Aim: How are allegories and symbolism utilized to highlight the conditions in “The Masque of the Red Death”?
Do Now:
For the do now, we discuss with our partner what we have learned about the meaning of the number 7 with the research we did for Friday's homework. Some of the answers the class come up with are:
There are very big religious meanings
Number 7 is the jackpot in casinos
It is the “Lucky number 7”
There are 7 days in a week and 7 continents
7 wonders of the ancient world
The ones that Mrs. Peterson provided on the slides are:
Number 7 is considered to have the meaning of completeness
The perfect life cycle
7 stages of life
7 virtues, 7 flaws, 7 punishments
God created the universe within 7 days
7 deadly sins (we will come across that further down our reading)
If you are interested in looking deeper into the meaning of seven, you can check out this YouTube video.
Allegory
A literary, dramatic, pictorial device in which each literal character, object, event, represents symbols illustrating/ showing an idea, moral, or religious principle
A parable, fable, story
A narrative that can be read on more than one level
A story that is meant to be read on a symbolic level
Teaches a moral lesson and/or reveal truth about a condition in life
The characters, settings, and events are intended to have meanings besides what’s happening in the story.
The palace in “The Masque of the Red Death” can be seen as a symbol of presenting a truth about life.
It is not to be mixed up with allusion!!
Allusion- a reference to something else that is not explained in the text
(It doesn’t require explanation because it is understood that you have been exposed to it.)
Ex: “Wake up sleeping beauty!” Most people have been exposed to the fairy tale, sleeping beauty, and there is no need to explain what it means in the context it is used.
This video is watched in the class after we went over allegory and its difference between allusions.
Another video to help you understand allegory.
This is an interesting image I found that demonstrates allegory.
Afterwards we read and annotated the first two sections of “The Masque of the Red Death” and discussed the following nine questions.
Describe the symptoms of the plague and how long it takes to kill its victims.
It takes 30 minutes to kill its victims and the symptoms are sharp pains, sudden dizziness, profuse bleeding at the pores, along with scarlet stains across the body, especially the face.
Describe Prince Prospero, and explain the symbolic meaning Prince Prospero’s name may suggest.
Prince Prospero’s name may suggest prosperity which may suggest rich and nobility. It may also suggest a piece of irony because despite his name he is only using his wealth for him and his friends with no care for his citizens.
Describe the setting of the story.
Although it is not specified, the setting of the story is in a kingdom where their ruler is ignorant of the people and there is a red plague going on outside the abbey.
Why does Prince Prospero summon and take a thousand of his knights and dames to the abbey of his castle?
Prince Prospero summons and takes a thousand of his knights and dames to the abbey of his castle because he is selfish and doesn't care about his citizens; he plans to exclude himself from all the plagues and waits for the people to deal with the plague themselves. “The external world could take care of itself.” This is from section 2 and shows how he chooses to deal with the situation.
Critique Prince Prospero’s actions; is he really a dauntless and sagacious ruler, and for that matter, what does Prince Prospero’s action(s) say about his role as a leader of his dominion?
No, he is not a dauntless and sagacious ruler. In fact he is the very opposite of the definition. He is neglectful, selfish and ignorant. He is fearful of the disease and just wants to hide away in his abbey. He thinks by hiding in his abbey, he can stay away from all the deaths and diseases.
Describe the abbey and what the courtiers have done to keep people from coming in and out?
The courtiers locked the iron doors and bolted it shut. The doors are hermetically sealed meaning nothing can go in or out.
List the things Prince Prospero brings with him to the abbey to entertain his one thousand guests.
Prince Prospero brought with him ballet dancers, musicians, improvisatori, wine and buffoons.
How long have the guests and Prince Prospero been trapped in the abbey, and what does Prince Prospero decide to do after this length of time?
They have been trapped for 5 to 6 months and even after approximately half a year of hiding, he is still entertaining his guests afterwards with no action taken to help the people outside.
According to Prince Prospero what is within the abbey and what is without?
Within the abbey are all the entertainments, joy, happiness, security and safety. Without are the red plague, diseases, sadness and deaths.
As we recall back to our aim, “How are allegories and symbolism utilized to highlight the conditions in ‘The Masque of the Red Death’?”Amy suggested that the palace represents the reality of our government where the one in charge is not really doing their best on helping the people fight off the disease.
Reflection
In this lesson, I learned about a new literary device “allegory”. It is a literary device and it is also a way the author conveys their underlying message to the reader which we will see more of as we read more of “The Masque of the Red Death”. I learned this to help further develop my comprehension skills and reading skills. Not only is it a new vocabulary but it also helps me to be aware as a reader to look out for allegory and what the author is trying to say without actually saying it. I will be more aware to read texts and look for the symbolic meaning. I will use this skill to better fully understand the test and to further enhance my reading skills and experience. This also helps me spot areas where allegory is applied so I don’t miss out on the message that is hidden by the author.
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