https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=kQ0DEFEbKH8
Edgar Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts. His
parents David and Elizabeth were actors. Edgar was one of three children.
Poes father deserted the family when Edgar was very young. In 1811, his
mother died and the children became orphans. The three siblings were
separated and went to live with different families. Edgar went to Richmond,
Virginia, to live with John and Francis Allan. This is how Edgar got the
middle name Allan. The Allans were wealthy and sent him to private
school. During his teenage years, however, Edgar frequently argued with his
surrogate father about his future. Furthermore, Edgar developed a troubling
gambling habit and found himself in serious debt. John disapproved of
Edgars dreams of becoming a writer and refused to help him pay his debt,
so Edgar left the house to live on his own and enlisted in the U.S. Army for a
five-year term. He served under the name Edgar A. Perry.

In 1827, he published a forty-page booklet called Tamerlane and Other

Poems, which ultimately proved a failure. In January 1829, Edgar rose to the
rank of sergeant major, but decided he wanted to resign his commission.
Because he had enlisted for five years, however, leaving the military became
complicated. Edgar learned from a another officer he could resign his
commission if he mended relations with John Allan and entered the United
States Military Academy at West Point. Poe agreed and Allan supported his
plan to attend the Academy. During this time, Edgars Al Araaf, Tamerlane
and Minor Poems was published in Baltimore, Maryland. The book was given
a good review by the novelist and critic John Neal.

In 1830, Poe and Allan experienced a falling out and Allan dismissed him
from the family, resulting in Edgar leaving West Point and moving to live with
an aunt in Baltimore. In 1831, he published Poems by Edgar Allan Poe and
began to submit short stories to magazines. In 1833, Edgar received a prize
for his work entitled "Ms. Found in a Bottle," and a friend got him a job
working for the Southern Literary Messenger. He soon became well known
for his work with the magazine.

In late 1830s, Poe published a collection of stories called Tales of the

Grotesque and Arabesque. It included some of his most frightening works
such as "The Fall of the House of Usher," "Ligeia" and "William Wilson."

Later, Poe married his cousin 13 year-old cousin, Virginia, and moved to
Richmond. In 1837, he stopped working at the magazine and moved to New
York City, then to Philadelphia. He started working as coeditor of Burtons
Gentlemans Magazine. In two years, he helped increase its circulation from
five thousand to twenty thousand. Much of his best work was featured in the
magazine, including "The Fall of the House of Usher." In 1841, Poe started a
new genre of detective fiction with "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."
Poe won a literary prize in 1843 for "The Gold Bug," a tale of secret codes
and hunting treasure. He also published a short story called The Tell-Tale
Heart. It was originally printed in Boston, Massachusetts in a journal
called The Pioneer. The Gothic fiction work was a terrifying story of the
murder of an old man by his caretaker. In the story, the narrator tells of being
haunted by the old mans vulture eye, and kills him to be rid of it. The
narrator tries to convince the reader that it was his acute senses rather than
insanity that drove him to murder.

In 1845, Edgars famous poem "The Raven" was published, arguably the
most famous poem in American history. The dark, lyrical, supernatural poem
that features the timeless words Once upon a midnight dreary, as I
pondered weak and weary was instantly a classic hit and made Poe an
internationally recognized master of poetry. The poem features themes of
loss, loneliness, and death. The raven itself reinforces the themes
throughout the poem as it torments the subject into a descent into madness.

In 1847, Poes wife became ill with tuberculosis and died. Edgar was devastated by

the loss of his wife and started abusing alcohol. His depression intensified over the

next few years. On October 3, 1849, Poe was found delirious on the streets of

Baltimore, wearing the clothes of another person. He died four days later. The actual

cause of death was never determined, though acute alcohol poisoning, meningitis,

or even rabies, were thought to be possible causes of death.

Summary of "The Pit and the Pendulum"

The narrator is sentenced to death by a tribunal during the Spanish Inquisition. He faints. He awakes in a cell
and is unable to see. As he awaits his fate, the prisoner undergoes physical and mental torment.

The narrator decides to explore his surroundings by walking along the wall, leaving a coarse piece of cloth as a
landmark. Before he is able to circumnavigate the cell, he trips on his robe and falls asleep. He wakes up,
devours food left for him, and walks across the cell. He trips and realizes he narrowly missed falling into a pit.
He falls asleep. He awakes. He eats. He falls asleep. He awakes and finds the cell dimly lit and that he's been
tied to a wooden plank.

A pendulum shaped like a scythe swings back and forth above him, slowly making its way toward the prisoner.
Meanwhile, rats have come up from the pit and eaten the prisoner's food. The prisoner rubs food on his ropes
and seconds before the pendulum/scythe cuts him in half, the rats chew through the ropes and the narrator
escapes.

The next torment involves the walls of the cell heating up and moving inward, forcing the narrator toward the
pit. Moments before plummeting into the abyss, the walls retract. General LaSalle's army has emancipated the
prison.
 Analysis of "The Pit and the Pendulum"
Teach the following as part of your analysis of "The Pit and the Pendulum."

"The Pit and the Pendulum" Symbolism: Although the events in the story create suspense and interest, its the story's
deeper meaning that makes it so good. An analysis of the pit (death or hell), the scythe/pendulum (time and death),
and the angelic forms of the Inquisitorial tribune (angels of death) are three of many symbols in the novel.
The Spanish Inquisition: The Inquisition sought to rid the church of heretical views. They got a little carried away.
Sensory Details: The description of rats on the narrator's lips is Poe at his finest. Poe's description of the cell, the pit,
and the judges provide examples of sensory details.
Suspense: Dangerous action, foreshadowing and pacing combine to keep readers on the edge of their seat.
Setting and Mood:The cell and the pit take on a life of their own. The story's backdrop of the Inquisition adds to the
ominous mood.

Lesson Plans for "The Pit and the Pendulum"

Use these lesson plans for "The Pit and the Pendulum" as part of your short story curriculum.

1. Use and adapt this teaching symbolism in literature lesson plan. "The Pit and the Pendulum" symbolism includes the
pit, the pendulum, the white faced judges, the cell, and the rats.
2. Adapt this sensory details lesson plan to teach "The Pit and the Pendulum." The following reminders will help
students visualize the scene:
Form a mental picture of where the narrator is and what's going on around him.
Make note of precise nouns, verbs, and modifiers to bring the story's setting into focus.
3. Teach suspense with this Edgar Allan Poe teaching suspense lesson plan.
4. Make posters illustrating scenes from the story. Another option is to make a movie poster that includes a scene from
the story and a list of actors who would be ideal for the role of narrator and Inquisitors. If you're really feeling
creative, make a soundtrack.
For a complete semester standards based curriculum guide, follow the link.