The document provides instructions for a student assignment to analyze Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Masque of the Red Death" through discussing its mood and how literary elements like symbolism, imagery, and characterization enhance that mood. Students are asked to write a 3-paragraph essay identifying the story's mood, finding evidence of it through imagery and symbols, and analyzing a character to further prove the mood. They must cite direct evidence from the text using MLA format and receive grades based on their thesis, paragraph structure, and use of evidence.