Before We Reach The Climax Of Death Quotes And Analysis

Throughout “The Masque of the Red Death,” by Edgar Allan Poe, the ebony clock is a significant symbol that contributes to the theme. The theme of the story is that no person can escape death, and the clock shows that time is ticking on the inevitable ending for all of the people's lives. First, the clock is specifically located within the black chamber of the palace. Since “The panes here were scarlet --a deep blood color,” the room portrays death and darkness. This is a chamber that nobody dares to enter. The clock is a reminder that time is running out and everyone will eventually die. Additionally, whenever the clock strikes a new hour, the masqueraders freeze in terror and “the giddiest grew pale.” When the clock chimes, they are nervous

The short story, “The Masque of the Red Death,” by Edgar Allan Poe has many different symbols; however, the most important symbol is the clock. The clock represents the passage of time and getting closer to death. Every time the clock chimed everyone got quiet. In the text it says, “The musician of the orchestra were constrained to pause, momentarily in the performance, to hearken to the sound”. This quote shows the reader that everyone is worried because they stop all their movements to listen to the clock chime.

Symbolism plays an important part in this story. The ebony clock is particularly significant “there stood against the Western wall, a gigantic clock of ebony.” Poe placed the clock against the western wall for a symbolic purpose. The sun rises in the East and sets in the West. The clock is nearer to the setting sun. The placement of the clock indicates an association with an ending. A sunset indicates the ending of a day, while the ebony color of the clock suggests its relationship with darkness and death. The characters react to the sounding of the clock’s chimes in a nervous fashion. “…While the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale.” Poe uses this clock to remind the characters that they have lived through another hour to build up the time of revelation. At each strike of the clock the characters stop everything as if they are waiting for the "Red Death" to come for them at any minute. At twelve, the stranger dressed as the "Red Death" appears. This time everyone begins to fear death. The darkness of the rooms causes shadows to form by the fires' light to increase suspense.

At the end of the first paragraph Poe uses foreshadowing when he writes “And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour” (1). I see this as foreshadowing the event that ends the party and the lives of all those present. The entire thousand assembled die when the Red Death came. The “last chime had utterly sunk” (3) also foreshadows the end where each individual “died in the despairing posture of his fall” (4). Combining both these instances together shows that the whole situation or incident, from the “presence of a masked figure” (3) to “one by one dropped” (4), ended before the clock chimed the next passing hour. The “seventh apartment” (1) also foreshadow the presence of the Red Death. The entire apartment was “shrouded in black velvet tapestries” and the window “panes here

In the book The Killing Sea by Richard Lewis, Sarah and Ruslan have very different point of views on the word “respect” and its meaning. In Chapter one, page 5, Sarah is complaining about what she needed to dress like to respect their culture, “The mother whispered to the girl, ‘Put on your scarf’ ‘This stupid dress is enough. I’m drowning in sweat.’” First, this quote shows that Sarah doesn’t want to dress like the people from their land because she is not from there. While Ruslan is more respectful, “Ruslan hesitated. ‘Bapa, last week I borrowed your motor scooter without asking. I’m sorry.’”(The Killing Sea, page 10) Second, this quote shows how Ruslan told his dad what he did because he felt guilt for doing something that he shouldn’t done.

In the story “The Masque of the Red Death”, Poe expresses the theme that death is inescapable or inevitable. He expresses this theme through rhetorical devices such as symbolism and allegory. For example, Prince Prospero’s chambers were allegorical because of the rooms’ arrangement which was from east to west. The east represents the beginning of life, while the west represents the end of life. The Darkroom, which was at the end of the hall, symbolized death. It was the room that the guests didn’t want to go in and eventually was the place that they were killed by the Black Death. Another example of symbolism is the clock which as a symbol of the time-lapse of life as a human being. It was in this apartment, also, that there stood against the western wall a gigantic clock of ebony...and when the minute-hand made the circuit of the face, and the hour 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, but of so peculiar a note and emphasis that, at each lapse of an hour the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to pause, momentarily (Poe 374). This sentence expresses how compelling the clock is and how it attracts the attention of the masqueraders. The author also uses imagery to build suspense upon the reader. An example would be how the author describes the Red Death. His vesture was dabbled in blood-and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror (Poe 378). This describes the dreadful

Liz Brent states, ‘Edgar Allan Poe’s short story ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ may be interpreted variously as a parable for man’s fear of death.’ This specific quote gives great description on the feelings of the main character in this story. The conflicts overall play a major part in the story. As Kenneth Graham says, “If time is the destroyer of all things material, so, too, is the pendulum the destroyer in the pit, and the ebony lock in.” The critic is explaining the overall conflict of this story, and displays how the ebony clock is the symbol for death. In all, conflict is important to the story, as it ties back to the themes and describes the problems occurred.

One of the most significant symbols used throughout the story is the number twelve. “So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept!” (Poe 1). The number twelve is a multiple of three, which by logic symbolizes change and the coming of the future. At midnight, the narrator found the eye open which did not happen on the previous seven nights. Soon after the narrator found the “Evil Eye” open, he was able to kill the old man. Another key symbol used is the color blue. The old man’s eye was blue covered by a white lense. “I saw it with perfect distinctness--all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones” (Poe 2). Blue symbolizes clarity; the old man had a lense covering his blue eye, so he was unable to see the narrator for his true self. The number eight is also a symbol in the story. The number eight represents antagonism and an everlasting change. “Upon the eighth night, I was more than usually cautious in opening the door” (Poe 1). It was on the eighth night that the narrator slaughtered the old man. Symbols are used to exemplify different numbers and colors throughout the tale.

The black clock is also a symbolic element in Poe's story. "Its pendulum swung to and

The giant clock also was symbol of horror in the story. "Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang." Every hour the clock

The temporal setting “oppress the character with the shape of a pendulum” (3) He fears its deadly velocity which represents his final hours of life. He feels terror of the doom that will “cut” his time on earth. As everyone knows, this symbolizes that death is inevitable.

Jefferson controls his future because it up to one to make the choices they desire but also all of your choices will affect your future. Example if you make bad choices in life you get bad results in life. When you make choices for your future you always got to analyze and make a smart decision because a bad decision could lead you into a lot of trouble just like it did to Jefferson. However sometimes you may not have control over your future because sometimes things happen that you least expect.

I have never seen the general so despondent I have taken over writing all his correspondence. Congress writes “George, attack the British forces!” I shoot back, we have resorted to eating our horses.

There is a “…gigantic clock of ebony” in the black room, its sound is described as “…clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical, but of so peculiar a note and emphasis” (421). This suggests that the clock has importance, as it is a physical reminder of death. If the story did not use imagery, the reader’s interpretation of it would be completely different.

In this story Poe uses symbolism throughout the story with the ebony clock. This clock represents death and how it is inevitable. The clock chimes to show how life is quickly passing and it stops the music and dancing because the people are truly thinking of how their life is drifting away. Poe does this on page 2, by saying “and while the chimes of the clock yet rang. It was observed that the giddiest grew pale , and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused revery or meditation.”