1. Journal prompts: Choose one: Have you ever tried to run away or hide from a problem? What was the ultimate outcome? Write about a time that you or someone you know tried to avoid something. How do people today protect themselves from diseases? How do they battle the aging process? Is it possible to avoid these things entirely? Explain why or why not. Choose a well known religious, national, or cultural symbol. Write a paragraph analyzing its meaning. Include the standard meaning along with a personal interpretation.

2. “Masque of the Red Death” Edgar Allan Poe Symbolism, Allegory and Imagery

3. Symbolism, Allegory, Imagery… Why Learn Them?  Understand and appreciate the broader meaning of a literary work  Is The Old Man and the Sea really just a story about a fishing trip gone bad?  Enhance your writing, allowing you to convey more nuanced meaning with every sentence

4. Symbolism  Symbolism: a writer’s use of symbols in which a place, thing or event stands for a larger idea  A dog can be a symbol of…  A rose can be a symbol of…  A dove can be a symbol of…  May be subtle and open to interpretation  Can help reader understand and appreciate broader meaning of a work

5. Exercise: Symbolism  In your notebook, create two columns: SYMBOLS and POSSIBLE MEANINGS  In the fist column, three concrete objects  In the second column, explain what each object might symbolize  Exchange with your partner--what else might these objects symbolize?

6. Allegory  A story in which all characters, settings, events and actions are symbolic  Teaches a lesson or reveals a truth  Example: “The Tortoise and the Hare”  What do the characters and setting symbolize?  What is the moral of the story?

7. Imagery  The use of figurative or descriptive language to create a vivid mental picture  Involves at least one of the five senses--sight, sound, touch, feel, taste  Helps to establish the mood of the piece

8. Imagery: Examples  The following images might be used to describe a stroll on a summer night:  Sight - a full moon in a black sky Sound - the chirp of crickets Taste - the tang of a cold glass of lemonade Touch - a warm breeze Smell - freshly mowed grass

9. Exercise: Imagery  Make a five column chart in your notebook  Label each column with one sense:  Sight Sound Touch Taste Smell  Now imagine a perfect Saturday morning  Fill in chart, describing the sights, sounds, etc. of your perfect Saturday morning  Monday morning?  How do your descriptions impact the mood?

10. “Masque of the Red Death”  Author: Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)  Known for tales of horror and the macabre  Pioneered detective stories and science fiction  Troubled life  Orphaned at young age when father abandoned family and mother died of tuberculosis  At age 26, married 13-year-old cousin who died 11 years later of tuberculosis  Died mysteriously after being found on the streets of Baltimore—speculation includes alcoholism, heart disease, even rabies

11. Background: The Black Death  One of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348-1350  Killed 25 million people, 30-60% of Europe’s population  Spread by infected rats and flea bites  Started with appearance of buboes (tender, enlarged lymph nodes under the armpits, in the neck, or in the groin)  Most died a horrific death within 3-5 days

12. Background: The Black Plague “They died by the hundreds, both day and night, and all were thrown in... ditches and covered with earth. And as soon as those ditches were filled, more were dug. And I, Agnolo di Tura... buried my five children with my own hands... And so many died that all believed it was the end of the world.” —The Plague in Siena: An Italian Chronicle

13. The Black Plague: Watch it! Links to video backgrounders on the Black Death 4 min trailer from the History Channel (note, due to some graphic images, recommended for ages 14+):  http://www.history.com/topics/black- death/videos/mankind-the-story-of-all-of-us-the- plague http://www.history.com/topics/black- death/videos/mankind-the-story-of-all-of-us-the- plague From YouTube, a teacher’s 18-min edited version of a History Channel program (not copyrighted, strictly for classroom use only):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJfVmGQNM 5Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJfVmGQNM 5Y

14. Imagery Example:  From “The Masque of Red Death”  "There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the sympathy of his fellow men."

15. “Masque of the Red Death” Vocabulary With a partner, find the definitions for the following words. Write them in your notebook. Include a visual representation for each to help you remember meaning.  Profuse  August  Impede  Cessation  Decorum  Tangible

16. “Masque of the Red Death” Vocabulary  Profuse—an overflowing amount of  August—majestic, impressive  Impede—to block, stop, get in the way of  Cessation—a stopping or halting  Decorum—behavior that is polite and proper for the occasion  Tangible—able to be touched

17. Comprehension Questions  How does Prince Prospero deal with the problem of the Red Death?  What does Prospero do after five to six months in the abbey?  Describe the seven rooms at the masquerade. How does the last room differ from the rest?  What stands against the western wall of the last chamber? What might this foreshadow?  What happens when the ebony clock strikes each hour? Why?  Describe the new visitor. What about him upsets the guests?  How does Prospero react upon seeing the new guest? What happens when he reaches the black, western-most room?  What do the partygoers do once the prince falls to his death?  Who is the strange party guest?

18. Symbolism Activity (see handout)  Closely read the story, circling any characters, settings, or objects of importance that might be symbolic  With a partner, make a list your most important selections. What might each symbolize? Why is this important?  Finally, after completing and reviewing your list of symbols, discuss the possible allegorical lessons or themes of the story overall.

19. Imagery Activity (see handout)  Closely read the story, underlining passages that include vivid imagery  Make a list of the best examples of imagery, citing at least five direct quotes from the story.  For each quote, indicate what sense the author is appealing to—whether sight, sound, touch, or smell or taste.  Answer the following: how does Poe’s use of imagery impact the mood of the story?

20. Post-Reading Discussion/Journal Questions  Would you want to be Prince Prospero’s friend? Why or why not?  What would you do if you had a fatal disease spreading through your town like the Red Death—would you try to hide from it, help others, do something else? Explain.  According to the story, “Even with the utterly lost, to whom life and death are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest can be made.” What are some things in real life about which no jokes can be made?  Imagine you are a guest at Prince Prospero’s bizarre masquerade. Using at least 3 examples of imagery, write 1-2 paragraphs describing your experience walking into the party. What do you see, hear, smell, taste, and/or touch? Use details you read in the story as well as your own imagination.