A book of horrors, fear and death. “The Plague” is a book by Albert Camus which weaves these emotions and events into one suspenseful tale. Each paragraph and section is written and structured in such a way as to give the reader insight into the feelings of the victims of the plague, and to show somewhat of a theme. The passage from section 4, part 4, line number 1 to line number 35 gives us a glimpse of the melancholy of the people of Oran to their dead loved ones to the extent that they do not attend All Souls' Day, for they were thinking of them too much as it was. Albert Camus fills this passage with figurative devices, including, diction, personification, pathetic fallacy, metaphors, irony and a turning point. The first two paragraphs suggest that it was a perfect environment for the attendance of All Souls' Day, portraying several features of the environment that correspond to the All Souls' Day. However, Albert Camus uses a turning point and several devices to show how that it was ironic on how they did not attend it.
The author clearly makes it visible that the environment was suitable for All Souls' Day through diction and pathetic fallacy. “weather was seasonable”, “mild autumn air”, “cool wind” and “big clouds...trailing shadows”. These reflect on the suitability of the weather and the environment for the season of mourning and sorrow, not one of happiness. The device continues to “show” the suitability of the environment for the sorrow. “Glossy, rubberized garments”, “pestilences of southern Europe”and “oiled clothing”. These diction devices refer to the similarity of the condition of Oran with the conditions of Europe long ago,a hundred biennials, ago during the bubonic plague, where people were thought to wear oil...
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....the habit of irony was growing on him (Tarrou) more and more-each day was for us a Day of the Dead.”. The ironic figure here also helps the reader to understand the situation of the townspeople and their extended grief and to what extent this grief affects everyone.
“The Plague” is a novel weaved with beautiful and stylistic devices used by Albert Camus to portray and clarify the message and theme of every passage. This passage specifically has used diction, pathetic fallacy, metaphors, a turning point and irony to portray the message, which was despite it being All Souls' Day, the plague had hardened the hearts of the families of the victims and incidences, and thus did not attend All Souls' Day due to them thinking profoundly about them. Thus helping the reader understand the overall message of the book on how much the townspeople were suffering from the plague.
Think of a North America without electricity, no running water, no government, almost no buildings left intact, and ravaged by a Chinese manufactured plague, even though it’s hard to imagine that's what happened in Jeff Hirsch’s The Eleventh Plague. In Jeff Hirsch’s Eleventh Plague a family made up of the Dad, Mom, Grandfather, and son are trying to survive in a North America ravaged by a Chinese Plague , But then the mom and grandpa die and dad and Stephen are left on their own, but when the dad gets injured running away from some slavers, A Town named Settlers Landing that seems too good to be true takes them in. Then Stephen befriends a girl named Jenny, and when they play a prank that sends Jenny, and when they play a prank that sends the town into chaos. A war is started and it is up to them to help stop it. I thought that The Eleventh Plague was a believable piece of Speculative Fiction because of Hirsch's use of elements of Conflict, Theme, and Red Herrings.
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.
Death, despair, and revenge, these three words form a treacherous triangle to any reader who dare enter the mind of Edgar Allen Poe. In many of his works these expressions seem to form a reoccurring theme. Comparing the works "The Mask of the Red Death" and "The Cask of Amontillado", we will discuss these themes while analyzing the method behind Poe’s madness.
