The Pit and the Pendulum

1
The Pit and the Pendulum
2

• The speaker is a prisoner who has been sentenced
  to death.
• After being given his sentence, the speaker
  faints.
• He then explains that there is two ways of coming
  out of a faint (swoon)1) come aware
  mentally/spiritually 2)physically

3

• When the speaker wakes up from his faint he finds
  himself in a dungeon. He is afraid to open his
  eyes at first because he is afraid he will see
  nothing.
• When he does open his eyes, he really sees
  nothingthere is nothing but darkness.

4

• Even though he cant see anything, the speaker
  tries to determine how big the dungeon he is
  being held in is, but he is too weak. He falls
  and passes out again.
• While trying to determine how wide the dungeon
  is, the speaker finds a very deep pit in the
  middle of the room.

5

• After finding the pit, the speaker is drugged and
  falls asleep. He awakes and is able to see his
  surroundings. He also finds himself tied to a
  piece of wood in the middle of the room.

6

• Above the speaker is a blade swinging back and
  forth and slowly descending toward him. The
  blade will eventually cut him in half. Because
  its moving slowly, the speaker slowly goes
  insane watching the blade move toward him.

7

• The speaker tricks the rats into eating through
  the straps that are holding him down so that he
  can get out.
• After getting out, the walls of the dungeon begin
  to heat up and move, pushing him toward the pit
  in the middle of the room.

8

• Just as he is about to jump in before being
  pushed, he is saved by General Lasalle.