Transcript 'Masque of the Red Death” - Mrs. Morgan's Language Arts

“The Masque of the Red Death”
Objective: Analyze how symbolism is used in the
story
What is an Allegory:
A
type of story in which the
characters, settings, and events
are an interconnected series of
SYMBOLS.
 The deeper or symbolic
meaning of the story may
contain a LESSON ABOUT
LIFE.
What is the background/setting
Setting during the bubonic plague - 14th
and 17th centuries
 Bubonic plague was an illness carried by
fleas who bit rats that traveled on ships
 The Black Death is estimated to have
killed 30% – 60% of Europe's population
 Symptoms –boils in the groin, the neck
and armpits, which oozed pus and bled
when opened – vomiting blood, fever

http://www.squidoo.com/black-death-history
What is the significance of the
rooms

Rooms are going east to west signifying
the life cycle
sunrise
and
sunset
Going from East to West:
 Blue
=birth
 Purple =youth
(beginnings of
growth)
 Green = youth
 Orange = adult
hood
 White
= mid-life
 Violet = elderly
 Black = death
**Red **=
reserved for
blood and fear
What does the clock symbolize?
It symbolizes reality; their lives
slowly ticking away.
What does Prince Prospero’s
name symbolize
Wealth;
He
prosperity
represents mankind's
futile attempt to live
forever.
What does the mask figure
symbolize?
Death in general;
More
specifically, the Red
Death Plague
Vocabulary
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Avatar – the incarnation of a God (Hinduism)
Pestilence – a deadly epidemic disease
Sagacious – keen practical sense; shrewd
August – inspiring reverence or
admiration
Contagion – the communication of
disease by contact
Dauntless – not to be intimidated;
fearless; bold
http://www.needcoffee.com/2009/10/11/masque-red-death-audio/
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Part VI
Draw a plot diagram on the last
page in your notebook
Explain the exposition and rising action of
“The Masque of the Red Death”
Question of the Day
Last page of notebook
What is an allegory?
 Name two symbols Poe uses in this story.
 Go through the story and highlight words
(NO MORE THAN 10) that you do not
know.

1. Why do Prince Prospero and his
followers retreat to his palace?
To escape the Red Death Plague
2. Explain how the party is
constantly disrupted.
Every time the clock
strikes off another hour,
the orchestra stops
playing and the people
stop dancing.
3. Compare life outside the palace
with the life of the people Prospero
brought inside.
Inside
Wealth
Fantasy
Life
Happiness
Health
Hope
Outside
Poverty
Reality
Death; Destruction
Sorrow
Disease/Sickness
Despair
4. What do you learn about
Prospero's character from his
desire to keep his palace free of
the plague?
He
is afraid to die.
He is prejudice against the
poor.
He thinks he can cheat death.
(He thinks he can buy his way
out.)
5. What mood or effect is
created by the colors and
the lighting in the rooms of the
ball?
 It
causes a dream-like effect.
 Fantasy
6. Why does the visitor frighten
the guests?
Because
he suddenly and
mysteriously appears out of
nowhere
Because he looks like someone
with the Red Death Plague
Because he just stalks to and
fro and doesn't talk
7. List 6 aspects of how Poe builds
terror in the story:
 Description
of the plague’s symptoms
 Doors welded shut; one couldn't leave
even if one wanted to
 Dim, pulsing lights from the burning coals
 Black room with the red panes
 Appearance and behavior of the intruder
 Clock constantly stopping the party
Processing
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Create a foldable
On the outside of the flap, state the
questions
On the flat side, when you open the flap,
answer the question.
On the other side of the flap, draw a
picture
On the back answer lower half, “short
response” #1 ONLY
Question of the Day

Create a plot diagram, and explain the
exposition and rising actions events so far
in the story
Question of the Day

Finish the plot diagram you started
yesterday. Please fill in the climax and
resolution.