The readings were insightful and presented interesting takes on the Negro mood. They contained many emotional elements that allowed readers to understand the different situations black people faced. Looking at the writings collectively, they create a timeline. The timeline shows the different changes undergone by the mentality of black people. The reader is exposed to three types of ghostwriters; one, the docile Negro who knows his place, two, the Negro who will take his revenge and three, the Negro who is conflicted between his desires and his responsibilities to his people. The poem “We Wear the Mask,” by Paul Laurence Dunbar It’s about separating black people from the masks they wear. When black people wear their masks, they are not just hiding from their oppressor, they are also hiding from themselves. This type of deception cannot be repaid with material things. This debt can only be repaid through repentance. and self-realization. The second stanza of “We Wear the Mask” says that blacks and whites should not know about their problems. This would only give them influence over the pain and insecurities of black people. need for anyone outside of the black race to know what lies beneath their masks. The third stanza turns to a divine being who turns to God because he created them and is the only one who can understand them. The world shouldn't know who they are. This poem is about black people knowing their place and staying there. It's the only way they can be safe. The poem “If We Must Die,” by Claude McKay, is very different from Durbar’s poem, “We Wear the Mask.” The voice of this poem has a strong and demanding tone. This poem was written for a black movement. ...... middle of paper ...... Negro mood, individual needs versus needs of the race, good versus evil, and civilized versus primal instincts. In the end, the colonel was right. Negroes are born to serve and submit, but not to submit to an oppressor. They serve and submit to their race and the needs of their family. The two poems are two extreme faces of the Negro mentality. They leave no opportunity for other black people to move. They must both be fully compliant. The news was about black people weighing their options. This shows that black people can think logically about their action. In conclusion, I believe that these three writings gave a clear picture of the situation of black people at the time of their writing. As a collective, it shows the changes that black people have gone through due to their experiences. Each is well written and has literary value. They forced me to think about their deeper meanings and challenged the way I viewed black people..