AIM- What condition of life does the dénouement of “The Masque of the Red Death” reveal?
Do Now: What influence does an apocalyptic event (devastating plague) seem to have on the nature of mankind and the collective society?
In the do now, our class discussed how in the occurrence of an apocalyptic event (like a devastating plague), mankind and society seem to have an “every person for themselves” or a “survival of the fittest” mentality. Everyone will try to survive, and will be selfish if that’s what it takes to do so. A classmate further expanded on this, commenting how the matter of morality is out of the question. In contrast, a classmate discussed how such an event can work in bringing people together, as everyone would be going through the same difficult times.
Discussion: Why do people tend to be investigators, when they hear a story, view a show or movie? Why don’t they just take it for what it is?
Find the Real Ending
Given three different alternative endings to “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe, we were asked to work in teams to figure out which ending was the actual ending to the story.
While Ending 2 had a gloomier ending, it implies that revenge was the cause of the kingdom’s death, not the Red Death. It didn’t seem reasonable as the whole point of setting up the problem of the Red Death seemed useless if the ending didn’t relate to it at all.
That leaves Ending 3, which has an ending where everyone dies from the Red Death. This ending sounds reasonable in the context of Poe’s work and the rest of the story. It follows the theme that death can’t be avoided, as well as the symbolism of the clock and the inevitability of the Red Death. The clock also stopped at the end of the story, which lines up with what it represented in the beginning.
What is “fate”?
My understanding of fate is that it is something that is destined or predetermined; a future that is set and can’t be changed. In the case of “The Masque of the Red Death”, the people in the abbey attempt to avoid their fates by locking themselves in, but in the end, they’re still destined for doom.Yes, Man vs. Fate could definitely be considered a viable conflict in the story. People in “The Masque of the Red Death” are constantly trying to avoid their deaths, which is shown through the fact that they sealed themselves in the abbey and how they avoid the last room in the abbey (one that represents death), but lounge around in all the other rooms (which symbolize the other stages of life).
Allegory
- 1. Prince Prospero closed off the kingdom, completely sealing it from the chaos of the outside. He chose to seal himself and other elites in, instead of facing the kingdom because he was afraid of death.
- 2. People were afraid to enter the most western room with dark decorations and the haunting clock (which represents death), and when they did, they felt uneasy.
Allegory and Symbolism
Allegory
- Story or poem that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning
Symbolism
Projected symbolism
In this lesson, I got a better understanding of Poe’s story, “The Masque of the Red Death”, and the discussions we had throughout class were very insightful, regarding the topic of human nature and condition of life. Our class also discovered many connections between modern times (specifically the Covid-19 pandemic) and the nature of mankind in apocalyptic events. I thought it was interesting how such an event can divide people (for example people debating over things like masks and vaccines in modern times) or set them in a “survival of the fittest mentality” (like everyone hoarding toilet paper for themselves), but events like these can also bring them together. Once people realize the degree of the situation, people start to notice that other people need help too, and they provide it (such as people donating materials and resources for those struggling during the pandemic).
I learned about symbolism and how powerful of a tool it can be in a story, as they can bring deeper meanings about the world and life. The reason why we learned this is because analyzing “The Masque of the Red Death” and figuring out the ending can help us learn to make interpretations and use clues in the story so that we can try to figure out on our own what can happen, and hopefully improve us as readers and thinkers. The topic of the nature of mankind was an interesting topic to bring up, and connected the story to our own world. I can use what I learned to analyze stories on a deeper level, and use symbols to my advantage when finding a hidden meaning in a story.
- A literary device that is used as a method of representing things by symbols
The rooms’ details:
- 7 rooms of different colors, zigzag format
- Large bowls of burning coal for lighting
- Decorations and gothic windows that match the color of the room
- In the black room:
- Window panes are blood red
- Grandfather clock - whenever it strikes, the orchestra stops and people stop dancing
- Rooms going east to west symbolize the stages of life
The colors and dim lighting in the rooms create a “dream-like” or “nightmare-like” mood/effect.
Projected symbolism
- Author writes without the intention of making symbolic meanings, but readers can draw symbols from the story
- Author writes with the intention of being symbolic
Prince Prospero’s name represents wealth, prosperity, mankind’s attempt to avoid death.
His actions reveal:
He is afraid to die
Prejudice against the poor (he only allows the rich elites in the abbey)
Thinks he can cheat death
How Poe builds terror in the story:
He leaves things mysterious
Description of the Red Death and its symptoms sound terrifying
Doors welded shut - no one could leave
Dim lights
The description of the appearance and behavior of the intruder
Reflection
In this lesson, I got a better understanding of Poe’s story, “The Masque of the Red Death”, and the discussions we had throughout class were very insightful, regarding the topic of human nature and condition of life. Our class also discovered many connections between modern times (specifically the Covid-19 pandemic) and the nature of mankind in apocalyptic events. I thought it was interesting how such an event can divide people (for example people debating over things like masks and vaccines in modern times) or set them in a “survival of the fittest mentality” (like everyone hoarding toilet paper for themselves), but events like these can also bring them together. Once people realize the degree of the situation, people start to notice that other people need help too, and they provide it (such as people donating materials and resources for those struggling during the pandemic).
I learned about symbolism and how powerful of a tool it can be in a story, as they can bring deeper meanings about the world and life. The reason why we learned this is because analyzing “The Masque of the Red Death” and figuring out the ending can help us learn to make interpretations and use clues in the story so that we can try to figure out on our own what can happen, and hopefully improve us as readers and thinkers. The topic of the nature of mankind was an interesting topic to bring up, and connected the story to our own world. I can use what I learned to analyze stories on a deeper level, and use symbols to my advantage when finding a hidden meaning in a story.
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