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Application of the Principles of The Short Story to "The Masque of the Red Death."

I. Introduction (paragraphs 1-2)

A. Explanation of the Red Death
1. Fatal pestilence

2. Pains and dizziness

3. Bleeding at pores

4. Termination of disease in half an hour

B. Description of the Prince

1. Happy, dauntless, sagacious, etc.

C. The move to the castellated abbey

1. Condition of dominion at the time of the move

2. The Prince's company

3. Structure of the abbey

4. Precautions against contagion

5. Provisions for pleasure

II. Main Incident-The Masked Ball (paragraphs 3-12)
A. The time

B. The imperial suite

1. Seven chambers (blue, purple, green, orange, white, violet, black)

2. The irregular arrangement.

3. Gothic windows of colors in accordance with deeorations

4. Seventh apartment black with scarlet window panes 5. Manner of lighting

6. The ebony clock

(a) Its peculiar chime

(b) Effect on the company

C. The tastes of the Prince

D. Description of the masqueraders

E. The revels of the fantastic moving figures

F. The sounding of midnight

1. Discovery of the presence of a masked figure by the guests

2. Description of the figure

3. The effect of the mummer upon the Prince

(a) The mummer's resemblance to the Red Death

G. The Prince's challenge to unmask the figure
1. The Prince's voice

III. Climax-Acknowledgment of the Red Death (paragraph 13)
A. Group of guests rushing toward the intruder in the blue

room

B. Effect of nameless awe

C. Solemn march through the seven chambers

D. The Prince's rage

1. Pursuit with dagger

2. Prince and figure face to face

E. Death of the Prince

F. Throng of revelers

1. Their discovery upon seizing the mummer

IV. Conclusion (paragraph 14)

A. Acknowledgment of the presence of the Red Death

1. The revelers

2. The ebony clock

3. The flames of the tripods

B. The Red Death's illimitable dominion

The notebook records may include the silent-reading rate, a copy of the outline made by the class, leading facts from Poe's biography, lists of new words and useful phrases, choice sentences, and an outline prepared for one of the themes suggested on pages 106-107.

An excellent book to recommend for volunteer reading in connection with this story is Fortune's Fool, Sabatini, which deals with the Black Death in London.

THE RAVEN (page 107)

The teacher who is concerned to have the pupils properly appreciate the beauty of the music and imagery of this poem will either read it to the class herself or allow some especially talented pupil to read it. A teacher will be much better prepared to present this poem properly if she has read Poe's essay "The Philosophy of Composition," in which he describes step by step just how he wrote "The Raven." It will be interesting to tell the pupils the main features of the essay and then to ask them whether they think it possible that Poe wrote the poem in the manner he describes or whether he was merely writing an interesting essay.

The teacher may call for volunteers to prepare one or more stanzas for oral reading, with special emphasis on the significance of the refrain in the various stanzas.

Poe, perhaps more than most poets, made use of melody in his verse. He wrote a number of essays on the subject. This poem illustrates admir

ably his feeling for the music of certain sounds and combination of sounds. The teacher needs only to call the attention of the pupils to certain musical features to have them constantly make new discoveries for themselves, (Alliteration; repetition of the sounds o, 1, r; double rimes, like dreary, weary, in the first and the third lines of every stanza; the repetition of the ore rime throughout the entire poem in the second, fourth, fifth, and sixth lines of every stanza, etc. The pupils will be interested in finding instances in which the poet followed his rime scheme with more or with less success.

The pupils may make lists in their notebooks of alliterative phrases, interesting rimes, and words of special interest to them.

NARRATIVES IN VERSE

BALLADS (pages 113-148)

As a background for the study of this group of narrative poems the material on pages 114 and 115 will be found useful. A class period may well be spent in a preliminary study of ballad characteristics and in recalling ballads previously studied. From this study the pupils should have fairly definite ideas on the following points:

How folk ballads have come down to us

How they were composed-two types of minstrels

How they were always sung

How, after the invention of printing, they were collected

The value of ballads as a storehouse of historical information
Characteristics of the ballad

The ballad always tells a story

Its language is simple

It is almost wholly without literary ornament

It would be well for the teacher to read aloud "Bonnie George Campbell," applying what the class knows about ballad characteristics to this particular folk-ballad.

