Edgar Allan Poe s The Masque Of The Red Death - 1225 Words

Throughout the history of literature we see an obvious string of religion connecting most works to the core of their beginnings. From creation stories of tribes, to colonial poems, to the twisted mind of Edgar Allan Poe, there is a connection. Poe’s â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† may not seem to portray the ideas of religion but through close examination, the association will become less cloudy. Poe’s use of symbolism, narrator, word choice, helps readers unmask the idea of religion. Poe’s use of symbolism is very evident throughout the story of â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death†. Much has been made about the meaning of the rooms that fill Prince Prospero’s lavish getaway. One such critique, Brett Zimmerman writes, â€Å"It is difficult to believe that a symbolist such as Poe would refuse to assign significance to the hues in a tale otherwise loaded with symbolic and allegorical suggestiveness† (Zimmerman 60). Many agree that the s even rooms represent the seven stages of human existence. The first, blue, signifying the beginnings of life. Keeping in mind Poe’s Neo-Platonism and Transcendentalism stance, the significance of blue is taken a step further. Not only does blue symbolize the beginning of life, but the idea of immortality is apparent when considering these ideas. â€Å"Perhaps ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ then, is not quite the bleak existential vision we have long thought it to be†, expounds Zimmerman (Zimmerman 70). Poe’s use of each color is significant to the seven stagesShow MoreRelatedEdgar Allan Poe s The Masque Of The Red Death1300 Words   |  6 Pagesmovement took action during the mid-eighteen hundreds in which Poe wrote his short story, Masque of the Red Death According to Edgar Allan Poe in his short story, â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† â€Å"No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous.† Even though plagues had been common th roughout the years, none of them had been as hideous as society was during the Movement. In his short story â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death†, Edgar Allan Poe demonstrates that people are naturally born evil, during the Anti-TranscendentalismRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Masque Of The Red Death1409 Words   |  6 PagesA Literary Analysis of Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† Edgar Allan Poe is popularly known as a Gothic short story writer. He has produced many gruesome stories, including the short story â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death†. In this short tale, Prince Prospero decides to lock himself and his friends of the court into a magnificently decorated abbey to escape becoming ill of a disease which has caused half the people in his land to perish. The Prince provides indulgences and throws partiesRead MoreA Party To Die For: â€Å"The Masque Of The Red Death† By Edgar1677 Words   |  7 Pages A Party to Die For: â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† by Edgar Allan Poe No one can escape from the grip of death. This simple fact is the only thing that is truly known about any human life on this planet. We can try to live forever but in the end, everything was done in vain. The is a very common theme throughout the stories of one Edgar Allan Poe who was an American author during the mid-1800’s. His gothic style has appealed the masses even into the 21st century due to his dark settings and suspensefulRead MoreThe Romantic Age Of American Literature1725 Words   |  7 Pageswoman s rights. This age brought about American literature which was free from European influence and ties. The writers during the Romantic Age wrote mainly about the person, they included clear and concise descriptions of people and nature. Many writers like Poe wrote about supernatural events like the devil, evil, and horror. This brought on a whole new genre of scary, detective, and mystery stories. While Edgar Allan Poe wrote utterly twisted plots, as seen in works lik e The Masque of the RedRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe1555 Words   |  7 PagesIn his writing, Edgar Allan Poe has multiple uses of direct and indirect characterization. In The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor had rules such as â€Å"I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong† (Poe, 2). Poe used indirect characterization to show the reader that Montresor is an unreliable narrator because he justified hisRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Dark Poems That He Is Famous For?1423 Words   |  6 PagesEdgar Allan Poe Why did Poe write the dark poems that he is famous for? Almost every student has read either one or many of Edgar Allan Poe’s work. Poe is one of the best and most famous writers in American Literature. Professor Gene Doty of Missouri University of Science and Technology explains, â€Å"The meaning which the text has for the reader emerges from the interaction of the reader’s world with the world of the text† (Doty). Anything written is a context that includes the â€Å"writer’s feelings,Read MoreIn â€Å"The Masque Of The Red Death,† Edgar Allen Poe Describes1125 Words   |  5 PagesIn â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death,† Edgar Allen Poe describes how people fear death even though it is inevitable. Fear is a strong emotion where he taps into those feelings through his powerful creation of suspense. This short story took place in Medieval times. The author describes how Prince Prospero encounters death and thinks he can win the fight. His thoughts were concerned with death and show how metaphor ically it’s inescapable, but people continues to behave as if they are immortal. Poe’s shortRead MoreInfluences And Life Of A Tortured Soul1994 Words   |  8 PagesInfluences and Life of a Tortured Soul â€Å"Although dissolute in his personal life, when Poe touched pen to paper, he became a disciplined craftsman.† (Carnes 300). Edgar Allan Poe cemented his place in American literature by publishing countless poems and short stories, including â€Å"The Raven† and â€Å"Masque of the Red Death.† Poe effectively invented the detective fiction genre and perfected the horror story. His style, visionary as it was, was not with its influences. A life filled with tragedy, disappointmentRead MorePrescence of Poe1736 Words   |  7 PagesPresence of Poe Edgar Allan Poe is regarded as one of the great American writers in history. He had a unique way to present his stories, his imagination stretched into the darkest corners of his mind. One can say his characters were developed from personal experiences in his life. His use of writing techniques was ingenious and unsurpassed. These are just a few reasons why he is a permanent reminder whenever horror stories come to mind. Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on JanuaryRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe : His Life Influenced His Work1093 Words   |  5 Pages Edgar Allan Poe: How His Life Influenced His Work Edgar Allan Poe was an American author known for his works of depression and misfortune. Throughout his lifetime, Poe would never gain fame. It was only after his death that the true genius of Edgar Allan Poe was discovered. Poe frequently used his life occurrences—as terrible as they were—to influence his writings. It is through his writings that one can delve into the mind of Edgar Allan Poe and discover how his life truly was. Edgar Allan Poe