Part 1: Analyze The Colors Used In The Rooms And Objects
Part 1poe Analyze The Colors Used In The Rooms And Objects In Poes
Part 1: Poe: Analyze the colors used in the rooms and objects in Poe's “Masque of the Red Death." What do they represent? Who do you think is the narrator? (No, it is not Poe) Part 2: Among many of the foundational themes of the poetry of the Fireside Poets were living a just life, commemorating history, embracing family and community, and celebrating nature. Consider the poetry of Henry Wadworth Longfellow and Oliver Wendell Holmes and discuss how these themes are represented in both. Please quote and cite from the poetry to support your assertions. You might consider using outside research from the open internet to help you gather ideas. If you do, please cite the source and provide a link for your classmates to follow. Your initial discussion for each part should be at least 200 words in MLA format.
Paper For Above instruction
The intricate use of colors in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" serves as a powerful allegory for different aspects of human experience and societal perceptions of mortality. Poe delineates seven vividly described rooms, each distinguished by its unique color—blue, purple, green, orange, white, violet, and black—culminating in the ominous ebony chamber. The colors symbolize various stages of life or facets of human consciousness. For example, the blue room, often associated with tranquility, could evoke the serenity of infancy or innocence, while the red and black rooms symbolize death, danger, and the inevitable decay that awaits all. The final ebony chamber, shrouded in darkness and featuring a clock that ominously tolls, emphasizes mortality’s inescapable nature, with black often representing death and the unknown (Poe, 1842).
Furthermore, the opulence and symbolic significance of these colors reinforce the theme of the illusion of security and the universality of death. The masquerade that the prince hosts symbolizes human hubris—believing that wealth, power, or beauty can stave off mortality. As death infiltrates the secluded abbey, the colors become ineffective shields against the Red Death, suggesting that death spares no one regardless of social status or wealth.
The narrator in the story presents an external perspective that is detached yet informative, describing the events with a tone suggesting both awe and horror. Although Poe is often interpreted as the story’s author, the narrative voice here appears to act as an observer, perhaps representing societal conscience or the collective human awareness of mortality. Poe’s use of color symbolism thus poignantly emphasizes death’s universality and the futility of earthly possessions in the face of mortality.
Turning to the poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Oliver Wendell Holmes, both poets embody the Fireside Poets’ themes of justice, history, family, community, and nature through their vivid imagery and moral undertones. Longfellow's "The Village Blacksmith" (1840) celebrates honest labor and community service, emphasizing the virtue of a life dedicated to the betterment of society. He writes, "And the artist’s hand / By which the shadows of death are cast / Is the same that shapes the life of man" (Longfellow, 1840), illustrating the interconnectedness of life, community, and the moral fabric that sustains society.
Holmes’s "Old Ironsides" (1830) is a patriotic ode that memorializes American history and the importance of preserving national heritage. Holmes exhorts, "Many, many men / Wrote on the battle-field; / The gallant ships will come again" (Holmes, 1830), reinforcing themes of historical remembrance and national pride. Both poems underscore an appreciation of tradition and the celebration of community values, emphasizing that individual lives and actions contribute to the collective identity.
In poetry, these themes are woven through imagery that highlights societal virtues and the natural world. Longfellow often depicts scenes of family unity and shared heritage, celebrating the pastoral and the familial, while Holmes’s poetry evokes a sense of historical continuity and national pride. Together, their works exemplify the Fireside Poets’ ideals of justice, memory, and the importance of community bonds as vital to individual and collective well-being.
References
Holmes, Oliver Wendell. "Old Ironsides." 1830. Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44880/old-ironsides
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "The Village Blacksmith." 1840. Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43091/the-village-blacksmith
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque of the Red Death." 1842. Project Gutenberg, https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/10647/pg10647-images.html
Holmes, Oliver Wendell. "The Chambered Nautilus." 1858. Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43141/the-chambered-nautilus
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "Haunted Houses." 1858. Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43807/haunted-houses