Paul Laurence Dunbar was an astonishing 19th century African-American poet. Dunbar was born in 1872 and died in 1906. He was born to former slave parents after the Civil War, which greatly influenced his writing. According to his biography in the McMichael Leonard anthology, "Even with his impressive college credentials, Dunbar, because he was black, was unable to find professional employment in Dayton and was forced to settle down as a road operator. 'elevator' ('Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 -1906)'). Dunbar's novels, essays, short stories, and poems are still well known in the 21st century and should remain a part of the American literary canon. I chose Dunbar’s poem “We Wear the Mask.” This poem was written in 1895 and officially published shortly after. The “We” in the title of the poem refers to African Americans. The poem speaks for many unheard voices of African Americans for several reasons. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Although slavery was abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, this did not mean that discrimination against African Americans automatically ceased. In Dunbar's poem he writes: "We wear the mask that smiles and lies, it hides our cheeks and shields our eyes." When I read this, I think about how society today still hides behind a mask. We hide our true feelings so as not to show our weaknesses or draw attention to ourselves. We put on a fake smile and pretend discrimination and racism aren't all around us. We hide our pain and suffering not only physically but also emotionally. We pretend everything is okay to hide our true feelings. The world is always on the move and few people think about stopping to say hello or smile when passing someone on the street. Instead, we lower our heads and look at our phones to avoid contact with others. While in reality, the races are still divided today, but it now includes issues with immigrants such as Hispanics, Asians, Muslims and Europeans. My family emigrated legally from Poland to Illinois in the late 1980s and sometimes we don't feel like they don't fit in because they are not born citizens of the United States. Even though I was born in Chicago and raised here, people still sometimes look at me strangely because of my accent and when I speak in my native language to my family members. I feel like Dunbar and his family, as well as all African Americans in the 19th century, felt like they didn't fit the American image that only white people were wanted. In order to meet society's standards, you have to wear a mask so as not to be noticed and hide so as not to draw attention to yourself. If you do or say something out of the ordinary by society's standards, you are automatically labeled as different. Dunbar, through his poetry, spoke for many African Americans who were afraid to express themselves. He touched many people, and that is why his poetry endures and I believe will still exist for centuries to come and should remain in the American literary canon. Dunbar moved to Chicago to find work in the early 1890s and became a historic landmark in Chicago's Dunbar Park. There is a carved statue of him that many people can visit and admire. I love Chicago because it is a melting pot of cultural diversity. We can't change. 963.