He continues to describe the “Red Death,” stating that there were “Sharp pains and dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores,” (Poe 3). By describing the disease so vividly, Poe is giving the reader a visual image to magnify the dreaminess of the story. He does this again when describing the attendees of the Masquerade. He describes them, saying, “There were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments. There were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions.
In Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart, Poe writes about how his characters are driven to commit murder and how their guilt eats them alive. The dark plots used is his writings exemplify the threshold of the unknown through the way that individuals are viewed as evil. All of his writings have some sort of violence that is driven by supernatural occurrences. The man in The Tell-Tale Heart has an eye that is scary and seen as potential evil that drives the narrator crazy and eventually causes murder.
Edgar Allan Poe uses figurative language to develop the theme of “The Masque of the Red Death.” He uses figurative language in this short story to give the reader a sense of gloomy feeling. By using personification, simile, metaphors, symbolism, imagery, and many other examples the theme of the short story is revealed to be greatly impacted and developed well. Imagery is a great example of how figurative language develops the theme. Poe uses personification to give a very somber or gloomy tone and make the reader feel very uneasy and scared.
“The Masque of the Red Death,” has an abundant amount of symbolism that ranges from subtle details, to plain out personification throughout the story. It is extremely ominous and dreamlike, which helps to show it’s dark and death-oriented messages. To achieve the desired theme and mood Poe desired, he uses dream-like settings and use of words to indicate that
“Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul.” (Nabokov 9). Vladimir Nabokov’s language in Lolita displays the enchanting power of language in its most innate form. In the classic dark love story of Humbert Humbert, the pedophile, and Dolores Haze, the naïve child, Nabokov 's choice in syntax encapsulates the audience’s attention from line to line, readers only hoping to understand the complexity of a character such as Humbert Humbert.
The symbolism can be very difficult to understand, but if a reader observes the text very carefully, he or she can understand what is trying to be symbolized. Poe loved to add symbolism behind his characters (“Edgar Allan Poe”). He would combine the physical and intangible traits of the characters and make the readers dig deep to discover what the characters are trying to portray in the story (“Edgar Allan Poe”). In “The Black Cat,” symbolism arises from one of the main characters in the story: Pluto. A reader needs to keep in mind that when Pluto is introduced into the story, the narrator had already began to become very delusional because of his alcohol addiction.
Mood is what draws a reader’s emotion to a story. The mood sets the scene for a story to play out on. In “ The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe there is a strong mood that drives the story. The mood is dark, angry, and mysterious. Key details and scenes help illustrate the mood.
In Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe, many symbols are used to justify the overall purpose and meaning of the story. These symbols include the ebony clock, the seven chambers, the scarlet and black room, and the Red Death itself. Each of these symbols help characterize the Prince and his guests, along with foreshadowing the overall outcome of the story. First of all, the seventh chamber and ebony clock not only provide a sense of eeriness, but reveal the underlying personalities and outcomes of the characters. For example, Zapf writes, “In the process of the story, of course, the seventh chamber more and more becomes the center of attention, and with it the clock of ebony which symbolizes the structure of temporality underlying and terminating all human
Edgar Allan Poe uses many different literary devices in “ The Raven” to create an overall depressing, eerie, and dark tone. Poe uses a monotone to help emphasize The Raven symbolic representation of death. All of these different literary devices helps him to create logical and methodical appeal. In “ The Raven”, Poe uses alliteration to create a dreary, depressing, methodological feeling.
Poe’s Use of Symbolism and Allusion Edgar Allan Poe is often regarded as the “Father of Gothic Literature,” and rightfully so. He composed a myriad of works that are now viewed as staples in the world of literature. With writings such as “The Raven,” “The Bells,” “The Black Cat,” and, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” he has changed the way readers indulge themselves in literature. Within each of his works, Poe provides the reader with a glance into his personal life, whether it be his preference of day over night, or some of his deeper struggles within himself, including substance abuse and his Survivor’s guilt over the death of many people who were dear to him. This is exemplified in his works, “The Raven,” and “The Black Cat,” where he uses symbolism
In the short story, “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe, the author uses the rhetorical device of symbolism. In this allegorical piece Edgar uses symbolism to explore his central idea more thoroughly. The central idea is that no matter what the characters did or where they went, they couldn't escape death as death is inevitable. Throughout the story the masqueraders were living life to the fullest, but then they were quickly reminded that morality cannot be avoided. Poe uses symbolism with the seventh chamber, the ebony clock, and the masked figure to expand on the theme of death.
In the story, ”The Masque of the Red Death,” the author uses the seven rooms as a symbol to express the themes of the story. To begin, Poe signifies that the palace has seven rooms. He uses the number seven as a symbol for the seven deadly sins. This provides the theme of selfishness and greed when Prince Prospero locks himself away in an effort to save himself and leaves his people to fend for themselves. Next, the author states that the clock, which is located in the Black room, can be heard anywhere in the palace.
Symbolism is one of the most important properties a story can have. It's often used to develop a character or a theme throughout the story that is being told. Symbolism in literature is best described by as the use of symbols and objects to signify ideas and qualities by giving them a symbolic meanings that are very different from their literal sense. The short stories "Where are you going, Where have you been?" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" have very obvious examples of symbolism.
No one can defeat Death There once was a young woman, who strived to be immortal, this caused her to bind herself away from the world for years. She decided one day that she had conquered death by changing her fate and goes to venture the town where she met a strange man, who insults her, filled with anger she decides to go after him where she faces death. A very similar situation is portrayed in “The Masque of the Red Death” with the character Prince Prospero, who believes that he has changed his fate by locking himself in his palace for years but this doesn’t end well for him as he faces death in his own home. In “The Masque of the Red Death”, written by Edgar Allen Poe, irony and symbolism to is used prove that death is inevitable.
Symbolism is used in literature pieces to add dimension and depth to the story that is being told. The symbols that are used are usually subtle and discreet but are mentioned or talked about quite often. This is because in literature if something is mentioned more than once then it will most likely hold a greater significance than it may lead on. The author John Steinbeck uses many symbols in the story Of Mice and Men to add a better understanding on why some characters act the way they do. The way he adds symbolism to this story is through the animals that live with the characters or are talked about frequently.