Understanding “The Mask on the Masquerade” by Miidong Daloeng

1. It is a free verse. Highly irregular.

2. “The mask on the masquerade is just a mask.”I like the rhythm.

3. It reminds me of past relationships.

4. The smoke, mask and masquerade are all metaphors and they summarizes the poem for me.

I know what I am
Repetition created emphasis.

Life had attempted squeezing life out of me.
Personification gave the poem life.

On the quest to find the devil.

Exaggeration gave the poet a dark persona.

5. I’ll rewrite “But before the smoke and foe” as “Before the smoky fog”

6. The theme is that people are not usually who they say they are.

Vera