Now
refer to explorations in literature for a complete version of this story.
read this excerpt from “the pit and the pendulum” by edgar allan poe.
at length, with a wild desperation at heart, i quickly unclosed my eyes. my worst thoughts, then, were confirmed. the blackness of eternal night encompassed me. i struggled for breath. the intensity of the darkness seemed to oppress and stifle me.
how does the first-person point of view most affect the meaning of the text?
a it explains exactly how the narrator feels about the pitch dark, and it allows the reader to share that fear.
b it shows the narrator to be unflappable and strong despite the danger, and it forces the reader to admire him.
c it demonstrates the narrator's confusion over the reality of his situation and suggests to the reader that the narrator is unreliable.
d it provides insight into the narrator’s deep fear of the dark and shows his great capacity to overcome that fear.