HELP PLEASE

Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this story.

Read this excerpt from “The Pit and The Pendulum” by Edgar Allan Poe.

At length, with a wild desperation at heart, I quickly unclosed my eyes. My worst thoughts, then, were confirmed. The blackness of eternal night encompassed me. I struggled for breath. The intensity of the darkness seemed to oppress and stifle me.

How does the first-person point of view most affect the meaning of the text?


A It explains exactly how the narrator feels about the pitch dark, and it allows the reader to share that fear.

B It shows the narrator to be unflappable and strong despite the danger, and it forces the reader to admire him.

C It demonstrates the narrator's confusion over the reality of his situation and suggests to the reader that the narrator is unreliable.

D It provides insight into the narrator’s deep fear of the dark and shows his great capacity to overcome that fear.