Question

How does Poe create an unsettling atmosphere with stylistic devices in the passage above?

Answer 1

The most obvious method that Poe is using to create an unsettling atmosphere is through his sentence structures. His use of dashes, which are not common, helps to create a frightening atmosphere. The dashes help the reader to picture the movement of the pendulum, which is getting steadily closer. This image is extremely unsettling. In addition to his use of sentence structures, Poe chooses words carefully, words that create sensory images. Words like “crept,” “shriek,” “stealthy,” and “alternately laughed and howled” appeal to the reader’s senses and create the frightening atmosphere that pervades the passage.

Explanation: on edge 2020 sample response

Answer 2

well he uses effective imagery throughout his stories. He describes the objects in the settings and their importance. He often emphasizes on what they symbolize as well. For example, in The Pit and the Pendulum, the candles melting in the cell represent the prisoner's hope of survival which also diminish. The pendulum, like the pendulums in grandfather clocks, represents a symbol of death.