THE PIT & THE PENDULUM
Some Housekeeping! Please turn in your imagery (both parts) assignment into the in-tray Please grab a textbook for today s activity Please make sure that you tell me by Thursday of this week if you will need a copy of Brave New World. You will need a copy of it in class starting Thursday October 10.
Background on Edgar Allen Poe Born January 19, 1809, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. American shortstory writer, poet, critic, and editor Edgar Allan Poe's tales of mystery and horror initiated the modern detective story, and the atmosphere in his tales of horror is unrivaled in American fiction. Poe became a literary sensation in 1845 with the publication of the poem "The Raven." It is considered a great American literary work and one of the best of Poe's career. In the work, Poe explored some of his common themes death and loss. An unknown narrator laments the demise of his great love Lenore. That same year, he found himself under attack for his stinging criticisms of his fellow poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Poe claimed that Longfellow, a widely popular literary figure, was a plagiarist, and this written assault on Longfellow created a bit of backlash for Poe.
Background on Edgar Allen Poe Poe was overcome by grief after the death of his beloved Virginia in 1847. While he continued to work, he suffered from poor health and struggled financially. His final days remain somewhat of a mystery. He left Richmond on September 27, 1849, and was supposedly on his way to Philadelphia. On October 3, Poe was found in Baltimore in great distress. He was taken to Washington College Hospital where he died on October 7. His last words were "Lord, help my poor soul." At the time, it was said that Poe died of "congestion of the brain." But his actual cause of death has been the subject of endless speculation. Some experts believe that alcoholism led to his demise while others offer up alternative theories. Rabies, epilepsy, carbon monoxide poisoning are just some of the conditions thought to have led to the great writer's death.
Syntax Syntax is word arrangement. How writers control and manipulate the sentence is a strong determiner of VOICE and gives personality to the writing. Syntax encompasses word order, sentence length, sentence focus, and punctuation. Syntax deviating from the expected word order can serve to startle the reader and draw attention to the sentence. Varying sentence length forestalls reader boredom and controls emphasis. Punctuation also reinforces meaning and adds variety.
Syntax and Poe Poe is famed for his dramatic syntax! At times he writes several short, choppy and even fragmented sentences in a row and then switches to long, wordy sentences full of rich imagery to pull your focus to the setting or specific character traits.
Syntax and Poe It was this deficiency, I considered, while running over in thought the perfect keeping of the character of the premises with the accredited character of the people, and while speculating upon the possible influence which the one, in the long lapse of centuries, might have exercised upon the other - it was this deficiency, perhaps, of collateral issue, and the consequent undeviating transmission, from sire to son, of the patrimony with the name, which had, at length, so identified the two as to merge the original title of the estate in the quaint and equivocal appellation of the "House of Usher" - an appellation which seemed to include, in the minds of the peasantry who used it, both the family and the family mansion.
The Pit & the Pendulum Read The Pit and the Pendulum Identify and label each of the following: 5 metaphors 5 similes 5 examples of visual imagery Annotate anything you find interesting especially related to syntax is their a pattern to his sentence structure? Identify the tone and mood find 2 examples that support your description of tone and mood from the text (quotes you can label these on your copy of the text) Identify the type of diction -- find 2 examples that support your description of diction from the text (quotes you can label these on your copy of the text) What is the theme of Poe s story? This is challenging stuff to navigate!! Work with your tables to accomplish all of these tasks!!
The Pit & the Pendulum Death: In "The Pit and the Pendulum," death is on the narrator's mind from the very first line, right up until the final moment. The strange thing is, for a story that's as morbid as can be, it ends with life. Versions of Reality: Toward the end of "The Pit and the Pendulum," the narrator tells us that he could no longer believe that what he saw was "unreal. But, as readers, it's hard to make that same leap though the words may be fixed on the page, the story itself seems fundamentally unstable. Life, Existence and Consciousness: "The Pit and the Pendulum" exists on the razor-thin edge between life and death, consciousness and unconsciousness. Indeed, the narrator, when he's not trying to save himself, is more often than not "swooning" (fainting), coming in and out of consciousness, and losing and regaining his senses. It's during these in-between states that his best thoughts are formed, and during which we get the best insights into his character.
The Pit & the Pendulum Microtheme In Based on your reading of Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" compose an 11-13 sentence microtheme that analyzes Poe's use of visual imagery to convey one of the themes. *Remember that your thesis will act as your topic sentence *Please use at least two specific textual references (quotes) *Please skip lines *Please highlight your thesis *Please highlight your two quotes