The Pit and the

Pendulum
Edgar Allan Poe
 Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an

American poet, short-story writer, editor, and literary critic, and is
considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known
for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the
earliest American practitioners of the short story and invented the
detective-fiction genre.
He was born Edgar Poe in Boston, Massachusetts. Poe, whose parents
died when he was young, was taken in by John and Frances Allan,
of Richmond, Virginia but was never formally adopted by them.
Poe's publishing career began humbly, with an anonymous collection
of poems, Tamerlane and Other Poems (1827), credited only to "a
Bostonian".
His work forced him to move between several cities, including
Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City.
In Baltimore in 1835, he married Virginia Clemm, his 13-year-old
cousin. In January 1845, Poe published his poem "The Raven" to
instant success. His wife died of tuberculosis two years later.
“There are some secrets that do not permit themselves
To be revealed”
-Edgar Allan Poe
 Edgar Allan Poe

He began planning to produce his own journal, The Penn (later

renamed The Stylus), though he died before it could be
produced. On October 7, 1849, at age 40, Poe died in
Baltimore; some sources say Poe's final words were “Lord
help my poor soul.” ; the cause of his death is unknown and
has been attributed to alcohol, brain congestion, cholera,
drugs, heart disease, rabies, suicide, tuberculosis, and
other agents.
Poe's grave is located in the 200 year-old Old Western Burying
Ground cemetery on the corner of Fayette and Greene
streets in Baltimore, Maryland, not far from the house
where Poe once lived and wrote.
Poe and his works influenced literature in the United States
and around the world, as well as in specialized fields, such
as cosmology and cryptography. Poe and his work appear
throughout popular culture in literature, music, films, and
television. A number of his homes are dedicated museums
today.
 Edgar Allan Poe
Adding to the mystery surrounding Poe's death, an unknown visitor
affectionately referred to as the "Poe Toaster" has paid homage to Poe's
grave every year since 1949. As the tradition has been carried on for more
than 50 years, it is likely that the "Poe Toaster" is actually several
individuals; however, the tribute is always the same. Every January 19, in
the early hours of the morning, the man makes a toast of cognac to Poe's
original grave marker and leaves three roses. Members of the Edgar Allan
Poe Society in Baltimore have helped in protecting this tradition for
decades. On August 15, 2007, Sam Porpora, a former historian at the
Westminster Church in Baltimore where Poe is buried, claimed that he had
started the tradition in the 1960s. The claim that the tradition began in
1949, he said, was a hoax in order to raise money and enhance the profile
of the church. His story has not been confirmed,and some details he has
given to the press have been pointed out as factually inaccurate.
The true meaning of the Poe Toaster's ritual and exactly what message is
implied by the items left behind remains unexplained: the meaning of the
French cognac is not completely clear as references to cognac did not
appear as a prominent feature in Poe's works. The mysterious stranger
leaves behind a partial bottle each year, presumably having imbibed the
other part himself, which would explain why he is referred to as the
"toaster." Several bottles of the Toaster's cognac from previous years are
on display in Baltimore's Poe House and Museum. The consensus opinion
regarding the three roses is that they represent Poe's aunt/mother-in-law,
Maria Clem, his cousin/wife, Virginia Clemm, and Poe himself (the three
persons buried beneath the monument).
 Virginia
Clemm

Edgar Allan Poe's Tomb

Edgar Allan Poe's House

 The pit and the pendulum
"The Pit and the Pendulum" is a short story written by Edgar
Allan Poe and first published in 1842.
At the beginning of the story an unnamed narrator is brought to trial
before sinister judges. He provides no explanation of why he is
there or what he has been arrested for. Before him are seven tall
white candles on a table, and, as they melt, his hopes of survival
also diminish. He is condemned to death and finds himself in a
pitch black compartment. At first the prisoner thinks that he is
locked in a tomb, but he discovers that he is in a cell. He decides
to explore the cell by placing a hem from his robe against a wall
so he can count the paces around the room; however he faints
before being able to measure the whole perimeter.
He then discovers that at the middle of the dungeon, it’s a pit. He
realizes that he was supposed to fall into it. After he made this
discovery, he listen to a door and found food and water. He drinks
the water, but then realizes that it had been poisoned and he falls
asleep.
 The pit and the Pendulum
After losing consciousness again the narrator discovers that
the prison is slightly illuminated and that he is bound to a
wooden board by ropes. He start to look at the sealing and
realizes that there was a drawing of the old representation
of time and that it was sustaining a pendulum. After a few
seconds, he also saw that the pendulum was moving
toward his chest. After loosing all hope, he made a plan
involving some rats and the rest of the food. He then scape
that terrible death, but then the walls started to move,
forming a diamond shape, forcing him to move to the
center of the dungeon. He realizes that it was the main
purpose. But when he was about to fall, a hand seized his.
The French army had arrived and the Inquisition was over
and he was free.
 Vocabulary
Resolution: determination
Imperceptible: impossible to
perceive; unnoticeable
Stealthily: in a quiet,
secretive way
Eloquent: vividly expressive
Lucid: clear
Encompass: to surround;
enclose
Supposition: an opinion or
assumption
Relapse: to fall back into a
former state
Insuperable: impossible to
overcome
Treacherous: dangerous
Potent: powerful
Lethargy: sluggishness;
unconsciousness
Pertinacity: a persistent
stubbornness
Voracity: greed for food;
ravenousness
Discordant: marked by a
harsh mixture of sounds