Answer :
Final answer:
Edgar Allan Poe's excerpt from "The Masque of the Red Death" illustrates the wealthy's indifference to the plight of the suffering due to the disease. Key phrases highlight their isolation from reality and their refusal to engage with the suffering beyond their walls. Overall, the text reflects themes of selfishness and detachment in the face of widespread despair.
Explanation:
Selecting Key Texts from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death"
In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," several passages suggest that the wealthy and powerful are indifferent to the suffering caused by the outbreak of the disease. Here are three parts of the excerpt highlighting this insensitivity:
- "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." This highlights how victims were isolated and ignored, making it clear that society had abandoned them.
- "The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think." This shows Prince Prospero's refusal to acknowledge the plight of those suffering outside his seclusion, illustrating a deep selfishness among the elite.
- "But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious." This phrase indicates that while death loomed outside, the prince remained carefree and disconnected from the reality of the epidemic, signifying his detachment from the suffering of his subjects.
These excerpts collectively emphasize a theme of indifference among the wealthy towards the despair caused by the "Red Death," contrasting their lavish lifestyle with the horrific realities faced by others.
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