Masque of the Red Death
What is the prince's name? Explain the symbolism of his name.
Prince Prospero. It sounds like "prosperous," and he is a symbol for the wealthy upper-class.
What was 1 example of foreshadowing in the story? Explain.
The first line tells us that Mrs. Mallard has "heart trouble," and later she dies of what we can infer is a heart attack.
What is the main character's name?
She doesn't have one
What is the part of the plot that is the moment of highest tension or the turning point in the story? (HINT: think of the plot diagram)
The climax
What are the 5 types of sensory language?
Sight, sound, taste, touch, and hearing
What was the "Red Death" a historical allusion to?
The Black Death, which was an outbreak of the bubonic plague from 1346 to 1353
What is the main character's name?
Mrs. Mallard
Explain the significance of the writing style/narration in the story.
It reflects the main character's mental state (and eventual mental decline) throughout the story because it is written like a diary entry.
What is the difference between a protagonist and an antagonist? Give an example of each from a movie, tv show, or book.
A protagonist is the main character, and the plot of the story revolves around his or her goals.
EX: Megamind
The antagonist is anything (person, idea, or object) that stands in the way of the protagonist achieving his or her goals in the story.
EX: Tighten or Megamind himself
What type of figurative language is a "direct or indirect reference to another work intended to create more meaning and significance?"
An allusion
Name and explain 1 important symbol in the story OTHER THAN the "Red Death" or the "masked figure."
1. Ebony clock chiming and interrupting the dancers (passage of time / old age approaching)
2. The masquerade, masqueraders and masks (people trying to escape reality or people who are afraid of death)
3. The 7 colored rooms (seven ages of man or the seven deadly sins)
4. Prince Prospero (the wealthy upper-class)
What type of irony is it when the husband shows up alive at the end, not even knowing there had been an accident, and the wife is so shocked the she dies herself?
Name and explain 1 major type of conflict in the story.
Man vs man: Main character struggles with John's rules, and their marriage suffers because of their lack of good communication
Man vs self: Main character slowly loses her own sanity
Man vs society: Main character struggles against society's expectations of women and its understanding of mental illness
What is the difference between a static character and a dynamic character? Give an example of each from a movie, book, or tv show.
A static character does not change throughout the story, but a dynamic character does change in some way.
What are the 3 types of irony? List and give an example of each.
Situational irony: when the outcome is opposite of what is reasonable or expected)
Dramatic irony: when the audience knows more than the characters do
Verbal irony: sarcasm
Explain the symbolism behind the different colored rooms.
Each room represented a different "age" of man OR a different "deadly sin."
Explain how the imagery in the following excerpt reveals the main character's emotions about her husband's supposed death:
"She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves."
The repeated imagery of the "new spring life" reveals that the main character is feeling like a weight has been lifted off her and that she has a chance at a new life, a rebirth of herself.
Is the main character a static or dynamic character? What about John? Explain your reasoning.
The main character is a dynamic character, because she changes throughout the story. For example, she goes from being sane to insane.
John is a static character because his goals, actions, and personality remain the same throughout the story.
What are the 4 main types of conflict in short stories? List and give an example of each.
1. Man vs self
2. Man vs nature
3. Man vs man
4. Man vs society
What 2 types of figurative language are in the following excerpt?
"She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will--as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been."
Personification (the "thing" approaching to possess her) and simile (her will is as powerless as her hands)
Man vs nature: The "Red Death" is an illness that comes in and kills the party-goers despite their best efforts to protect themselves. It is represented through a "masked figure," but it is not human at all.
Name and explain the main type of conflict in the story. (HINT: Man vs. ???)
Man vs self: Mrs. Mallard struggles with her own conflicted feelings about her husband's death. At times, she is sad because he did treat her well, but overall, she is happy because she gets to live her own life now. At the end, her own shattered hopes are what causes her to have a heart attack and die.
What is 1 example of irony in the story? Name and explain it.
There is an example of situational irony when the main character ends up going insane because of her doctor husband's prescribed treatments, yet the intention was for her to get better.
What are the 6 main stages of a plot? List them in order.
Exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution
What type of figurative language is this?
"No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window."
A metaphor because it is comparing her newfound freedom from marriage to an "elixir of life."