We wear the mask that grins and lies,It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes, —This debt1 we pay to human guile;2With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,[5]And mouth with myriad subtleties.Q13Why should the world be over-wise,In counting all our tears and sighs?Nay, let them only see us, whileWe wear the mask.Q2[10]We smile, but, oh great Christ, our criesTo thee from tortured souls arise.We sing, but, oh, the clay4 is vile5Beneath our feet, and long the mile;But let the world dream otherwise,[15]We wear the mask!Q3"We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1896) is in the public domain.Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under theCC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licenseNotesAllDefinitionsFootnotesHere, having a debt to pay means having an obligation, or something one must doGuile (noun) : clever but sometimes dishonest behavior that one uses to deceive others“Mouth with myriad subtleties” may refer to the many expectations for “respectful” speech, such as calling someone sir or ma’amHere, clay refers to the earth or ground beneath one’s feetVile (adjective) : disgustingRead AloudAnnotateTranslateGuiding QuestionsShow LessQuestion 2 of 3 What purpose does the mask serve?It shades the eyes of the person wearing it from the sun.It hides the real emotions of the person wearing it.It tears the heart apart of the person wearing it.It allows the person wearing it to be able to smile happily.

What might Paul Laurence Dunbar mean in the following lines from his poem "We Wear the Mask"?We smile, but, O great Christ, our criesTo thee from tortured souls arise. A. The African American community is pleased with its current situation in life and does not wish to change anything. B. Although they seem unhappy, the African American community is content with life in the United States. C. Although they smile outwardly, African Americans pray for an end to their community’s struggle. D. The African American community prays for others to go through the same struggles that its members have faced. E. The African American community wants the US government to compensate them for their suffering as slaves.

What is the purpose of “the mask” that the author describes in the poem?  Why do they wear it, according to the poet?  Cite evidence from the text to support your answer (Dunbar 1).  You can submit your response here.

What effect does the poet achieve by repeating the phrase, "We wear the mask" throughout the poem? Complete the sentences to answer the question.In the poem "We Wear the Mask," Paul Laurence Dunbar voices his repressed anger and frustration toward American society. He repeats the title phrase three times in the poem, using the words mask and we to show that . The first use of the phrase is matter-of-fact. In the second stanza, the statement is followed by a period, which shows resignation. However, at the end of the poem, Dunbar almost shouts the phrase defiantly. The mask seems to become something he wears proudly. Through this gradual emphasis on the phrase, Dunbar could be implying that .

Which of the following sentences best describes the real emotions of those wearing the mask?They are unconcerned and distracted.They are joyful and excited.They are confused and shocked.They are suffering and sad.

Facial ExpressionsIf eyes are the windows to the soul, facial expressions are the wood that the windows are made of. Let’s learn about facial expressions in greater detail in the following video.PauseMuteCurrent Time 3:42/Duration 5:28Loaded: 86.89% 1xPlayback RateQuality LevelsPicture-in-PictureFullscreen2318429You learnt about the seven broad categories of human emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, fear, surprise and contempt. You also learnt how to distinguish a real smile from a fake one.  In the following video, you will understand how to leverage your knowledge of emotions in your everyday communication.Play Video2318429In the video above, you learnt that macroexpressions occur when no attempt is made to modify or conceal one’s emotions. On the other hand, microexpressions occur fleetingly and are a sign of concealed emotions. While attempting the following questions, please try out the expressions yourself based on the text-based descriptions.Question 1/2MandatoryIdentifying Facial ExpressionsMatch the correct emotion with its corresponding expression:a. Sadness i. Nose wrinkled, lower lip and cheeks raised, and lines below the lower eyelidsb. Anger ii. Tightly pressed lips, vertical lines between eyebrows, and eyebrows lowered and drawn togetherc. Disgust iii. Lips curled upwards with squinted eyes and wrinkles near the eyesd. Contempt iv. Eyebrows raised and drawn together, horizontal wrinkles on the forehead, eyes open wide and the upper white of the eyeballs visible, and lips slightly stretched and drawn backwardse. Happiness v. Eyebrows raised, the upper and lower white of the eyeballs visible, jaw open, face elongated and horizontal wrinkles on the foreheadf. Surprise vi. Lips drawn down, eyebrows drawn in and raised, and a pouted lower lipg. Fear vii. Mouth raised at one end a - vib - iic - id - viie - iiif - ivg - va - vib - iic - id - viie - iiif - vg- iva - vib - ivc - id - viie - iiif - vg - iia - iib - vic - id - viie - iiif - vg - iv