Final answer:
The phrases "blood-bedewed halls" and "corpse-like mask" combine to create a tone of horror. They use imagery associated with death and violence to evoke fear and a visceral reaction in the reader.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phrases "blood-bedewed halls" and "corpse-like mask" evoke a tone of horror due to their strong associations with death, violence, and the macabre. These expressions suggest a nightmarish scenario, using imagery related to blood and death to create an atmosphere that is unsettling and frightful. The intention behind these phrases is to elicit a visceral reaction from the reader, making them feel as though they are in the presence of something truly terrifying.
As we engage with a text, analyzing the tone can be approached by first understanding our emotional reactions, then considering whether the text tells a story, shares thoughts, or explores feelings. The tone is communicated through word choice, imagery, and the cumulative effect of the language used within the piece. A tone of horror in literature often includes descriptions that make the reader think of death, decline, and decay, along with a sense of foreboding or dread.
For example, the depiction of a haunted house with "vacant eye-like windows" and overgrown, rank vegetation can indicate abandonment and decay, reinforcing a sense of unease and fear. Furthermore, comparing emotional distress to a "vast, endless scream passing through nature" amplifies the intensity of the horror that the characters—and through empathy, the readers—are meant to experience. Thus, the correct option for the tone created by the phrases "blood-bedewed halls" and "corpse-like mask" is a tone of horror.