There are many ways to develop moods. Descrptions of bright colors (red, orange, yellow) may contribute to a mood of happiness. The same colors in dim or eerie light...invoke gloom or augment hysteria. References to smells and sounds bring the setting to life further by asking additional sensory responses from the reader.

Robers, Ch. 6, pg 112

Things have officially come full-circle for me. It all goes back to imagery. Setting is nothing without imagery--just the name of a town or the location of a house. The images that readers see along withthe location are what really matter. When I think back to high school, as I often do, I remember the simple question on tests: "What is the setting?" Back then, it was sufficient to just say a private Abby or 7 different rooms,when referring to the Masque of the Red Death. However, now, I'm not sure that really does it justice. Even describing the rooms wouldn't do it justice, because there's so much hidden symbolism in those rooms. However, I'm not saying that I think this makes close reading more difficult. I actually think it makes it a little easier, because by understanding the setting, and the reason for the inclusion of specific items, we are able to uncover deeper meanings within the works. I just want to say one last time that it all goes back to imagery. I love imagery and sensory details. The more detail, the better. I love it when the text paints a pretty picture in my mind, but now I really understand why it's important to include such details while other times, it really is beneficial to leave some information out. I guess it all just depends on the atmosphere.

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--"Masque of the Red Death," Roberts pg. 357

I think I've read this story about five times over the years, but I'm not complaining. I love Poe, and I enjoy reading this story especially, because it alludes to the Plague, and the fact that when people die, there is no longer the need for divisions of class--Death does not pick us by how much fortune we do or do not have--it picks random, because, in Death, there is true equality. Everyone dies, and Poe effectively proves this in his short story. He demonstrates that even when people try to avoid the inevitable, it finds a way to happen anyway. Prospero attempts to cheat Death by locking himself within his fortress with a number of party guests. This, in theory, is where he went wrong. He let the Red Death in as soon as he allowed his knights and dames from across the land to enter his abby.

Poe foreshadows the inevitable death as soon as he mentions that the Red Death was absent from the pleasures of the fortress. Prospero has created a false sense of security for himself, and his doom awaits as Poe goes about describing the setting of the story. This does more than just give readers a visual. It adds to suspense. Readers know the Red Death is going to appear, but the question of "when?" remains until the foreboding clock begins to chime. The setting of the rooms also provides suspense when Poe describes the seventh room, which lacks the vibrancy of all the others. Readers can see a bad omen coming from this room. The more the clock chimes, the more people get creeped out. The readers know that the clock is counting down to something--death.

I think I appreciate this story a lot more now that I'm reading it in college. When I read it in middle school, and again in high school, I remember just thinking that it was a creepy story. I listened to what my teachers said the symbolism was, but probably really didn't get it. But now that I'm older and actually look for symbolism on my own, I have a new appreciation for all of Poe's works. They're so much more than just a creepy story.

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-Maus, pg. 110

I'm absolutely fascinated by the bunkers Vladek describes in this half of the book. I recently went to see Inglorious Basterds, and in the beginning of the film, a man hides a few Jews underneath his floor. However, they were simply laying under the floorboards. In Maus, the hiding spaces were much more elaborate, and they actually worked! After I read this part of the book, I'm really curious about Jewish Bunkers. Vladek always talks about the importance of trade--he held onto valuables in order to barter later. Is that how he managed to build the bunkers? I'm sure they didn't have a lot of time to build the bunker in the basement of the kitchen, or the bunker in the attic, so it's really surprising that they were able to actually hide from the Gestapo. The only way they were found was if they left their hiding place or if someone lead the Nazis back to their hidden bunkers. I'm still confused on how the coal-bunker worked. How did they cover up the entrance with coal once they were inside the bunker? I decided to do a little research about the bunkers from the Holocaust, because I wanted to see what they look like in real life--I found a photo:

The more I read, the harder it was for me to understand what these people were going through. I can't imagine hiding and going without food for such an extended period of time. It really is incredible that people were actually successful in hiding from the Nazis during the Holocaust.

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