In the first line it says "We smile, O great Christ, our cries to you from tortured souls rise." Dunbar claims both emotions by saying that we smile and our cries, but he deliberately did not claim Christ as belonging only to the black race, but rather called him the great Christ, which I took to mean that he is above all men. By not claiming that Christ belongs only to his race, he once again makes it clear that he is referring to the entire human race when he writes this poem. Then he writes: “We sing, but oh, the clay is vile under our feet and stretches for miles. » The word sing is used to describe an act of optimism and clay represents the path of life. So this line says that although we may appear optimistic, life is long and full of many difficulties. Finally, the last line brings the poem full circle by saying “But let the world dream otherwise, we wear the mask!” » This line highlights the fact that, regardless of whether the mask is considered good or bad, it has become a natural way of living for us. It is accepted in our culture to put on a mask and hide our troubles. This causes pain to remain hidden from others and therefore allows the world to dream of a better world..