Category: The Masque of The Red Death

”Feelings like shame and guilt are given to us for a purpose. They’re there to let us know when we’ve done something that is damaging and is wrong and we need to take steps to remedy it. The reason we have fear is so that we can judge situations and make appropriate responses. So if you take that function away from people, you make them less capable of existing efficiently and effectively in the world.” John Marsden expresses how a life devoid of fear is one that has been brought up in the wrong way. Horror stories for students in the middle school years should not be avoided as to shield the students from a new form of intellect. Horror stories like The Tell-Tale Heart from Edgar Allen Poe, are not inappropriate for middle school students.

Like any other genre, horror stories immerse the mind of the reader into new literature, each word of great purpose and significance. Horror stories are not too scary for students of the middle school age because they need core writing styles, such as symbolism, in their arsenal of writing tools. These skills will be of importance for understanding figurative language and symbolic sentences. An example of this would be in The Masque of The Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe when it is stated “These windows were of stained glass whose color varied in accordance with the prevailing hue of the decorations of the chamber into which it opened. That at the eastern extremity was hung, for example, in blue –and vividly blue were its windows. The second chamber was purple in its ornaments and tapestries, and here the panes were purple…The seventh apartment was closely shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls, falling in the heavy folds upon the carpet of the same material hue. But in this chamber only, the color of the windows failed to correspond with the decorations. The panes were scarlet –a deep blood color.” The coloration of the rooms symbolizes the stages of life with the seventh room being death. Many traditional horror stories have symbolism that will help aspiring writers become more unique. Some people believe that fear should be avoided for what it causes, such as traumas. While this may be true in some cases, John Marsden from the article “Why Scary Stories Are Good For Kids” believes otherwise, stating “Fears provide particularly fertile ground for writers. ‘Those fears come out of the unconscious mind, which is always more interesting than the conscious mind,’ he says. ‘They’re not to be dismissed. They’re to be engaged with and possibly even used creatively.’” Fear inducing stories can be used in many ways to integrate new forms of literature in writing. Horror stories such as The Masque Of The Red Death are not too mature for middle school students because it leads to advancements in the students writing skills and understandings.

Maturity progresses with the experiences a child is given and the fundamentals learned. As children learn and grow, they become more experienced with things such a fear. Children begin to learn how to differentiate irrational fears, such as those in horror stories, at around the age of 6. In “How Much Scary Is Too Much Scary For Kids?”, Dr. George states “‘Around the age of 7, kids start to become more aware of what’s ‘real’ and what isn’t,’ said Dr. George. ‘By age 10, most kids have a firm grasp of the difference between fantasy and reality and can go through the mental process of telling themselves they don’t need to be scared in a certain scenario because it’s not real.’” Given that Dr. George states how ten-year-olds are mature enough for scary stories, this can be applied to middle schoolers in the same way. Some people believe that scary stories can lead to phobias. While this can happen, it will seldom happen to those in the middle school ages. This is due to the cognitive ability to differentiate between fantasy and reality. Experience plays a big role in whether to show students horror texts, but middle school students have the maturity.

Horror stories create an interesting situation for the readers to follow making it an enjoyable genre to read from. According to “Why Scary Stories Are Good For Kids”, Nick Falk stated “‘The physiological fear response is very similar to the physiological response you get when you’re excited,’ Falk says. ‘The rapidly beating heart, the tingling in the fingers … the racing thoughts.’ It’s an enjoyable, temporary state.” The state you are in when reading a horror story is similar to one when you are on a roller coaster. Invigorated, with thoughts racing through your mind. Another example of this would be in The Tell-Tale Heart when is shows “It grew louder, I say, louder every moment! –do you mark me well I have told you that I am nervous: so I am. And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I refrained and stood still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst…With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once –once only.” The intensity of the conflict proves to be captivating to readers, making them want to read more of the story. Some people believe that if the story becomes intense, then children will simply put down the book. This does pose to be true in some cases, but in most, the invigorating tale will turn the pages for them.

