The Pit and the Pendulum
Background Knowledge
• In the story, an unnamed narrator has been
sentenced to death during the time of the
Spanish Inquisition—the Catholic government
wanted to punish Jews who converted to
Christianity but were not really "sincere" in
their conversions.
• There is a great deal of irony in this. First
people are told that they have to convert or
they will be put to death, then, when they do
convert, the decision is to kill them anyway
because their conversions are not "sincere."
Do you know who King Ferdinand and
Queen Isabella are? They are the
monarchs who backed Christopher
Columbus in his discovery of America.
However, here is something that only a few
people know about them.
The marriage of King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella in 1469 unified Spain. Prior to their
reign, Spain was a collection of provincesthe two primary being Aragon and Castile.
Background Knowledge
When Ferdinand of
Aragon married
Isabella of Castile,
these two
provinces were
united by marriage
into a mighty
kingdom.
Isabella was a "fervent" Christian so she
asked the Pope for permission to set up an
Inquisition to weed out the heresy in the
Christian world. The Pope agreed. The goal
was to get rid of heretics in Christianity. A
heretic is anyone who does not conform.
The Short Story Begins
Your Tasks Include: (Take notes on attached sheets.)
• Read “The Pit and the Pendulum” by Edgar
Allan Poe with a partner.
• Summarize basic elements (plot, characters,
setting, narrator)
• Identify the emotions revealed in the work
• Create an original piece portraying these
emotions.
Review:
· Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was an
American author best known for his
dark short stories and poems.
· Poe experienced tragedy in his life. He
was born into poverty. His father was
an alcoholic who left when Edgar was
young. His mother died of tuberculosis.
His foster parents died, and he lived
and died in poverty.
What you need to complete:
• With your partner read the story and briefly
summarize the following elements:
• Plot: Give a brief summary of the piece. While
you are reading stop after each paragraph to make sure you UNDERSTAND what is being
read.
• Setting: Describe the setting. What words or
phrases help paint the picture?
• Characters: How does Poe portray the
characters?
• Perspective: Who is the narrator? Describe
this person’s feelings. Is it written in third or
first person? How does this affect the piece?
Explore the story
• With your partner explore the work as a
psychological thriller.
• What human emotions are revealed? (fear,
sadness, regret, loneliness, obsession,
anticipation, and helplessness.)
• Identify and write words and phrases that
portray these emotions.
• Ideas that come to mind after reading “The
Pit and the Pendulum,”
– horror stories, terror, fear, death, darkness,
murder, obsession, insanity, sadness, loss,
guilt, torture, and the unknown.
Think about
• Think about events or images from your
experiences that give you the same
emotions.
• For example, what have you experienced,
read about, or saw in a movie that may
have sparked fear or loneliness?
Finally …
• Work individually to create an original piece
that portrays these deep emotions.
• You may make a poster, write a poem or
short story, or even record a song.
• Be sure to use some of Poe’s words and
phrases in your finished piece.