Read two poems by Paul Lawrence Dunbar: “We Wear the Mask” (1896) and “Sympathy” (1899). You can find these poems in our book, 101 Great American Poems.
Also, read the short story by Alice Dunbar-Nelson called “The Stones of the Village” (1905). You can find this story in our book, Great Short Stories by American Women.
1. What is the central problem Paul Lawrence Dunbar is identifying in his poetry?
2. What does he mean when he says, “we wear the mask”?
3. Why would someone want to wear a mask?
4. How does this problem of masking relate to the problem he identifies in “Sympathy”?
5. What is the central problem Alice Dunbar-Nelson is identifying in her short story?
6. Why would Victor choose the path he chooses? And what are the results?
7. How does Victor’s problem relate to the ones that Paul Lawrence Dunbar considers?
