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 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."

3. "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."

The passage highlights the insensitivity of the wealthy during a plague through the attitudes of Prince Prospero and his courtiers. They prioritize their own happiness and security while completely disregarding the suffering outside their walls. This reflects a broader theme of elitism and indifference to human suffering in Poe's work.

Explanation:

Highlighting Insensitivity of the Wealthy

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

The Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. - This line reflects the prince's detachment from the tragic reality occurring outside the walls of his abbey, indicating a lack of empathy.
The external world could take care of itself. - This suggests a self-centered attitude, emphasizing that the wealthy feel no responsibility toward those who are suffering from the plague.
It was folly to grieve, or to think. - This line reinforces the idea that the wealthy dismiss the gravity of the situation, prioritizing their pleasure over the pain experienced by others.

These selections collectively underscore the theme of elitism and indifference to suffering that permeates the story, highlighting the disconnect between the privileged and those affected by the plague.

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