Firstly, The Masque of the Red Death is a short story that dwells on a wide variety of societal issues. On the other hand, The Raven adopts the form of a poem, which is especially notable for its dramatic and melodic properties. The poet uses the refrain of “Lenore” and “nevermore” in order to emphasize the narrators’ troubled interaction with death (Poe, The Works of Edgar Allen Poe). Furthermore, The Raven employs allusion in its attempt to explain the mysteries surrounding death. The poet seeks to know whether there is “balm in Gilead” in reference to the hope of life after death demonstrated in various religious faiths such as Christianity. In The Masque of the Red Death the author addresses death’s inevitability and its wider implication on the society (Poe). The short story addresses the ability of epidemics to wreck havoc on populations. Furthermore, the short story addresses the authority’s selfishness and incompetence when it comes to addressing pivotal issues affecting people. Instead of finding ways of protecting people from further infections, the prince selfishly runs away from the rest of the population. Whereas death finally catches up with everybody regardless of one’s social status, the short story plays a pivotal role in highlighting leadership discrepancies that plague many civilized
In the novel, The Masque of Red Death, by Edgar allen poe, many visible elements are used to deliver the theme that no human can escape death. Nor the rich or the poor , can prevent such thing. This story is about a country that gets infected with a deadly plague known as the "read death", poe himself experienced how the disease affected people in his life.I believe he used this story to demonstrate his views and feelings towards this fatal disease.The plague causes death within 30 minutes of being infected . In the story , there lived a prince named Prince prospero, with little compassion , that takes refuge in a magnificent palace with his 1000 friends along his knights and dames of his court, where they spend their days partying and drinking as if blinded to what is going on in their country.There were dancers, musicians,bufoons, even wine. The perfect place for majesty.The palace had gates of iron and every door was bolted in. The prince has no care to the people, who are dying , bleeding from pores, living their last days. Instead if the prince even suspected one of them was infected, he automatically would kill them. The prince was a selfish, uncaring, self centered rich ruler who thought his power and money could avoid death. The palace is made up of 7 rooms, all of a different color. There is a blue,purple,green,orange,violet, white and lastly a black one covered with blood. Allegorical elements can be decribed as life or death in this mysterious story. The plague symbolized the death part, and the ball symbolized life. I believe the colors represented the stages of the prince life, legitemanly fnishing in the 7th room where he layed lifeless. The rooms go from east to west , representing the way the sun rises meaning bi...
In Camus' novel, “The Plague”, he tells a fictional story about a port town in France that has been infected by the Plague. Camus' detail in recounting the symptoms the people face as a pla...
In Edgar Allen Poe’s short mystery, “The Masque of the Red Death” the emotions and beliefs from the mid 1800’s are figuratively brought to life through symbolism. Discussing through a fictional perspective about a plague that is referenced as “The Red Death”; the disease potentially was meant to represent Tuberculosis or the Bubonic Plague. Using the seven stages of “life” portrayed through color, Poe illustrates the sense of mystery and the fear of the known. In his short story he displays not only the inevitability of fear through extensive use of remarkable symbolism, but also the different views of that era. During the 1800’s the plague was racing and the medication was not extensive enough to control the diseases, such as; Tuberculosis, Bubonic Plague, even the common cold was lethal. Big cities were not kept as clean as they should’ve been, trash and sewage was not always disposed of properly. Having this in mind, think of how easy it was to become ill. The “red death” is viewed as a mysterious man, never having before been seen in the Prince’s castle; without knowing why, the guests and Prince Prospero begin to fear the unknown man. Though the man shows no sign of harmful intentions, the inevitable fear of the unknown is exposed. Using a thrilling setting to stir the mood, Poe allows the
Throughout the whole short story “The Story of an Hour” the reader sees’ irony but the best usage of irony occurs toward the end of the story in the last few paragraphs. As the reader reads the story they notice that Mrs. Mallard’s husband Brently Mallard died in a railroad disaster. The reader also finds out that Mrs. Mallard has a heart trouble, and great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death. (157) There ar...
Albert Camus’s The Plague is a novel about an ordinary town that is suddenly stricken by plague. A few of Camus’s philosophies such as the absurd, separation, and isolation are incorporated in the events of the story. The absurd, which is the human desire for purpose and significance in a meaningless and indifferent universe, is central to the understanding of The Plague. In The Plague, Camus uses character development and irony to show that even through the obvious superiority of the universe, man is in constant effort to outlive the absurd. The Plague is crafted around the belief that humans live life in search of a value or purpose that will never be revealed to them because it does not exist.
In the first instance, death is portrayed as a “bear” (2) that reaches out seasonally. This is then followed by a man whom “ comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse / / to buy me…” This ever-changing persona that encapsulates death brings forth a curiosity about death and its presence in the living world. In the second stanza, “measles-pox” (6) is an illness used to portray death’s existence in a distinctive embodiment. This uncertainty creates the illusion of warmth and welcomenesss and is further demonstrated through the reproduction of death as an eminent figure. Further inspection allows the reader to understand death as a swift encounter. The quick imagery brought forth by words such as “snaps” and “shut” provoke a sense of startle in which the audience may dispel any idea of expectedness in death’s coming. This essential idea of apparent arrival transitions to a slower, foreseeable fate where one can imagine the enduring pain experienced “an iceberg between shoulder blades” (line 8). This shift characterizes the constant adaptation in appearance that death acquires. Moreover, the idea of warmth radiating from death’s presence reemerges with the introduction to a “cottage of darkness” (line 10), which to some may bring about a feeling of pleasantry and comfort. It is important to note that line 10 was the sole occurrence of a rhetorical question that the speaker
Albert Camus was a French writer who was very well known all over the world for his different works but especially with the idea of “absurdism”. Camus believed that something that was absurd was not possible by humans or logically. It was beyond ridiculous and therefore impossible. This was the basis of one of his most famous works, The Plague. The Plague is a novel that explores aspects of human nature and condition, destiny, God, and fate. The novel is about a plague that takes place in Oran, Algeria that is fictional, but it’s believed to be relatively based on a cholera outbreak in the mid 1800’s in Oran that killed thousands of people. Dr. Bernard Rieux is the protagonist but also is the narrator. However, he doesn’t admit to being the narrator until the end of the novel. Camus writes in the beginning that the instances in Oran are being told by witnesses of the plague. In The Plague, Camus wants his audience to read the book unbiasedly not knowing the narrator in order to take sides with the characters that one wants to and not to be persuaded by the narrators telling of the events.
In his novel The Plague Camus creates characters who are forced to think, reflect, and assume responsibility for living as they battle an epidemic of bubonic plague that is ravaging the Algerian port of Oran. For ten months as the outbreak isolates the city from the rest of the world, each of the citizens reacts in a unique way. Camus’ main characters undergo both individual and social transformations.
The Plague (French, La Peste) is a novel written by Albert Camus that is about an epidemic of bubonic plague. The Plague is set in a small Mediterranean town in North Africa called Oran. Dr. Bernard Rieux, one of the main characters, describes it as an ugly town. Oran’s inhabitants are boring people who appear to live, for the most part, habitual lives. The main focus of the town is money. “…everyone is bored, and devotes himself to cultivating habits. Our citizens work hard, but solely with the object of getting rich. Their chief interest is in commerce, and their chief aim in life is, as they call it, 'doing business’” (Camus 4). The citizens’ unawareness of life’s riches and pleasures show their susceptibility to the oncoming plague. They don’t bother themselves with matters not involving money. It is very easy for the reader to realize that they are too naive to combat the forthcoming calamity. The theme of not knowing life is more than work and habits will narrow the people’s chances of survival. Rieux explains that the town had a view of death as something that happens every day. He then explains that the town really doesn’t face towards the Mediterranean Sea. Actually it is almost impossible to see the sea from town. Oran is a town which seems to turn its back on life and freedom. The Plague was first published in 1948 in France. “Early readers were quick to note that it was in part an allegory of the German occupation of France from 1940 to 1944, which cut France off from the outside world; just as in the novel the town of Oran must close its gates to isolate the plague” (“The Plague” 202). When the plague first arrives, the residents are slow to realize the extreme danger they are in. Once they finally become aware of it...
The interesting concept of the absurd hero is classically presented by the author, Albert Camus in many of his novels, including The Plague. An absurd hero is a person who does what he has to do regardless of whether or not he can control that situation. Dr. Rieux, a physician in the plagued town, for example, still performs his job daily and just as diligent as he ever has, instead of caving in to the worry and fear that his town experiences because of this widespread epidemic. Camus uses this concept of the absurd hero to develop the four main characters, Tarrou, Rambert, Grand, but especially Dr. Bernard Rieux.
The quote at the beginning of this paper, "To know ourselves diseased is half our cure" has its relevance in the ultimate lesson we learn from The Plague. But there is another lesson to be learned and Camus reminds us of it in The Myth of Sisyphus: "the point is to live" (Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus, p.65). While facing the horrors of death, the characters in The Plague do an excellent job of bringing that philosophical point to life.