Edgar Allan Poes “the Masque of the Red Death” - 1972 Words

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most mysterious authors that the world of writing has known. Although many critics have different views on Poes writing style, Harold Bloom summed it up best when he said, Poe has an uncanny talent for exposing our common nightmares and hysteria lurking beneath our carefully structured lives.(Bloom 7 ). Many of Poe’s works can be related back to his life. Poe had many problems such as psychological illness, alcohol addiction, and gambling issues. There is also the fact that Poe’s life was full of heart aches such as the fact that everyone that Poe would grow to love would leave him or die. Since Poe’s works are so closely related to his life or inspired by his life struggles one can correctly assume†¦show more content†¦Next, is the masquerade ball itself, it symbolizes the dance of life; which parallels death. Once the dance is over; life is over leaving only death. The next symbols are the individual rooms. These rooms can mean many things such as: â€Å"†¦comic center: the seven planetary spheres, the seven notes of the scale†¦ the evolution of the plague’s destructive powers: the reverse of the seven days of Creation† (Knapp 166). The seven rooms could also represent the seven deadly sins which are: sloth, lust, gluttony, wrath, pride, anger, and envy. Another implication for the seven rooms is the seven stages of life. These theories could be backed up by each room’s different furnishings. The blue room represents birth or new life. This is where the party is mostly held. The purple room represents Prospero and his guests’ nobility. Green represents naivetà © and greed each person obtains. Prospero and his friends are all naive in believing that they can cheat death by hiding behind closed doors. The white room represents the childlike innocence everyone holds because the guests have a juvenile mentality in trying to escape the inevitable. Orange represents the energy of the atmosphere between clock chimes. Since orange is made up of reds and yellows the orange room represents the edge of waiting for the next strike of the clock, but theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Edgar Allan Poes The Masque Of The Red Death816 Words   |  4 PagesEdgar Allan Poe was a writer who believed every single word contained meaning and in his own words expressed this idea in brevity only he is capable, Â…there should be no word written, of which tendency, direct or indirect, is not to the one pre-established design. (Poe 244). To this effect, Poe drenches his works in symbolism and allegory. Especially in shorter works, Poe assigns meaning to the smallest object, explicitly deriving exurbanite significance within concise descriptions. The MasqueRead More Death in Edgar Allan Poes Life and The Masque of the Red Death1468 Words   |  6 PagesDeath in Edgar Allan Poes Life and The Masque of the Red Death As a man surrounded by death and horrible happenings, it is no wonder that almost the entire collection of Edgar Allan Poes works is about death. When Poe was very young, his father left his mother alone with three young children. At the age of two, Poe lost his mother. Many other deaths and terrible occurrences manifested themselves in Poes life, from the refusal of his adoptive father, John Allan, to acceptRead MoreSymbolism and in Edgar Allan Poes the Masque of the Red Death915 Words   |  4 PagesSymbolism and in Edgar Allan Poes the Masque of the Red Death Thesis: Poe uses symbolism to unfold this gripping tale of terror. â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† is an allegory. It features a set of recognizable symbols whose meanings combine to convey a message. An allegory always operates on two levels of meaning: the literal elements of the plot (the colors of the rooms, for example) and their symbolic counterparts, which often involve large philosophical concepts (such as life and death). This canRead MoreEdgar Allan Poes The Tell-Tale Heart and The Masque of the Red Death1901 Words   |  8 PagesEdgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† When people think of Edgar Allan Poe, they probably think of dark writing and murders. His writings have been printing since the early 1800’s. (Giordano ) Many of his works are literally classics, such as â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† and â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death.† Much like most of his stories, Poe’s life was a dark one. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809. 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It is asserted that â€Å"Poe spent his early adult life in and out of the army, engaging in an ongoing struggle over money with his foster father, and developing the notorious habits of alcoholism and debt† (Milne 233). Soon, he was released from the army because he did not fulfill his duties as a cadet. The U.S. Army decided to allow him to submit hisRead MoreEssay Poes Perspective Against the Upper Class1652 Words   |  7 PagesPoe’s Perspective Literary genius Edgar Allan Poe lived a troubled life. During his forty years of existence, Poe struggled with the deaths of countless family members, including his cousin-wife. These bruising events caused him to develop the mental illness depression. In his short story â€Å"Masque of the Red Death,† the views Poe developed during his tumultuous life are reflected in his writing. The theme of this short story emphasizes the inevitability of death in descriptive details because EdgarRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Masque Of The Red Death1300 Words   |  6 Pagesshort 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 throughout 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 pe ople are naturally born evil, during the Anti-Transcendentalism and Dark Romanticism time period. Edgar Allan Poe â€Å"AmericanRead 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 More Deep into Darkness Peering Essay1711 Words   |  7 PagesEdgar Allan Poe is considered to be one of America’s most prominent poets. While his reputation precedes him, there is little that is actually known about the famous author. His life can only be accurately summed up by a few historical accounts and a series of letters written in his own hand. These, of course, do not even come close to describing the man behind the pen, as it were. One critic writes, â€Å"monomania can easily be developed over the motely tragedy of the p ersonal life of Poe, so deeply