illustration of a clockface wearing a mask and ticking closer to midnight

The Masque of the Red Death

by Edgar Allan Poe

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The Masque of the Red Death

The line "they were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments" describes the nobles as distorted and contradictory in appearance. While "arabesque" suggests fluid, graceful forms, these...

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The Masque of the Red Death

The vivid imagery in "The Masque of the Red Death" significantly enhances understanding by creating tension and conveying deep themes. The striking depiction of the ebony clock, which halts the...

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The Masque of the Red Death

Poe uses figurative language, including an allusion to Hugo's Hernani, to enhance imagery. Personification is evident in the clock, described as having a voice, and the masqueraders are compared to...

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The Masque of the Red Death

In the opening paragraph, Poe uses vivid and gruesome word choices to create suspense. Terms like "devastated," "fatal," "horror," and "victim" evoke terror and death, describing the "Red Death" in...

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The Masque of the Red Death

Blood imagery in "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe highlights the horror and inevitability of death. Imagery includes literal and metaphorical references to blood, such as describing...

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