19 pages • 38 minutes read
We Wear the Mask
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Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1899)
This is another one of Dunbar’s famous poems, which Maya Angelou referenced with her autobiography titled “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings,” after a line in the poem. Like We Wear the Mask makes use of the image of a mask as an extended metaphor to explore themes of oppression and identity, this poem uses the image of a bird in a cage to explore the same thing. What is a bird without its wings, a human without freedom?
“The Parlement of Foules” by Geoffrey Chaucer (1381-1382)
This is an excerpt of a poem in a form reminiscent of “We Wear the Mask,” written and performed while it was popular in the 14th and 15th centuries. As was typical then, the poem’s form made it easier to memorize and recite with its sing-song rhyme patterns. It’s possible Dunbar used this form in response to his popularity with his dialectic poems, showing the depth of his knowledge and skills in poetry.
“The Mask” by Maya Angelou (1987)
Written in direct conversation with Dunbar’s poem, in many ways, it picks up the conversation of oppression, racism, identity, and freedom, right where Dunbar left it; more specifically, the suffering of African Americans that continued on as a legacy of America’s history with racism, something Maya Angelou experienced and wrote about extensively. What makes this so striking is the time gap in between the poems publications, and how not much has changed as Angelou’s poem depicts. You can also hear Angelou recite the poem here.
“To The Negro Farmers of the United States” by Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson (1920)
Not just known as Dunbar’s wife, Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson has her own reputation as a writer and activist. Although Dunbar-Nelson was criticized for not writing enough about the African American struggle against oppression and racism, something she said felt should not be the only focus for African American writers if they are to live freely, this poem certainly speaks to the times. The poem is an ode to the African American farmers who, while powerless in some ways, prove powerful in others, “as brave ones of the soil.”
Further Literary Resources
The Souls of Black Folks by W. E. B. Du Bois (1903)
Du Bois and Dunbar were contemporaries. The poem “We Wear the Mask” has often been attributed to Du Bois’s “The Souls of Black Folks,” which dives deep into the “veil of race,” and the idea of “double consciousness.” Unlike poetry, this is a book of essays that tie together “historical research, sociological analysis, first-hand reportage, political argument, and an enduring, aspirational belief in the possibility of America.”
“Paul Laurence Dunbar and Turn-into-the-20th-Century African American Dualism” by James E Smethurst (2007)
This publication discusses the connection between Dunbar’s work and W. E. B. Du Bois’s work on the “double consciousness” or dual identity of African Americans. Because their work somewhat coincided (they were both alive during the Reconstruction Period), the conversation between these two major figures informed many writers and critical thinkers to come.
“We Wear the Mask: Paul Laurence Dunbar and the Politics of Representative Reality” by Willie J. Harrell Jr. (2010)
This anthology offers an academic overview of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s career as a nationally recognized African American poet. It provides a strong contextual analysis of his work, his use of language and dialect as a tool for poetry and criticism, and the rhetorical strategies his work employs to “promote racial uplift.”
The Poetry Foundation provides a great resource on Paul Laurence Dunbar’s life, legacy, and poetry. Here you can find an easy-to-read poet bio, along with links to other poems Dunbar wrote, and other related readings.
Listen to the Poem
American actor, international film producer, theater director, arts administrator, historian, and consultant Pemon Remi lends voice to Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem “We Wear the Mask.”
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Related Titles
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