"The Highwayman" has all the poetic qualities that we have come to expect from Alfred Noyes. To bring out these poetic qualities-rime, rhythm, alliteration, and vivid imagery—it would be best to have the teacher read the poem aloud. Alfred Noyes has said about his own poems that they should be read to emphasize the music, and that sometimes he has worked nearly two weeks upon the meter of one line. Pupils should

realize that the musical quality which makes a poem delightful to read is the result of painstaking work on the part of the poet.

It might also be well for the teacher to read aloud "A Ballad of John Silver" simply for its rollicking movement and as an illustration of a modern ballad, a fantasy of a poet who spent years of his life at sea.

A GROUP OF SIX BALLADS

JOHN GILPIN (page 116)

LOCHINVAR (page 131)

THE LEAP OF ROUSHAN BEG (page 133)

HOW THEY BROUGHT THE GOOD NEWS (page 137)
INCIDENT OF THE FRENCH CAMP (page 140)

FLEURETTE (page 144)

It would be difficult to find a group of six ballads which the boys and girls would be more likely to enjoy. They are all alike spirited and at the same time varied in theme. Instead of having the entire class study each one of the ballads it will stimulate interest and wholesome rivalry to divide the class, letting the boys prepare for class presentation three of the ballads and the girls three. One group may study "John Gilpin," "The Leap of Roushan Beg," "Incident of the French Camp"; and the other "Lochinvar," "How They Brought the Good News," "Fleurette." Under pupil leadership the groups may be further subdivided, each smaller group studying one ballad for the class program. The class program of each group will probably require one entire class period and may include besides the reading of the ballads, facts from the Biographies, Historical Notes, and Discussions, reading of additional ballads, two-minute talks on suggested topics or on ballad-characteristics, a discussion of rime-schemes and verse-forms, singing of ballads, phonograph records, pictures and sketches.

"Katherine Janfarie," an old border-ballad which may be found in any collection of folk-ballads, may be read to the class to see whether or not the members think Scott improved on the original.

The two groups, boys and girls, may enjoy comparing the two horses, Kyrat, in "The Leap of Roushan Beg," and Roland, in "How They Brought the Good News," as to their appearance, speed, performance, rider's treatment and affection, and the awarding of credit as expressed in the last stanza of each poem.

The following study, stanza by stanza, of "Incident of the French Camp" may be found useful for the oral interpretation of the poem:

Stanza 1. What picture does the first line bring to your mind? (The old soldier who loves to tell his war experiences.) Read the line bringing out the pride of the soldier as he says, "we French." Show by your reading that the taking of Ratisbon was no small feat. In the next seven lines we have a description of Napoleon-giving first his location and then his appearance. Notice how much Browning crowds into a few. words. Try to make your reading show that each word means much.

Stanza 2. From the musings of Napoleon, we realize how critical the situation was. Read "Lannes" to rime with "plans." What can you supply for the dash? Notice the change in the next four lines. The action is hurried. Name the words that give you an idea of speed. Read the stanza, making your listeners feel this.

Stanza 3. You expected that this rider on such an important errand would be a man and are surprised when the poet tells us it is "a boy." Show this in your reading. What lines tell you how weak he was? (“and held himself erect," etc.) Read the lines that tell of his courage. Stanza 4. Read the lines giving the boy's message. you think he said with special pride? Notice that he gives the important news first and then the proofs. Compare the last two lines with the first two in Stanza

2.

What lines do

Stanza 5. What is the force of the repetition? (It intensifies the effect of the message upon Napoleon.) Why was the soldier's pride touched "to the quick"? (Because Napoleon, so occupied with the news of the victory, should have a thought for him.) Did he have cause for smiling? Name the reasons. (Victory. He had been the one to place the standard in the market-place. His was the honor to bear the message to the great Napoleon. Napoleon took notice of him and his condition.) How would he regard death compared with these?

As different passages are studied, let pupils read them, and give pupils an opportunity to discuss each other's interpretation. Avoid such expressions as "emphasize this word" and "pause after such a word." Let them understand thoroughly the thought and then express the meaning in their own individual way either by emphasis or pausing or any inflection of which their voices are capable. The former way is apt to limit the interpretation and the latter makes for greater individuality. Encourage the children to ask for your interpretation as given by your reading.

In closing the lesson let the class choose which member they would like to have read the first stanza, which one the second, etc., until they have five members to read the poem. It spurs them on to feel that their reading is being judged critically by their fellow pupils.

If pupils have enjoyed the study of a selection like this, in all proba

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