The first object which saluted my eyes when i arrived on the coast was the sea, and a slave ship, which was then riding at anchor, and waiting for its cargo. these filled me with astonishment, which was soon converted into terror when i was carried on board. i was immediately handled and tossed up to see if i were sound by some of the crew; and i was now persuaded that i had gotten into a world of bad spirits, andthat they were going to kill me.

paraphrase this excerpt.

the answer is:  

he is voicing feelings shared by all humans regardless of race.

in paul laurence dunbar's poem "we wear the mask," he replicates the words mask and we to emphasize how people in general -not just black americans- hide their true feelings. he suggests the masks cover people's faces and eyes, which are the main parts that display their emotions. he also thinks people's pain conceal behind those masks, so that they cannot see reality and nobody is able to see one another's sorrow.

heritage? culture? religion? gene? trait?