Figurative Devices Comparing We Wear the Mask and...

Paul Laurence Dunbar and Langston Hughes were considered to be early black poets during the twentieth century around the period of civil right movement. â€Å"We wear the mask† and â€Å"Theme for English B† were written in 1895 and 1951 respectively. Even there is approximately 50 years gap between these two poems, the theme that these two poems address is somewhat similar. Even though Dunbar uses symbols as figurative devices while Hughes uses Irony, they both have the same goal, which is to point out the racial issues within American society. Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the first black poets in his time to confront the hypocrisy he saw around him. â€Å"We wear the mask† was one of his outstanding works that addressed racial injustices in†¦show more content†¦Literally, people wear â€Å"masks† to cover their faces. In the poem, â€Å"we wear the mask† to hide our true feeling. For example, on the first line â€Å"We wear the mask that grins and lies, it hides our cheeks and shaded our eyes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dunbar, 527) shows that do not be deceived by that mask because it is full of lies. â€Å"They wear a grinning mask that hides their true feelings. This image of the grinning mask evokes an ancient and ritual African mask used for ceremony, hiding the eyes and face of the wearer with an impersonal expression. In that case, the mask carries a divine dignity, something superhuman, mysterious, and perhaps implying a terrible retribution to the enemy in the future.† (â€Å"Overview: ‘We wear the mask’ †) Plus, by wearing the masks, people cannot see the emotion shown on the face. People also cannot look into each other’s eyes to understand the thoughts. According to Huff, â€Å"To ‘hide our cheeks’ means to stiffen the face so as not to reveal genuine emotion, and to ‘shade our eyes’ has the triple meaning of adopting an indirect or deferring manner, of avoiding the eye contact that implies a shared understanding of the situation, and of internalizing societys artificial barriers so that an individual will not embarrass himself or others by appearing to desire things that are clearly beyond his reach.† On theShow MoreRelatedMetz Film Language a Semiotics of the Cinema PDF100902 Words   |  316 PagesChicago Press, Chicago 60637  © 1974 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. English translation. Originally published 1974 Note on Translation  © 1991 by the University of Chicago University of Chicago Press edition 1991 Printed in the United States of America 09 08 07 6 7 8 9 10 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Metz, Christian. [Essais sur la signification au cinà ©ma. English] Film language: a semiotics of the cinema / Christian Metz: translated by Michael TaylorRead MoreMarketing Management130471 Words   |  522 Pagescandidate to the public (b) the director of an art museum providing new exhibits to generate greater attendance and financial support (c) a labor union marketing its idea to members and to company management; and (d) professors trying to make their courses interesting for students. In addition to the range of items normally considered as products and services, what is being marketed might include (a) ideas such as reducing air pollution or contributing to the red cross (b) people, such as new football