Written by Edgar Allan Poe, “The Masque of the Red Death” takes place in a monastery where Prince Prospero and one thousand of his subordinates attempt to survive the red death. The red death is an illness that has killed half of the country’s population and can kill in half an hour of contracting it. Prospero addresses this crisis by locking himself inside his castle’s monastery with an abundance of food, friends, and entertainment leaving many to die. Plenty of readers see this as a selfish and unjustifiable act but is that really the case? The story ends with the red death taking the lives of everyone inside the castle and claiming victory over the life Prospero tried so hard to hold onto (Milne 234). This bizarre story begs the question, how did Prince Prospero justify his actions and is that justification considerable? Prospero’s justification can be found by looking at the fact that the red death is out of his control. He attempts to escape death with those closest to him in order to fight the red death in the only way he’s able to.

While the red death ravages his country Prospero’s hedonistic way of thinking comes to the forefront. “The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine” (Poe, 1). Even when faced with death all Prospero can care to think about is pleasure and having a good time. This overcompensation in pursuing pleasure could be him trying to pretend that he isn’t afraid of the red death. Prospero may also believe he is comforting his people by not allowing anything to bring him down.

Works Cited

1. Poe, Edgar Allan. ‘The Masque of the Red Death.’ Tales and Sketches, by Edgar Allan Poe, edited by Thomas Ollive Mabbott, vol. 1: 1831-1842, University of Illinois Press, 1978, p. 667. Gale Literature: LitFinder, https://link-gale-com.db16.linccweb.org/apps/doc/LTF0000541718WK/LITF?u=lincclin_mdcc&sid=LITF&xid=f87986bf. Accessed 5 Mar. 2020.
2. ‘The Masque of the Red Death.’ Short Stories for Students, edited by Ira Mark Milne, vol. 8, Gale, 2000, pp. 232-260. Gale eBooks, https://link-gale-com.db16.linccweb.org/apps/doc/CX2695500022/GVRL?u=lincclin_mdcc&sid=GVRL&xid=b2d67f6b. Accessed 5 Mar. 2020.

Edgar Allen Poe worked hard on his poems and stories which showed greatly in his work. Though many people believe his work, at first glance, is just nonsensical though behind the big words are deep meanings and connections they have towards us. Poe’s work has become timeless and a big part of the education system over the years. We still read Poe’s work for its depth and exploration of fear and horror and deep meaning behind several of his stories. His work is timeless and memorable because of its descriptive details of the things we still fear today and use of words which brings us to the story’s world.

Poe’s use of diction helps convey a scenario and imagery in our heads as if we are actually in the story itself. The choice of words gives us an idea of elements of the story such as the characters personality, what’s going on in the story, and how the overall structure of the story. In the story, The Masque of The Red Death, it says, “The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the past ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men.” This quote gives us a clear view of what the main problem can do to a victim in the story. This helps establish a fearful and scary mood which puts the reader on edge using phrases and words such as “scarlet stains”, “victim”, and “shut him out from aid”. Knowing the disastrous effects of the disease makes us worried for the characters which appeal to us in a way that makes the readers want to find out what happens. This quote is important because it gives us an image in our heads of this specific scene in the story. In the story, The Cask of Amontillado, it says, “I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is undressed, when retribution overtakes its redresser.” This quote builds suspense and establishes a dark mood using words such as punish and impunity which are being used in a negative tone. It also shows us how the main character is like and what the story is going to be about. We are viewing the story from only one point of view which makes it even more suspenseful. This quote is important because it starts off the story strong and interesting making the reader want to read more. All these components Edgar Allen Poe includes in his stories such as suspensefulness gives an interesting aspect to his stories making them memorable and is why we continue to read them.

