We Wear the Mask (1896) We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, And mouth with myriad subtleties. Why should the world be over-wise, In counting all our tears and sighs? Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask. We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile; But let the world dream otherwise, We wear the mask!

Post a response of at least 150-200 words, focusing on the elements below.

• Identify the key images in the poem, which you believe are vital to understanding it.
• Provide a detailed discussion of how those images function in the poem. 
• Do the images work together to form a coherent pattern? 
• What ideas or feelings are conveyed by the images? 
• How do the images contribute to the overall meaning of the poem? 

Tips

Remember to provide evidence for your claims in the form of quoted passages from the poem. Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries should be cited according to APA rules of style, including in-text and reference citations. Quoted material should not exceed 25% of the document.