The two conflicting emotions create a juxtaposition, similar to that of the previous work. However, what is perhaps less obvious is that unlike the previous work, We Wear the Mask references the past by highlighting a past period. The biblical references brought hope into the lives of the slaves who were enslaved in the present day. In the first case, the speaker deplored the use of the mask by slaves and expressed optimism about the future use of the mask. This is how the past was incorporated into the poem; we have not gone through history but simply through thought. The present (first and second stanza) is the gateway to the future, creating the duality of emotions. Conversely, in this last poem, the speaker recognizes the tension of the present (pre-Antebellum) and uses biblical accounts of a past period to form a bridge to the future, in which "Moses" (pp 912- 914) abandons the slavery of