College

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. "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."

Answer :

Final answer:

In "The Masque of the Red Death," passages indicate the insensitivity of the wealthy through their carefree attitudes and isolation from the plague's effects. The text reveals their dismissive mindset and detachment from the suffering outside their opulent surroundings. These attitudes underscore Poe's critique of the privileged class during times of crisis.


Explanation:

Analysis of Insensitivity Among the Powerful and Wealthy

In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," several parts of the text highlight the insensitivity of the wealthy toward those suffering from the outbreak of the disease. The following excerpts illustrate this theme:

  1. The Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. This statement reflects how the prince and his privileged companions appear unaffected by the crisis engulfing those outside their walls, emphasizing their indifference to the suffering of the infected.
  2. The external world could take care of itself. This line explicitly shows the mindset of the wealthy, who believe they can isolate themselves from the problem and thus disregard the lives outside their secure abbey.
  3. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. This phrase reveals the dismissive attitude of the wealthy towards the plight of the suffering, suggesting they view concern for the outside world as an unnecessary burden.

These excerpts collectively highlight the theme of social insensitivity, demonstrating how those in power seek to escape the realities of the suffering world around them while indulging in their own desires.


Learn more about insensitivity of the wealthy here:

https://brainly.com/question/41353508