Comprehension questions for The Masque of the Red Death

Utilizing before, during, and after strategies, students will comprehend and analyze the rich and complex language of Poe's short story.

W= By the end of the lesson, students will have read and comprehended a story written with complex word choice and sentence structure. Students will understand the impact of literary devices such as personification, symbol, simile, and setting on a story.

H=Before reading, students will define a few key words to aid in comprehension and will briefly hear a connection between the story and the author's life to help build background knowledge.  During reading, students will stop to draw quick sketches of what they are reading. This activity develops students' ability to visualize and gives them a chance to process what they are reading.  After reading, students will reflect upon the text by sequencing events, matching quotations, and analyzing use of literary devices. 

E=This lesson will equip students with reading skills that they can transfer to other stories within the Mystery and Suspense unit.

R=Students must return to the text to sequence events and match quotations.  They will revisit their student-friendly definitions as needed during reading.  In small and large group discussion, they will rethink their understanding of the use of literary devises.

E=Students will express their understanding of the story through their retelling and will evaluate with their retelling partners whether they were able to include main events.  They will evaluate their ability to sequence the narrative events by referring often to the text. They will summarize the reading skills utilized in this lesson so that they can transfer these skills as they approach new stories.

T=This lesson can be tailored to various reading levels by allowing students able to read the text independently to do so; reading aloud to other students or utilizing an audio version for struggling readers; using an adapted version of the story for readers significantly below grade level.

O=This lesson is organized using before, during, and after reading activities to help students approach the text.  Prior to this lesson, students would already have used student-friendly definition formulas, defined literary terms and plot elements and discussed their use in poetry, and gained relevant background knowledge on the author's life. Following the reading of this story, students would read one or two more stories with guidance from the teacher before reading and responding independently to a story.  This technique scaffolds their ability to read complex texts independently.

In crisis times, people usually go back to their bunker and wait for the danger to pass. "The Masque of the Ded Death" is a book that follows Prince Prospero’s attempts to avoid a dangerous plague known as Red Death by hiding in his abbey. Take a stroll down memory lane and see how much you remember from the book.

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Comprehension questions for The Masque of the Red Death

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What unanswered questions do you have about the story The Masque of the Red Death?

The Masque of the Red Death Questions.
Can you relate to Prince Prospero, or to anyone in this story? ... .
Is Prince Prospero a tragic hero, or a fool? ... .
What is the relationship between art and death in "The Masque of the Red Death"?.
Is Prince Prospero Poe? ... .
Is "The Masque of the Red Death" apocalyptic?.

What do the 7 rooms symbolize in The Masque of the Red Death?

The seven colored rooms are thought to represent the seven stages of life. They begin in the east and head west like the sun toward the end of the day.

What is the main lesson of the Masque of Red Death?

“The Masque of the Red Death” is a dark and eerie tale about a prince who arrogantly thinks he can cheat death, using his wealth and power to shield himself and the nobles of his kingdom. At its heart is the universal theme that no one can escape death.

What does The Masque of the Red Death Tell us about death?

The "Red Death," Poe tells us, holds "illimitable dominion over all." Poe's story possesses no real characters. The greatness of the story lies in his use of an age-old theme — the inevitability of death — and in the way that Poe creates and maintains a total unity of effect, he brings us into the horror of the story.