Question

we wear the mask
by paul laurence dunbar
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!

in “we wear the mask,” how does the poet use irony to reject the romantic notion of idealism?

• by pointing out that most people are unable to recognize their own emotions
• by pointing out that most people are truly happy, despite appearing depressed
• by describing how people attempt to appear happy for the sake of material gain
• by describing how people attempt to hide their pain by pretending to be happy

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the poem "We Wear the Mask" and the options:

• Option 1: The poem doesn't focus on people recognizing their emotions. Eliminate.
• Option 2: The poem shows people hide pain, not that they're truly happy. Eliminate.
• Option 3: The poem doesn't mention material gain. Eliminate.
• Option 4: Lines like "With torn and bleeding hearts we smile" and "We wear the mask" show people hide pain by pretending to be happy, using irony to reject idealism (which would assume true happiness matches appearances). This fits.

Answer:

The bottom - right option (by describing how people attempt to hide their pain by pretending to be happy)