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! –“We Wear the Mask,” Paul Laurence Dunbar How does the last stanza reinforce the speaker's cynicism? Check the three boxes that apply. The speaker evokes religious imagery to show the extent of the suffering. The final exclamation point adds emphasis to the repeated message. The speaker reveals that the world doesn't listen to his pleas. The repetition of "We wear the mask" suggests that nothing will change.