Suspense is the feeling of uncertainty or excitement, in waiting for an outcome or decision. Edgar Allan Poe uses suspense in his story “Masque of the Red Death” by using objects and great descriptive detail. Poe’s story is about a prince that tries to escape from the inevitable. He tries to lock himself away from the ‘red death’ and has a masquerade ball that doesn’t end happily. Prince and all of his guests die inside or around the seventh apartment room. The seventh room is preceded by six colored rooms which are meant to symbolize either the stages of life, or the seven sins. Inside the last room there are black velvet tapestries that hang all over the ceiling and down the walls. The window panes are a deep blood red color which gives the room an unwelcoming atmosphere. On the western wall, there is a gigantic clock of a deep black wood. Inside it has a pendulum that swings back and forth with a dull monotonous clang. When the minute hand marks a new hour, there is a clear, loud, deep sound, which can be heard from far away. Although it can give off an eerie feeling, the great eb...
Edgar Allan Poe was famous for his poems, short stories, motifs, themes, etc. After reading three of his most famous works: “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Raven,” and “The Masque of the Red Death,” I found that the “Masque of the Red Death” was my personal favorite. In this story, Edgar Allan Poe enthralled the reader with his entire concept, symbols, and the way he infused history into the interesting and haunting story.
The author, Edgar Allan Poe, using illusion or misdirection keeps the reader is suspense throughout this story called "The Masque of the Red Death". Symbolism such as the colored rooms, the impressive clock, the feeling of celebration being at a party all makes this story feel like a fairytale. Poe used this fairytale style and converts it into a nightmare in disguise.
Edgar Allen Poe, in the short story “The Masque of the Red Death”, shows how people may try to outsmart death and surpass it, but in the end they will die since death is inevitable. He reveals this in the book by showing all the people closed up in the abbey that belongs to Prince Prospero. They are trying to escape the “Red Death” and think that they can escape the death by hiding away in the abbey. They manage to stay safe for six months but in the end they all die after the stroke of midnight during the masquerade ball Prince Prospero puts on from the Red Death itself which appears after midnight and leaves no survivors in the end. Poe develops the theme of how no one can escape death through the use of the point of view, the setting, and symbolism.
Edgar Allan Poe's short stories, "The Telltale Heart" and "The Masque of the Red Death" are two very different stories. One is about a simple man, perhaps a servant, who narrates the tale of how he kills his wealthy benefactor, and the other is about a prince who turns his back on his country while a plague known as The Red Death ravages his lands. Yet, there are some similarities in both. Time, for instance, and the stroke of midnight, seem to always herald the approach of impending death. Both are killers, one by his own hand, the other by neglecting his country. One seeks peace, the other seeks pleasure, but both are motivated by the selfish need to rid themselves of that which haunts them, even at the expense of another's life. However, the point of this critique will show that their meticulous plans to beat that which torments them are undone by a single flaw in their character - overconfidence.
In the short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allen Poe, diction is extensively used to create an air of suspense. Poe’s use of diction along with symbolism contributes to establishing a mood of despair. By using symbolic comparison between the Ushers and their house, the story’s suspense builds and the characteristics of the Ushers are portrayed. Poe’s cunning tactics are evident in the way he achieves a story of both suspense and horror.
I believe that the first picture depicts the story, “The Masque of the Red Death.” Poe wanted the main theme to be, “Wealth offers no refugee from death.” In the picture above, the artist is trying to demonstrate that everyone is at the masquerade ball, and while they are celebrating, a manifestation of the Red Death comes in. As the story said, once it struck midnight, all the guests stopped everything that they were doing and became frightened and confused on how someone could have entered the palace that was locked down. After being trapped inside the palace for months, they all knew who was inside. This creature was never seen before, and even in the picture a person seems to want to touch the person. They are all curious and wonder who can this person be and how did they enter the palace.
