Poe's ability to build up tension is pretty much unparalleled. In this short story we have a man who is trapped in a cell, helpless and tied down while a swinging pendulum threatens to slice his heart open. It's an impossible situation. From the beginning all we feel is desperation. Perhaps the most impactful element is the pendulum itself, but to me, the climax of the suspense is at the finish line: when he's burning while the walls start closing in on him, because <u>at that point we most fear his end is closer than ever</u> as he might fall into the pit.
Hope this helps!
I'd say that the quote from Daly's "Sixteen" which helps the reader to infer the time period in which the short story took place is "Same size as Garbo's."
I believe that this refers to the actress Greta Garbo, who acted in the 1920s and 1930s.
Hello~
I've taken this before so, in bold is the answer.
"In that time, it was important to know where a person's family was from."
Family name has always been important in history. It is still important nowadays, but many might disagree with that.
Hope this helps~~
