The presence of masks in litterature

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I only got 70 % on thisAccording to the Webster's English dictionary personas are "individual's social facades" and the root of the word person comes from the Latin word persona, which in their language means mask. Masks have been around for thousands of years. They come in many shapes and sizes, the most well known masks are physical masks. As described in "why do people make masks?" (Sparkers), they have many uses, such as protection or preservation of memories. Masks allow the wearer to mask their true identity. Most of the time these masks are virtual, although often present they can not always be detected. No matter what shape they may take, they always have the same purposes, and when referring to virtual masks, it's often to hide the wearer's true self and bend reality to his or her biddings. Knowing that almost everyone has hid behind a mask at one point or another, a question that can be raised is to what extent is reality tainted by the presence of masks in literature and society. The presence of various facades, such as the masks of Pride, Courage, and Hypocrisy, often taint reality due to the superficial environment they influence the characters to live in. We can witness this in different literary sources such as Shadow Play A novel by Charles Baxter as well as in society today. The first mask that tends to taint the reality the characters live in is the mask of Pride. In Shadow Play, we see this mask worn by various characters. We also see characters like Willy in Arthur Miller's play as well as other characters in various books wear this mask. Wyatt, in Baxter's novel is the first character showing evidence of this mask. This facade is transparent when Wyatt gets a tattoo in order to conceal the pain caused by his cousins death. His embarrassment to show his true feelings demonstrates the mask of pride. He is not the only one, however, that uses pain in order to sustain his pride. One can see the same phenomenon in novels such as Find me by Rosie O'Donnell or The Luckiest Girl in the World by Steven Levenkron. Characters in both of these novels seek pain in order to not have to deal with their emotions due to the persona of pride they have been raised to wear. Showing their feelings would show a weakness to their facade which is why they seek to conceal it with superficial pain.

