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Quote from pg.15

"It was hope that prompted the nerve to quiver—the frame to shrink. It was hope—the hope that triumphs on the rack—that whispers to the death condemned even in the dungeons of the Inquisition.

The repetition of the word "hope" may imply that the narrator is in disbelief of what he went through.

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The Spanish Inquisition was aimed against the non-Catholics, including jews and muslims.
The crescent moon is the official symbol of Islam, and under the assumption that the narrator is a muslim, the readers could interpret this as the Spanish Inquisition punishing the narrator using the symbol of the religion that he believed in, which creates a theme of lost hope.

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"Shriek of a damned spirit!"
Used to specifically describe the sound of movement made by the pendulum. Slightly abnormal as it contradicts the slow movement of the pendulum that was previously described. A shriek has a rather high pitch which should indicate fast movement as it only lasts for an instance. Also by describing it as a "damned spirit" it has a powerful religious connotation as being damned indicates a punishment for a incorrect mistake. There can be two perspectives, either the pendulum is  a punishment and judgement to the narrator or the pendulum is the one that is evil- it is a wrongful judgement and the threat to the narrator's life, also explaining why the narrator survived the incident.

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The Spanish inquisition lasted for 4 centuries. No one expected when it was created. The Spanish Inquisition was still very relevant during Poe's time. The story is written very specifically as it provides historical context.

By using Gothic elements the story becomes more frightening for the readers as it is very real. Poe uses portrayal of explicit violence to create a suspenseful story to stress the readers out instead of condemning the inquisition as it would get him killed, but the inquisition should have been disbanded when Poe wrote the story.

By not critiquing the historical context, Poe leaves the readers to give the moral judgements.

"Oh, the Spanish inquisition is so violent and cruel!"- John Cleese

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A pendulum controls the movements of a clock. Hence, the pendulum's movement in the story is used to represent the slow movement of time.

However, the pendulum is also shaped like a crescent with a sharp edge, resembling an axe. The slow falling of the axe that would eventually end in the death of the narrator.

The pendulum is a symbol for time and death, it's steady motion shows that only time itself can determine our death. Time waits for no one and continues on move on.

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"descent of the steel"
"minions of the torturer"
The narrator is a prisoner of the Spanish inquisition and was put into a torture chamber. In this situation, he is chained to a immobile position and placed below a descending pendulum where it would eventually kill him.

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Narrator:

1. he might be able to predict his future

2. he can see/feel the ‘vibrations’

“I saw that 10 to 12 vibrations would bring steel..."

The pendulum:

1. every time the pendulum swings = mood swing of the narrator

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The descending motion is repeatedly stated and is also emphasized.
The pendulum is constantly falling towards the narrator but it's on quite a slow pace.

"Down—steadily down it crept."
- This quote shows how the pendulum, or the death, is inevitable. Its motion is uniform, something that cannot be broken.

"Down—certainly, relentlessly down!"
- This is used to highlight that the pendulum is not a metaphorical object but it is real and the narrator clearly sees it descending towards him.

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The swinging of the pendulum represents the mood swings the narrator experiences as the pendulum slowly descends upon him.

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In a literal sense, the vibrations represent each movement of pendulum as it swings closer to the narrator. However, the vibrations are also a symbol of fear in the narrator, a fear of death, nervous shivers.

"I saw that some ten or twelve vibrations would bring the steel in actual contact with my robe"

The narrator fears the pendulum, representing, the fear of death and time.