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Which three parts of this excerpt from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" highlight the suggestion that the powerful and wealthy in the story are insensitive toward the outbreak of the disease and those who are suffering?

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The "Red Death" had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal—the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour.

But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys. This was an extensive and magnificent structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They resolved to leave means neither of ingress nor egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within. The abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions, the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime, it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the "Red Death."

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.

Answer :

Final answer:

In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," the excerpts illustrate the insensitivity of the wealthy, particularly through Prince Prospero's indulgence in pleasure while ignoring the suffering outside his quarters. This highlights the themes of moral failure and the consequences of detachment from societal responsibility. Overall, these passages reflect a critique of the powerful during a time of crisis.


Explanation:

Analysis of Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" Excerpt

In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," several parts of the passage highlight the insensitivity of the wealthy and powerful towards the disease ravaging their country. Here are three specific parts that emphasize this:

  1. "The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beau, there was wine." This excerpt illustrates how Prince Prospero indulged in orgies of entertainment while his subjects suffered outside the walls of his abbey, demonstrating a detachment from the harsh realities of the plague.

  2. "The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think." Here, the prince's disdainful attitude shows a profound lack of empathy towards those suffering from the disease, as he prioritizes his lavish lifestyle over the lives of others.

  3. "When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends." This signifies the egoism of the wealthy, who gather to celebrate in isolation while the rest of the population succumbs to the disease.

These selections together underscore the themes of moral failure and the dangers of ignoring the plight of others faced with catastrophe, reflecting Poe's critique of societal norms and the consequences of hedonism in times of crisis.


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