The Pit and the Pendulum By Edgar Allan Poe

Dark Romanticism Known for grotesque characters, bizarre situations, gloomy moods Dark themes like the inevitability of death, growth of evil, the fine line between reason and insanity In terms of the individual: dark emotions, obsession, strange experiences, etc

Gothic Literature (basically Dark romanticism) Literary style popular in the 18th and 19th centuries Portrayed fantastic tales dealing with horror, despair, the grotesque and other dark subjects In essence, these stories were romances, largely due to their love of the imaginary over the logical

As we read Think about “ The Minister’s Black Veil” How are these two stories similar? How are they different? Think about things like tone, mood, theme, and writing style

Guided Reading Questions (write these down and answer) 1. What is happening in the first 4 lines of the story? Describe the dramatic tension this creates

Guided Reading Questions 2. Describe the narrators state of consciousness and how it changes in lines 8-13

Guided Reading Questions 3. Why were the judges voices turned into an “indeterminate hum” ?

Guided Reading Questions 4. What creates and atmosphere of horror in lines 15-23?

Guided Reading Questions 5. Based on lines 42-54, what might be the theme of the story?

Guided Reading Questions 6. In lines 93-103 what effect does withholding further details about the narrators situation have on the reader? What new details are revealed in lines 93-100? Why might Poe have delayed describing the surroundings?

Guided Reading Questions 7. Was the narrator’s mind lucid when he was being taken from the scene of his trial to his prison?

Guided Reading Questions 8. How do lines 111-120 build dramatic tension?

Guided Reading Questions 9. What does the description of a tumultuously beating hearts suggest to readers?

Guided Reading Questions 10. What evidence of the narrators terror is in lines 119-126?

Guided Reading Questions 11. Why did the narrator reject the supposition that he might be dead?

Guided Reading Questions 12. In lines 128-140, does the narrator’s hopeful state of mind continue? How can you tell? What happens to cause a change?

Guided Reading Questions 13. The narrator feels the challenge of measuring his cell cannot be overcome. What other tasks might have been insuperable for the narrator?

Guided Reading Questions 14. What does the narrator’s decision to remain prostrate on lines 160-161 tell you about his state?

Guided Reading Questions 15. What sensory details contribute to the atmosphere? To which sense does each detail appeal?

Guided Reading Questions 16. Based on lines 204-210, do you think the narrator fears physical agony or psychological agony more? Explain using evidence from the text

Guided Reading Questions 17. Lines 224–260: Does the narrator find his prison more or less horrible than he had supposed? How does it differ from what he originally thought? Explain.

Guided Reading Questions 18. Lines 251–259: Which words in these lines have strong connotations of horror?

Guided Reading Questions 19. Lines 261–272: Why did the writer wait to let the reader know that the narrator was bound? What other details are revealed in this paragraph?

Guided Reading Questions 20. Lines 275–305: Why might the writer have chosen to include this image? What sensory details describe the pendulum? Explain their effect.

Guided Reading Questions 21. Lines 307–310: Describe the effect on the reader of leaving the reasons for which the narrator was condemned unspecified.

Guided Reading Questions 22. Lines 318–325: Is it fitting that the image of Father Time is attached to the pendulum? Why or why not?

Guided Reading Questions 23. Lines 334–344: Describe the narrator’s emotions. What is their effect on the story?

Guided Reading Questions 24. Lines 358–377: How does the repetition of the word down at the beginning of each paragraph increase the dramatic tension? How does the narrator’s state of mind change as the pendulum descends?

Guided Reading Questions 25. Lines 381–402: What gives the narrator hope in these lines?

Guided Reading Questions 26. Lines 389–395: Why does Poe include these sentences? What effect do they have on the reader?

Guided Reading Questions 27. Lines 402–409: Why might Poe have kept this information from the reader?

Guided Reading Questions 28. Lines 428–432: How does Poe convey the sensation of the swarming rats? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Guided Reading Questions 29. Lines 470–475: Explain which sensory details give readers the information they need to infer that the walls are being heated by fire. Why does Poe use sensory details from which readers must infer the situation, rather than stating it directly?

Guided Reading Questions 30. Lines 483–489: How does Poe convey the horror of the pit? Why do you think Poe might choose not to tell readers what the narrator sees in the pit?

Guided Reading Questions 31. Lines 508–513: What is the narrator’s ultimate fear? Describe the narrator’s state of mind as he teeters on the brink of the pit.

Guided Reading Questions 32. Lines 514–519: Why do you think Poe might have ended the story so abruptly? Do you think the protagonist is actually rescued? Explain your response.