The History of England’s Masquerade Essay

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.

Every year millions of kids get dressed up, knock on doors, and beg for candy. With Halloween just around the corner, you all are probably wondering where this strange tradition came from. Every year I have experienced this holiday and have done research on this topic. According to a 2014 Smithsonian.com article, stated by Natasha Geiling, in just one year Americans spent over six billion dollars on candy, costumes, and ghoulish decor in anticipation for Halloween. Many people think all Halloween is about dressing up and going trick or treating but there's more to it than that. The roots and variations from all around are what makes Halloween what it is today. In order to understand this holiday, we will go into the history of Halloween, how it's celebrated around the world, and superstitions revolving it.

It is a chaotic and unruly tradition wherein people exercise their freedom to indulge in the desires of the flesh. This can be in forms of alcoholism (which was abundant in the late 1840s), food, loud parties, and noise in general. All self-control and sobriety are forgotten in traditional carnivals; it is supreme madness. It is the perfect alibi for Montresor because everyone would be in the carnival. It would be so chaotic that no one would know where everyone else is.

Within the story, the masked figure is used as an important symbol in portraying that no one can escape death. The masked figure, who made its presence at midnight, had not been seen by anyone before. The masked figure is described as “tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave” (Poe 5). Furthermore, when the mask of the Red Death appears, it is shocking to all the guests. The reader discovers that this guest is even more strange than all the other guests. The figure resembles a corpse of a victim of the Red Death, thereby symbolizing the presence of the plague, which is the dangerously deadly disease all the guests are attempting to escape from. This comes to show that death finds its way to everyone. The appearance of the

Thesis Statement: How Halloween has evolved from what it once was to what is now.

The masks act as a way for the guests to block their guilt from being exposed after leaving people beyond the four walls to fend for themselves. “It was towards the close of the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, and while the pestilence raged most furiously abroad, that the prince Prospero entertained his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence” (Poe, Par.4). The invitees put on masks to symbolically obscure themselves from the fate of the “Red Death”. Poe is stating that the people are falling into the same arrogant way of thinking as Prospero by trying to escape disease. The party-goers are also hiding from themselves and each other because they selfishly tried to make themselves immune to the disease while leaving the outside world to fend for their lives. The masks being worn also helps give the sense of confidence while being “hidden”, especially Prospero. “ ‘Who dares’-- he demanded hoarsely of the courtiers who stood near him-- ‘Who dares insult us with this blasphemous mockery? Seize him and unmask him-that we may know whom we have to hang, at sunrise, from the battlements!’ (Poe, par.11). As soon as Prospero’s eyes landed on the mummer, there was a surge of confidence that shot up within his body in a split second. The mask upon Prospero’s face caused him to act in a boastful and cocky way to try and defeat the mummer, despite

This is a performance that is intentionally popular that has a sentimental value. The audience for this performance has a small market by the cause of favor and approval by their audience. The market is small because this is not a normally tradition so only a certain audience would know about it.

Even though coins gave the laity an idea of what the monarch looked like,it was still as equally important for the monarch to show himself in person to his subjects. During summer months it was not unusual for the whole court to regularly move from place to place on progress. These processions gave a chance for the laity to to have a glance at the royal person and also gave the monarch a chance to entertain and impress local gentry who did not have access to the royal court in London. Even though these procession's were used to gain support from all over England in truth they were mainly confined

The Celtic people would have huge bonfire celebrations in which they dressed up in costumes and wore masks to mimic and appease the spirits.”

Their festivities exhibited a blatant, vitriolic anti-Catholic bias (Fawkes and his group had been Catholics trying to topple a Protestant government). Each year the respective gangs, dressed in masks, costumes, tricorns and pointed grenadier hats, would parade an effigy of the pope and one of the Devil, “clad in tar and feathers” on a large platform, which was carried by a crowd on a large platform surrounded by burning firecrackers. Small boys concealed below the platforms worked strings attached to the figures, which would “elevate and move around at proper intervals the movable head” as they were carried toward Boston Common. Some gang-members would blow horns and conch-shells known as “Pope-horns.” Every house along the route was required to contribute money “to the expense of the show”. If they did not, windows would be broken, or the house otherwise damaged. The procession would continue through the Common, past the state house, and would typically end on Cornhill or Copp’s Hill, where the effigies were consumed in giant bonfires—and the two mighty clans would engage in a violent contest of strength and arms” (Ben Miller, 1). “In 1745, a newspaper described one of these events: “Tuesday last being the Anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot, two Popes were made and carried tho’ the Streets in the evening , one from the

During the Regency era appearance was extremely important. If a woman arrived at a party under or overdressed she would be mocked and ridiculed for days by other women. Since propriety was valued as well, those who were dressed scandalously would be avoided by others to safeguard their reputation. Appearance was also and indicator of social status and wealth, which determined whether or not a person was

From 1678 to 1681 the idea of 'The Popish Plot' took over conversation and became an obsession in the country. The Plot, which this time was entirely fictional, was created to scare the country into believing that Catholics where conspiring to dethrone Charles II like they had done in 1605 with the gunpowder plot. The cartoon shows parliament under one archway in session and Guy Fawkes in the other with the gunpowder to blow up parliament. This false plot was designed to create fear amongst the protestant community, it replicates the gunpowder plot of 1605, this print and the idea of a second plot increased the division in society for Catholics, a significant impact on the treatment of Catholics after the plot as even 80 years later the puritans still printed propaganda, the cartoon also implies the shunning off know Catholics in society. This occurrence was one of many replications of the plot, causing severe repercussions for Catholics.

Masquerade balls still take place today because people feel the need to hide who they are often. Every New Years, the Chicago Echelon Group hosts a

Halloween costumes at this time also reflected people's interest in other cultures. Scottish and Irish immigrants in the U.S. during the 18th and 19th centuries brought their Halloween folklore and traditions with them, which mixed in with the folklore, traditions and superstitions of other immigrants from Germany, Haiti and the Netherlands (“The History”).

The way in which this honour was portrayed to the outside world involved elaborate and restrictive corsetry and bulky skirts for the women and patent shoes, gloves, top hats and suits for the men. Such clothing, especially that worn by women, was completely impractical for engaging in any form of physical labour. As a quote taken from Thorstein Veblen’s ‘The Theory of the Leisure Class’ eloquently states, the general consensus of this era was that '...apparel is always in evidence and affords an indication of our pecuniary standing to all observers at first glance...dress, therefore, in order to serve its purpose effectively should not only be expensive, but it should also make plain to all observers that the wearer is not engaged in any kind of productive labour...' (www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/vebleis7.html).