinion or impression of the poem? Explain your response.
Answer: