EMOTIONAL
DEVICES
"And one by one dropped the revellers
in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel,
and died each in the
despairing posture of his fall."
Throughout “The Masque of the Red Death,” Edgar Allan Poe is able to evoke intense emotions of fear, terror and eeriness within the minds of his readers. He does so through the utilization of gory and in-depth descriptions of the stories settings as well as through the detailing of primary characters. Other story elements he utilizes to appeal to his readers emotions are through the use of emphasis and foreshadow. These two story elements are centralized around three main objects from the story: the ebony clock, the flames and the black room. The three are interconnected with one another, as they serve as the main elements that make up the major scenes and themes within the story. With all these elements working to appeal to the emotions, Edgar Allan Poe is able to pave way for readers to obtain a deeper understanding of the story, that being the suddenness and inevitability of death, and how such a thing is inescapable.
DETAILED
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"The panes were scarlet--a deep blood color...The effect of the fire-light that streamed upon the dark hangings through the blood-tinted panes was ghastly in the extreme, and produced so wild a look upon the countenances of those who entered, that there were few of the company bold enough to set foot within its precincts at all."
DETAILED
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"The figure was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave. The mask which concealed the visage was made so nearly to rise,bye the countenance of a stiffened corpse..."
EMPHASISWithin the story, the author places much emphasis on primary objects that are essential to the main plots of the story. These objects include the ebony clock and the flames that illuminate each of the seven rooms. In regards to the large ebony clock, as I have already addressed the flames in the setting, Edgar Allan Poe goes into deep detail about the object, describing its massive size and monotonous tick-tocks. Although the author provides great details pertaining to the clock, he mainly emphasizes the reactions that result from the clocks loud and deep rings that resonates throughout the halls of the event upon each hour. This very sound causes the musicians to cease their playing and the dancers to halt amidst their waltz, as they stand in an unsettled silence while the loud clangs of the ebony clock ring for all to hear. This detail, along with the flames, are essential to the end of the story because the clangs of the clock and light from the fire cease when the Prince and his people perish amongst the Red Death. |
"There stood against the western wall, a gigantic clock of ebony. It pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang; and when the minute hand made the circuit of the face, and the hours was to be stricken, there came from the brazen lungs of the clock a sound which was clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical..."
FORESHADOW
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""And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the day. And the flames of the tripod expired."