Most of Poe's stories aren't really rooted as much in reality, and most of his narrators are usually helped out in some supernatural way (as opposed to, say, by the arm of a French general). Now you're all set.) Sense the HorrorĪ lot of people praise 'The Pit and the Pendulum' for its realism. 'Voracity' and 'vermin' are an alliterative pair, and 'frequently,' 'fastened,' 'fangs,' and 'fingers' are also part of an alliterative sequence. One good example: 'In their voracity, the vermin frequently fastened their sharp fangs in my fingers' (32). That's what you call it when multiple words begin with the same sound (and, usually, the same letter). Another one to keep in mind: alliteration. Repetition of words at the beginning of a phrase or sentence, for instance, is called anaphora. (Bonus tip: If you really want to impress your friends, you can use some big words to describe Poe's favorite rhetorical devices. There's no question this stuff is over the top, but then again, so is the world Poe describes. This kind of language is totally, unapologetically dramatic – some would say, to a fault. So not only does Poe repeat 'down' at the beginning of each paragraph – he repeats it within each sentence, too.

'Down – still unceasingly – still inevitably down.' Look at how Poe begins three consecutive paragraphs: Still, the most direct instance of repetition comes when our narrator is watching the pendulum come ever-closer to his body. Okay, so we know not only that the narrator saw these things, but we get an idea of how unrelenting and powerful each image is each stands out, alone, in its own sentence each has the power to exist independently of the others. I saw them fashion the syllables of my name' (2). I saw them writhe with a deadly locution. Later on in the same paragraph, he writes, 'I saw that the decrees of what to me was Fate were still issuing from those lips. Repetition is just one of many tricks, but it is perhaps Poe's favorite. When he adds that phrase 'unto death,' well, we know exactly how bad he's feeling. By doubly emphasizing 'sick,' Poe makes it very clear that our narrator isn't feeling very well – it also allows him to modify it, to give it more power. It's there from the very first line: 'I was sick – sick unto death with that long agony' (2). What do we mean by rhetorical? Well, in this case it refers to several writing devices, devices intended to keep us reading and build tension.

Poe relies heavily on rhetorical tricks in order to bring his message home and strike terror into our hearts. – it's no wonder that our author has to resort to some drastic measures. Considering the things he feels – fear, terror, horror, etc. Poe wants everyone reading 'The Pit and the Pendulum' to feel what the narrator feels. Florid, Dramatic, Repetitive, Rhetorical, Sensory Ah, the Drama of Rhetoric

The pendulum edgar allan poe