Blogger #14 - Sean Jinyoung Kim - Period 3 - 10/19/2021

Aim- How do the rooms embody the metaphor for life in “The Masque of the Red Death”?

Do Now-WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION

Why do you believe most students see the name “Shakespeare” and cringe (shrink)?

As a class, we discussed how Shakespeare can lead to the stereotype of boredom. As Shakespeare is closely tied to classical literature, the stereotype of “classical literature being boring” came up. Classical literature used to be taught with the old language but today it is translated to make it more easier for students to understand and enjoy.

Theme:

Next, we recapped what the definition of theme was.
Theme- (N) The meaning of a work; a central idea, point, and underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly; critical belief about life that the author is trying to convey; author’s intended message to the audience.
The teacher then explained how a theme can be any part of a piece that has a message that connects to it.

The Seven Ages of Man:

6 As You Like Itstages of life excerpt-Stud.doc

TMOTRD FRE (Short Story).docx

For this activity, we watched William Shakespeare Benedict Cumberbatch 7 Ages of Man [2:00].
We then completed a worksheet discussing how colors can symbolize the 7 different ages that were shown in the video and how it can relate to “The Masque of the Red Death”. After completing the table, you must find how each color and symbolization you came up with correlates with each colored room in “The Masque of the Red Death” and find the theme in the “Masque of the Red Death”.


-Infancy is related to the color blue, it symbolizes new life and beginnings.

-Schoolboy is related to the color purple, it symbolizes how a child with a “shining face” is whimsical and playful, yet it can show instability because of the schoolboy’s unwillingness to go to school.

-Lover is related to the color green, it symbolizes a new start since you enter adulthood, you are still immature in the things you do.

-Soldier is related to the color red, it symbolizes daringness, passion, and danger.

-Justice is related to the color violet, it symbolizes being wise and thoughtful. In the later stages of life you experience many different things.

-A lean and slippered pantaloon is related to the color yellow, it symbolizes decay and old age. The once great man you were decayed into something less.

-Second childishness and mere oblivion is related to the color black, this symbolizes the end of life, death.

I. Based on your understanding of the Seven Stages of Life, and your understanding of the symbolic meaning of the colors, explain how you believe each stage of life is accurately reflected in the chosen color of the room.

Each stage of life is accurately represented in the chosen colors of the rooms because each color represents a stage of life and in the rooms they seem to group towards the “younger” colors. No one was near the rooms towards the far west but more towards the east where the colors associated with youth were.

II. Given that theme is a recurring idea within a work of literature, what is the recurring idea in “The Masque of the Red Death”? Provide two examples that support the theme of this story.

I believe that the theme of “The Masque of the Red Death” is that death is imminent. The text states, “But in the western or black chamber the effect of the fire- light that streamed upon the dark hangings through the blood tinted panes, was ghastly in the extreme and produced so wild a look upon the countenances of those who entered, that there were few of the company bold enough to set foot within its precincts at all.” Another piece of evidence is, “The mask which concealed the visage was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse that the closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in detecting the cheat.” The first quote shows how black, which symbolizes death, is always glooming over you. Although it may seem far away, hence it being all the way to the west, it can approach very quickly. The second quote shows how although they thought they escaped the horrors of the plague, it eventually found them and killed someone off. This shows how death is inescapable.

7 Deadly Sins and the 7 Cardinal Virtues

After the activity, we went on to discuss the 7 Deadly Sins and the 7 Cardinal Virtues.

7 Deadly Sins:

Lust- intense longing for something/someone
Gluttony-Excessive consumption of something, usually having to do with food or drinks
Greed- Desire for something
Sloth- Laziness, unwillingness to do something
Wrath- Synonym with anger, rage hatred
Envy- Jealousy, covetousness
Pride- Egotistical, having the feeling that you are better than others

7 Cardinal Virtues

Prudence- Finding the good in things
Justice- Firm will to give and do right
Fortitude- Overcoming fear and temptations
Temperance- Balance in using goods, no temptation
Faith- Believing in God
Hope- Relying on the Holy Spirit
Charity- Doing good onto others without reward

Reflection:

In today's lesson I learned through the story “The Masque of the Red Death” that symbolism can lead to deeper understanding of texts. I also learned the importance of symbolism in texts to give the reader a better understanding of the theme. The significance of being able to connect different ideas with what you have is crucial to comprehend everything. I learned this so that I can understand different genres of literature and find what the author truly wants for me to learn. I will use this knowledge to read different works of literature and find the theme and symbolism and take what the author has shown me and use it for my daily life.