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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:

The excerpt from Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" reveals the insensitivity of the wealthy through attitudes that reflect a disregard for the suffering caused by the plague. Key phrases highlight the joy and isolation of the elite while the external world suffers. This serves as a critique of how the powerful choose to ignore tragedy for their pleasure.


Explanation:

Highlighting Insensitivity of the Wealthy in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death"


In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," several parts of the excerpt illustrate how the wealthy and powerful characters are insensitive to the suffering caused by the plague. Here are three key parts that highlight this insensitivity:



  2. "But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious." This phrase demonstrates the carefree attitude of Prince Prospero, who remains oblivious to the suffering outside the walls of his castle, focused only on his own enjoyment.

  4. "The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think." Here, the text underscores the prince's and his court's decision to ignore the tragedy befalling others, suggesting a blatant disregard for human life.

  6. "They resolved to leave means neither of ingress nor egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within." This illustrates their complete detachment and lack of empathy towards those affected by the plague, as they retreat into their luxurious settings and isolate themselves.


These portions exemplify the callousness of the affluent amidst a devastating crisis, revealing Poe's critique of the elite who prioritize their own safety and pleasure over the welfare of the suffering populace.


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