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Select the correct text(s) in the passage.

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?

1. "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."

2. "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."

3. "With such precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself."

Answer :

Final answer:

Edgar Allan Poe's excerpt illustrates the insensitivity of the wealthy towards the suffering caused by the disease. Key lines reveal their denial and selfishness amidst the plague. The text serves as a critique of the elite's disconnection from reality.


Explanation:

Identifying Insensitivity in "The Masque of the Red Death"

The excerpt from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" reveals the insensitivity of the wealthy and powerful towards the suffering caused by the disease. The following parts of the passage highlight this theme:

  1. "But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious." This indicates the Prince's obliviousness to the plight outside his luxurious surroundings.
  2. "The external world could take care of itself." This phrase explicitly shows the elite's lack of concern for those affected by the disease, suggesting a selfish disregard for the suffering of others.
  3. "In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think." This reflects the denial and insensitivity of the wealthy as they escape into revelry while others suffer.

Together, these excerpts illustrate how the powerful choose to ignore the Red Death's impact, trapped in their extravagant lives.


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