The Plague was a tragedy that took many lives all across Europe; “the Red Death had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal- the redness and the horror of blood” (Poe 373). This short story takes place during that time, but it has a slight twist to illustrate the theme. Death is something everyone fears and no one can elude. “The Masque of the Red Death” written by Edgar Allan Poe communicates the idea that death cannot be avoided no matter how many precautions are taken; this is accomplished through foreshadowing, symbols, and allegory.
As soon as we are born our timer starts and one day it will stop and we will no longer be a part of this earth. Everybody enters this world the same way, but we all have our own different ways in departing. Nobody wants to think about dying or seeing a love one leave, but unfortunately that is how life works. Are you scared to die? Can you handle seeing a love leave your side due to death? Just like the majority of the people, we have two different people with the same mentality who fear death and will do anything in their power to try and escape from it.
Edgar Allan Poe is very great at setting the mood. In some of his poems and stories, he sets a very distinctive mood/feeling that the reader can feel. In, “The Masque of the Red Death” he does this really well. Poe uses the setting, imagery, and tone to help set the mood. The places, colors, and things that go down helped him tremendously in setting the atmosphere for this story.
Edgar Allen Poe’s writing is often characterized by his innate ability to elicit a sense of foreboding within the reader. Due to how the deaths of his mother and wife and facing abandonment from his father, Poe became infatuated with death and the limits of human sanity. These themes are common characteristics of many of his short stories. However, The Masque of the Red Death, published in 1842, in particular utilizes many literary devices which contribute to the haunting overall tone and mood in the story.
Suspense is a key factor to the story, “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe. According to the Oxford Dictionary, suspense is the state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen. Poe uses the senses to bring the reader aware of the building suspense. He does this by telling the reader about the ominous setting of all the chambers, especially the seventh chamber. The sound of the grandfather clock, sending sinister shivers throughout the party goers each hour, keeps them on their toes. Finally, the fast-paced chase of the intruder and the Prince build to the suspense at the final moments of the story.
Fear is a feeling that people wish they could escape and not have control their life. However, fear is a valuable asset to life. Fear is what holds us back from going swimming in the ocean at dawn, after hearing about a shark attack. Without fear, there would be nothing to withhold us from irrational acts. Fear can also become overbearing, it can thwart any rational thoughts and cause paranoia to consume all. Through terror, paranoia can overcome rational thoughts and cloud judgment. As portrayed in “The Masque of Red Death,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” without any rationality fear leads to rash acts. Edgar Allen Poe uses symbolism, irony, and imagery to illustrate how fear can influence perceptions of reality, and the repercussions of their acts.
Poe who wrote the “ The Masque of the Red Death" 200 years ago could have been talking about the modern day disease of Ebola. Although the Ebola disease you do bleed out of you body almost kinda what the story said was you bleed out your pours. Poe was talking about the Ebola disaster that hit Africa. Based on the story you bleed out your nose your eyes and the Red Death was very similar to the Ebola the way the story’s had explained it. The story about “The Masque Of the Red Death” was made up by Poe; it’s not a real thing. The symptoms are the same there were sharp pains sudden dizziness, and bleeding out your pours in both illnesses.
Poe and Hawthorne are two American writers who have defined literature as we know it today. Both brought the standards for short stories to a whole new level never seen before. Poe’s writing style sought out to leave the reader with a single effect and or message conveyed through the story. However Hawthorne placed more emphasis on the authors view of the world around him. These forward and evolutionary thoughts changed the way people today appreciate the languages present in the writings. Hawthorne and Poe were so evolutionary because of their use of different themes, symbols, characterization and most importantly the settings of the stories themselves. The coolest part about these authors is how they each uniquely presented romantic and gothic themes differently in the same short story format.
Overall, “Masque of the Red Death” is by far the best example of horror. The story goes above and beyond with making people really ponder, bring out emotions, and brings the reader into the story. No other author could have ever done the amazing work with this horror story like Poe did. This horror story will give a scare to anyone who reads it, gives them chills that run down their body, feel sick to their stomach, and have their heart start to race and as a result, creates one of the best horror stories to date.