In art what does a mask mean?

Answer 1

Africa is a large continent tribal masks developed along different lines; tribal masks mean different things to different tribes, and served different purposes.

Some tribes were may have been close to each other, so there would be some sort of similarity between the ritual usage and even look of the mask; other tribes were possibly hundreds or thousands of kilometers apart, so they have no apparent relationship to each other.

They were used in story telling, ritual, initiations, war dances, weddings and funerals.

Generally speaking:

African masks symbolize the spirit of the African ancestors.

African masks were also used to show that they belonged to a certain tribe.

African masks can ward/ scare of other tribes and they are also used in tribal festivals/ dances.

Answer 2

Answers

It could be a reference to the Hebrew name for Satan, Beelzebub. It translates to Lord of Flies. It is obvious that the Lord of Flies in the novel symbolizes the devil, or the evil in every human being. It seems as though Golding choose this title as a representation of the evil in humans. The title Lord of the Flies is just a metaphoric way of explaining the plot in a short text.

Some believe that it refers to a line from 'King Lear'. "As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods, - They kill us for their sport".

If you read the end of the chapter, A gift for darkness, its the scene where we see Simon speaking to the pigs head, who calls himself, the Lord of the flies. In this scene, the Lord of the Flies says, "There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And Im the beast." He also says, "Fancy thinking that the beast was something you could hunt and kill."

I am well aware that the word Beelezebob, meaning Satan, is the Hebrew word for, the Lord of the Flies. The beast is obviously Satan, the pigs head, speaking in Simons thoughts. The actual title however, signifies that the children on the island are the flies, and their lord is Satan, particulary the ones that Jack converted. The Beast states, "Do you see, you're not wanted. We are going to have fun on this island. So don't try it or else we shall do you." WE being Satan and his flies, the FLIES being Jack, Roger Maurice, etc. Satan also stated that Simon would indeed be killed and that he would meet him down below. This particular scene in the book reminded me of when Jesus was speaking with Satan in the garden, and how Satan said that Jesus's plan would fail, 'so don't bother trying it.' Jesus was sacrificed just as Simon was, except Jesus was sacrificed by the will of god, and Simon was killed by the will of Satan.

So, to put it blantly, the title signifies Satan being in control, because this time, it is not man he overpowers, which he sometimes does, but it is children that he is in control of. As we well know, Satan is a deciever. "Im the reason why things are what they are.," said the Lord of the Flies. Children are represented as flies in this book because children are often easy to decieve and they are so very well decieved, that they end up going bloodthirsty and Simon dies because of it. The reason for the line, "Don try to escape, don't you dare try it... or we shall kill you" is that Satan could not take control over Simon, and he tried to convince him not to escape, he could not decieve Simon because Simon was good hearted and special. When Ralph intervened with Satans plan to try and escape, Jack and his tribe, the flies chased after Ralph and attempted to kill him... until the pilot showed up.

In the original draft the novel it was actually called "The Stranger That Lies Within." This is a clear reference to the fact that "the beast" is not an external force but is infact a primal force within us all. This primative "inner beast" lies beneath our thin veneer of civilization ready to leap to the fore when the right situation arises. Golding links this inner beast with the inate superstitious nature and unfounded fears of childhood to create an imagined beast. The pig's head on the stick was not the beast or the devil, it was an offering to the beast. Jack had raised the beast to the status of a primitive pagan godlike being which needed to be plied with offerings to assuage its anger. Jack did this for the same reasons that the Soviets used the USA as an enemy, and vice versa, the threat of the beast served to keep Jack's tribe subservient to his will. Simon's conversation with the beast is not real it happens within his own imagination, you can't actually hold a conversation with the dead head of a pig on a stick. Simon is merely arguing with his own "inner beast." Perhaps Golding used the title "Lord of the Flies," which is a reference to Beelzebub, merely to point out the link between the imagined primative beast/pagan god of Jack's tribe and the imagined devils and bogeymen created by adults in our own religious past. Perhaps he meant us to realise that there are no gods, devils or beast. There is just ourselves and the darkness within us and we can't or shouldn't blame imagined supernatural forces for the evil which we do all by ourselves. Did not Ralph weep for the death of his one true friend, Piggy, and the darkness within men's hearts?

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Answer 3

The masks that are associated with theater are the faces of Janus (pronounces Yeah-noose) They represent comedy and tragedy.

- wjs1632 -

Answer 4

Art Mask means that it is a covering

Answer 5

There are so many things that the mask may symbolize depending on the context. In most cases, it is a representation of the skin color which causes racial discrimination.

Answer 6

The mask symbolizes the disfigurment the Phantom has had since he was in the circus. It's really sad.

Answer 7

a mask could be a culture or a face dicie