Question

Read the excerpt from "We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar.

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!

Which structural element does the poet use in this excerpt?

rhyme scheme
repeated line
couplet
quatrain

Answer 1

Repeated line — the final line "We wear the mask!" functions as a refrain (a repeated line) that emphasizes the poem's theme.