The Stranger

by Soraya Lowe   Apr 25, 2008


Based on The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe
First person Point of View- The Red Death

The Stranger

They called me, "The Stranger,"
Yet those people knew me well.
Whenever they thought about me,
Their eyes would water and swell

I've killed millions in my wake.
The country, now, is bare.
No one has ever escaped my touch,
Or seen past my stare

They hid behind their walls --
That didn't keep me away.
Millions of people died
Every second of every day

For a couple of months,
The fools lived in happy seclusion,
Feeling they were rid of me --
What a delusion

They all paid for their foolishness;
Especially their host.
I killed them in the room
That resembled me the most

They thought they could escape me,
Though I was always by their side.
They underestimated me,
And that's why they died

For ignoring me,
Their lives I did endanger,
For I am the Red Death --
I am, "The Stranger"

**This was an extra credit assignment for my American Literature Honors class. The assignment was to write a paper, in first person point of view, explaining why a character out of The Masque of the Red Death chose to do his or her actions. The character I picked was the Red Death, and I wrote it in poem form...and I received a lot of praise for it. Please tell me what you think.**

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Latest Comments

  • 15 years ago

    by Em

    I truly enjoyed this. The emotion and darkness portrayed in it was excellent. Good job, 5/5. Em x

  • 16 years ago

    by Roxy

    WOW!!!!!
    Haha I was not expecting this at all. Although I have no idea what the red death is this poem really caught my attention. My favorite line was :
    No one has ever escaped my touch,
    Or seen past my stare
    This one reallly caught my attention he most It just so powerful and I can picture it as well even though I don't know what it is about...does that make sense?
    Great poem .
    xxxxxxx
    Mucho Love Roxy xxxxx

  • 16 years ago

    by Mishka

    P.s. im adding it to my favs!

  • 16 years ago

    by Mishka

    Girl, you desereved all the praise you recieved!!! THIS IS SOOOOOOO GOOD. So dark and rancid but i looved reading it. It flowed so well, it conveyed the character reallllly well and Poe would be soo honored I promise.
    And extra credit? Wow... you are talented...
    keep writing...
    i enjoyed this read.
    5/5

    Val :)

  • 16 years ago

    by a broken smile with a broken heart is a poets life

    Lovely dark, sad, and sorrowful poem...
    Wow.. so much emotion in it.

    "They hid behind their walls --
    That didn't keep me away.
    Millions of people died
    Every second of every day"
    >love this stanza... i like the way some you describe the way some people are so naive. they think no one can touch them not even death... but like you said their is people dying every second of every day!
    This poem couldn't be better if written by someone else!

    "For ignoring me,
    Their lives I did endanger,
    For I am the Red Death --
    I am, "The Stranger"
    >love the last stanza... i think it was very powerful. it just clicked with the whole poem. the darkness of death can never be scaped no matter how much we try..
    sad truth..

    great poem! keep it up!

    **Ada**
    *aBSwaBHiaPL*

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