As we briefly went over the subject of the Black Death in class, my mind couldn't help but to think of one of Poe's famous works, "The Masque of the Red Death" and how much symbolism is conveyed about the past within its story. In it, a mysterious figure interrupts the merriment of a masquerade, making his rounds throughout the different colored rooms until finally ending up inside a room shrouded in black, where he murders Prospero and the rest of the partygoers. To me, this "Red Death" in fact symbolizes the Bubonic Plague, or Black Death, as it is known as today. We talked about how this unforgiving disease took the lives of both the rich and the poor, the clergy and the peasants. No one was truly safe from the clutches of death, as also seen in Poe's story. Each of the rooms in Prospero's abbey are decorated by a different color--blue, purple, green, orange, white, and violet. The differing hues of each room represent different walks of life, such as the peasantry, merchants, artisans, clergy, noblemen, etc. All varying levels of society, and yet all perished in the end. I think it is quite interesting to see how much the past affects several aspects of future society, be it through text, word of mouth, art, or other things.
I like that you've connected what we're talking about in class to something that holds value and meaning to you. I tend to feel this was in my history classes because its as if things start to make sense, like societal norms, traditions, etc...because you know the historical context of them. Also, I like that you discuss about the ominous figure of Death. I think that post Bubonic Plague, the figure of death plays a more distinct and relevant role in art and literature.
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