My son needs a summary of the Pit and the Pendulum for his English class. Since I am not that familiar with Poe and the style of his writing, nor the meanings of his verse; I was hoping you could assist us. Thank you, Deborah

-- Anonymous, March 02, 2000

Answers

Debroah, There is an excellent essay available at:

http://www.watershed.winnipeg.mb.ca/popitnpendlum.html

I am not sure this is what you are looking for, exactly, however, perhaps it is a good start. Good luck!

Tis

-- Anonymous, March 02, 2000

The pit and Pendulum my english 3 class just got done reading that. here we go: Background: Spanish Inquistion( 1500's) at first we see the victom and he has just been given a death sentenceby the court. he hears vocies but they are "inquistioral vocies" or someone in dream state. he is throwen in cell. he decides to find out how big the cell sence it is dark. so he puts a piece of cloth in corner and starts to feel along the wall. he ends up fainting and when he wakes up he back tracks. the nhe decides to walk in the middle and he ends up tripping on a water bowl and finds out that there is huge hole in the middle of the cell. to summerize more sees that the walls glow,sees the eyes of the rats, when he sleeps they guards slip in food and H2O, he drinks the water and it is poised,wakes up and he is tied to a bed,at this time he notices a slow desending pedilum,eats the food which makes him thirsty, and there is no water,he sees fieddish figures on wall,walls start to get hot, he puts the food on the rope and the rats eat through it and he gets out from under the pendiulm in just hte right time,at thsi point the walls are closing in,and he decides to fall in the pit, and the hole time he hears vocies,and at the last moment someone grapes his hand and he is saved.

the vocies he hears at the end symbolize that he has slipped out of reality and back into reality

if you need more info email me trey

-- Anonymous, March 02, 2000

I think that the French Army or the French in general knew about the evils of the Inquisition and decided to invade Toledo. I also think that Poe's story was written from the view of one man who was accused and sentenced and told the story about the horrors which came with the Inquisition.

-- Anonymous, November 01, 2000