College Essays on The presence of masks in litterature

The mask of pride can lead to death as demonstrated by Willy in Miller's play and Cyril in Shadow Play. These two characters were so lost in their pride and their quest to be successful that they decided to neglect their families to live up to their facade. Cyril in Shadow Play did not like the idea of receiving money from Wyatt, his cousin; therefore he decided to get a job, any job, at any price. Because of his beliefs, he got a janitor job in the plant which caused his cancer, and eventually, his death. Willy, in Death of a Salesman, also died due to his mask of Pride. Willy, like Cyril, refused any outside help when needed because he "(…) doesn't like people to give him handouts (…)" (Moahmed). In his head, due to his mask, he does not need help at all to succeed. It is this false illusion that brought him to make the decision that his sons needed the insurance money more than the love he could provide, which lead to his suicidal death. This persona is also present in society; it is seen in the school and work environments. It is seen in areas where people set their standards high and refuse any sources of help due to the fear of hurting their reputation, or more precisely, the facade of pride they have falsely established. We also see it through world leaders who refuse to change their opinion scared that it will hurt their reputation, or rather, chip their mask. This facade is widely used throughout the world by people who are afraid of their true selves and the image they project; it tends to taint reality because it is a mask that is really hard to see through. A second mask that distorts reality is the mask of courage. Through the readers eyes a character may appear courageous while his actions are mere results of fear. This mask is seen on Cyril in Shadow Play. He wears this mask when he decides that drowning would be the best way to end his pain and suffering. Although he wears it convincingly, and almost manages to fool everyone, his hesitation shows that his courage is nothing but a show. In this novel the reader also sees Ellen, Wyatt's aunt, put on this same facade. Throughout the novel she portrays herself as being an aunt that knows what to do in every situation. However, when she talks about her thoughts we see that she is not the woman she claims to be. Even though she seems to be affirmative and courageous with the kids, through the bible she writes, as well as other events, the reader discovers that the courage she showed was only a guise, or an illusion, she wishes to project. A reader can also find courageous, yet false, appearances in other books and plays such as Hamlet where the main character Hamlet is forced to put on a facade of courage when he has to secretly make a decision that goes against his values. This mask is also present in society. For example, the children talked about in Michele Landsberg's West Must Confront Anonymous Misery of the Worlds Children are forced to wear it. These children are forced to perform horrible tasks in fear and miserable conditions. If it wasn't for the mask of courage that they wear, these children wouldn't survive the day. This persona of courage is also worn by athletes or actors who are often scared before a performance. They choose to put on a veil of deceit to trick others into a belief of their confidence of fearlessness. The third and final prominent mask, which changes the appearance of reality, is the mask of hypocrisy. This is by far the mask most worn in both society and literature. In literature we find characters like Wyatt in Baxter's novel that wear it. We see him wearing it when he pretends to be Jerry's friend. He plays golf with him, then, turns around and attempts to set his house on fire. He later tells his wife he loves her, but proceeds to have an affair. Those actions indicate that he wears without remorse the social hypocrisy mask in order to do what he wants and get away with it conscious free. However, he isn't the only character in literature hiding behind this mask, especially in family situations. For example, the father in Call Me Crazy, as well as well as Willy, in Death of a Salesman, who both leave on business trips and end up having an affair. This is an example of the same facade, since at home, they pretend it never happened. This same mask is not only worn by individuals, it can also be worn by an entire family. In Call Me Crazy, one of the characters says "we were all aware that we weren't rich but (…) it didn't matter." This shows that one member of a family can influence the entire family under their facade. In Family Portrait, a song interpreted by Pink, the writer says that in their "family portrait, 'they' look pretty happy. Let's play pretend, let's act like it comes naturally". This quotation shows that the whole family can be drawn to play the part of the hypocrites, in order to conform to societys rule. We can also find this facade assembled by Claudius, in the play Hamlet. Claudius appears to care for Hamlet, but his care is completely false. In our every day lives, we see this mask worn all around us. Sometimes though, we may not always notice it. A businessman trying to make more money will wear it to fool his or her opponent. Stores will use it to fool the buyer into thinking their products are better than they really are through marketing. Politicians will wear it to be allowed to lie to get what they want, which is get enough votes to get elected, and the list goes on.Some characters are aware of this facade, though, they choose ignorance over action. Wyatt, in Charles Baxters story, notices this mask; at one point in the novel and he says that "the working day was like Halloween, except that all the masks showed businesslike and resolute expressions. The idea was to get on with things, (…) but somehow remain a professional at all time" (Baxter, p.18).As you may have noticed, it is possible for a character to wear more than one persona simultaneously, it is all part of the show they put on the craft a situation to their biddings. However, or whenever, they are worn; these masks have one sole purpose. That purpose is to conceal a reality the character wishes to be hidden. This is why a mask can taint the true reality which should be perceived by others. Its in human nature to assemble personas in order to hide actions that are felt as imperfect. It is no wonder that the root of the word person comes from mask in Latin! Sometimes people get so consumed, that they cannot distinguish between the mask, and the real person. Even Ellen, in the novel Shadow Play, who had raised Wyatt, inverses herself near the end of the novel and says that she had never quite known her nephew, (Baxter, 0) in a direct reference to the facade he has put on over the years. It is hard to distinguish truth through the deceptions and disguises of people around us. A question that must, however, be asked is whether or not anyone really discerns their own masks they have worn so long. Work citedBaxter, Charles. Shadow Play A Novel. New York W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1.Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York Penguin Books, 176.Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York First Signet Classic Printing, 18.Landsberg, Michele. "West Must Confront Anonymous Misery of the Worlds Children." In Act of Writing. Whitby McGraw-Hill Ryerson , 000.Pink, Storch, S. "Family Portrait", Pink Publishing Designee/EMI-April Music, Inc./Scott Storch Music/TVT, 00.Pierpoint, Robin. "Appearances vs. Reality" http//prospero.cailab.mwsc.edu/shakespeare/summer00/submit/7.1.000-10.58.46.htmlSparkers, "Why do people make masks?" http//www.arts.ufl.edu/art/rt_room/sparkers/masks/mask.htmlNadi, Moahmed. "Death of a Salesman Cruel Life" Http//www.literatureclassics.com/essays/667 Please note that this sample paper on The presence of masks in litterature is for your review only. In order to eliminate any of the plagiarism issues, it is highly recommended that you do not use it for you own writing purposes. In case you experience difficulties with writing a well structured and accurately composed paper on The presence of masks in litterature, we are here to assist you. Your persuasive essay on The presence of masks in litterature will be written from scratch, so you do not have to worry about its originality.

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