The Masque of the Red Death

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Have you ever read a story where fantasy is the reality and things do not quite make sense? This is true for “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe. In it is a version of the black plague and the Philadelphia Cholera, which is called the “Red Death”. The author uses many literary devices to create an interesting and meaningful story. Edgar Allan Poe uses imagery, allegory, and symbolism to add dimension to his story. "The Masque of the Red Death" transformed what Poe knew of the bubonic plague and the Philadelphia cholera epidemics into a highly artistic Gothic fantasy symbolizing the irresponsibility of attempting to escape the realities of Life, of Time, and of Death.(Gale Database) One of the devices used is imagery, which evokes the events of the story clearly in the reader’s mind. Another is allegory, which is used by Poe to create another story within his, as it is filled with double meanings. Lastly, Poe utilizes symbolism to give the story meaning. Prince Prospero secludes a thousand friends and himself from the death around them, but finds that he cannot avoid the inevitable (188). Poe uses imagery to paint a picture in readers’ mind, create a mood, and emphasize the significance of certain objects. One can envision the amazement of the chambers, which had “…a tall and narrow Gothic window…of stained glass whose color varied in accordance with the…hue…of the chamber into which it opened” and was lit up by “…a brazier of fire that projected its rays through the tinted glass”(188) One can also imagine the way the crowd slows down to a pause when the “…chiming of the clock... [causes] disconcert and tremulousness and meditations”. These descriptions keep readers’ attention throughout the story. One can feel the terror of the “Red Death”, which “…had long devastated the country” and whose “…Avatar and seal [was] the redness and horror of blood”. The
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