Question

What might Paul Laurence Dunbar mean in the following lines from his poem "We Wear the Mask"?

Answer 1

What Paul Laurence Dunba means in the following lines from his poem, "We wear the Mask" in lines "We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise." is the following.
Although they keep similes on their faces they pray everyday that their struggles may end and that the internal suffering they endure will as well.

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Answer 2

The poem "We Wear the Mask" written by American Author Paul Laurence Dunbar tells the story of why so many times the black men chooses to wear the "happy mask" when living without freedom. When Dunbar writes " We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise" he is making a reference to how despite smiling gracefully, the African Americans pray every night for an end to all of their struggles. The speaker can only confide his secrets to Christ, because to the rest of the world he shows the fake mask of happiness, while his soul is in pain.