Poe uses his characters and important parts of his stories to portray a deeper meaning than what it seems to have. Symbolism in Poe’s stories have meanings that differ throughout each person making the stories more of a mystery and more interesting to read. In the story, The Masque of The Red Death, it says, “The second chamber was purple in its ornaments and tapestries, and here the panes were purple. The third was green throughout, and so were the casements. The fourth was furnished and lighted with orange—the fifth with white—the sixth with violet. The seventh apartment was closely shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls, falling in heavy folds upon a carpet of the same material and hue.” As the story goes on, we get a better idea on what these rooms mean which gives us an idea of what might happen in the future. This symbolism makes his work timeless since it enhances the meaning behind the whole story and the theme. In the story, Annabel Lee, it says, “That the wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.” Poe uses his characters to symbolize his emotions and the events going on in his life and how he reacted towards it. This quote is important because he was able to turn simple feelings into deep and intense emotions he felt. This quote is important because we are able to compare this part of the story with Poe’s real life and explore how they are the same and different. We still read Poe’s stories to go into his shoes and get an idea of his motivation to write these stories.

Poe’s stories relate to human emotions which we feel almost every single day, such as fear and happiness. Poe uses his twisted characters, suspense and fears to engage the reader into reading more and being relatable to the readers. In the story, The Pit and the Pendulum, it says, “A fearful idea now suddenly drove the blood in torrents upon my heart, and for a brief period I once more relapsed into insensibility. Upon recovering, I at once started to my feet, trembling convulsively in every fibre.” The way Poe tells and describes the story brings out a fear in us which relates to the as if we’re also experiencing the event. In the story, The Masque of The Red Death, it says, “The “Red Death” had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous.” This quote explores human disasters which in this case, a catastrophic disease, which we fear will happen sooner or later. This story goes into detail about the effects of the disaster which triggers panic and alarm in us, making us worried and full of adrenaline if this happened right now. This quote is important because Poe believed the first sentence of any piece of work should set up the mood for the story which he uses to ignite horror into his stories to foreshadow how the rest will play out. Poe’s stories and their relations with several human emotions lure us into reading more and more of his meaningful work.

When announcing the following news in the Rose Garden of the White House, most of the people were not covered, and people crowded Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Mask of the Red Death almost on the nose. When it was revealed earlier Friday that President Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus, and as the White House, especially the Rose Garden, became a hot spot, I couldn’t help but think about Poe’s dark and bitter work. The ‘Red Mask of Death’ published in 1842 did not have much content: the story was only 15 paragraphs and only 2,300 words. However, within that narrow range, Poe provided cautionary tales about human beings and inequality, and the denial of wages in times of disaster.

In a country known as the ‘Red Death’ epidemic, a ruler named Prospero sought refuge for himself and his courtiers behind the wall of his compound. Among other interference factors, he threw a masquerade ball and a strange dressed in red appeared at the masquerade ball. This character is nothing more than the death himself. In front of him, first the prince, then his entourage, ‘falling down one by one…the hall filled with their blood, everyone died in a desperate posture. Falling down.’ Please don’t get me wrong. I don’t want anyone to get sick, including the president. I do not want to see any confirmed cases of COVID-19. I don’t want anyone to die.

Too many people have died. In the United States alone, more than 200,000 people have died of this disease. They have not only suffered from the highly contagious virus but also suffered from the government voluntarily choosing to abandon us all. Like the president, Prince Prospero also ignored the suffering of the people. Poe wrote: ‘When the population of his ruled area was reduced by half, he gathered a thousand healthy and happy friends, stood out from the knights and ladies of the court, and retired with them, completely isolating one of his vaulted monasteries… ‘ Poe explained: u201cThe monastery was widely set up, and Prince Prospero and his companions were taken, hostage.u201d With such precautions, courtiers can resist infection. The outside world can take care of itself.

At the same time, lamenting or thinking is crazy. ‘ It’s crazy to sigh or think. Can a phrase better express the way the Trump administration has handled or has not dealt with the COVID-19 crisis? However, as ‘The Mask of Red Death’ reminds us, true insanity is just the opposite. The plague is not a hoax, no one is immune, even in the rose garden. It may be unrealistic to expect the president’s diagnosis to serve as a wake-up call for his followers and himself. After all, like Prince Prospero, he rejected this epidemic ‘with a barbaric light’, which had disastrous consequences. Poe started with his narrative: ‘Red Death destroyed the country for a long time.’ This is a simple, clear, and unmodified statement. We need the president to respond to the pandemic with precise and direct language. Especially now, are you asking too much?