Storyboarding is an excellent way to focus on types of literary conflicts.
Having students create storyboards that show the cause and effect of different types of conflicts strengthens analytical thinking about literary concepts. Have your students choose an example of each literary conflict and depict them using the storyboard creator. In the storyboard, an example of each conflict should be visually represented, along with an explanation of the scene, and how it fits the particular category of conflict.
The narrator is in conflict with himself. He knows that he has been found guilty, and he almost at times seems to accept his punishment. However, this does not stop him from trying to explore his dungeon, or escape from both the pendulum and the pit, suggesting that despite the real human reactions to such horrors, he also knows that he doesn’t deserve to die.
The narrator battles the elements – contrived by man, still nonetheless out of his control – in the chamber. First, he must figure out how to escape from the pendulum. While on the board, his fingers are also bitten by rats as he tries to shoo them away from the meat. After he escapes the pendulum, he must try to push back against the walls, which are pushing him towards the pit, which offers nothing but death.
The narrator is in this torture chamber to begin with because he was found guilty during the time of the Spanish Inquisition. While he does not explain why he was found guilty, common reasons for guilty sentences during the Spanish Inquisition included: practicing another religion in secret; heresy; refusal to convert; and political opposition to the monarchy.
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Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows at least three forms of literary conflict in “The Pit and the Pendulum”.
Engage students by starting with open-ended questions about the narrator’s challenges in the story. Encourage connections between students’ experiences and the conflicts faced by the character to foster deeper understanding.
Ask students to find key moments where the narrator faces obstacles. Help them decide if each obstacle is internal, external, or societal, and discuss why.
Prompt students to quote or reference specific passages that show each type of conflict. This practice builds strong reading and analytical skills.
Divide the class into small groups, assigning each a conflict type. Have groups present and defend why their assigned conflict is most crucial, supporting claims with details from the story.
Ask students to write a brief reflection on how understanding conflict enhances their appreciation of the story. This step helps students internalize the lesson and apply it to future readings.
The main types of literary conflict in "The Pit and the Pendulum" are Man vs. Self (the narrator’s internal struggle), Man vs. Nature (the physical dangers in the chamber), and Man vs. Society (the injustice of the Spanish Inquisition). Each conflict drives the suspense and develops the story’s themes.
To teach literary conflict with storyboards, have students identify examples of different conflicts in the story, illustrate them in storyboard panels, and write brief explanations. This visual approach helps students analyze conflict types and understand cause and effect within the plot.
An example of Man vs. Self conflict is the narrator’s struggle with fear and despair. Despite facing death, he battles his own thoughts and refuses to give up hope, constantly searching for ways to escape and survive.
Conflict is crucial because it creates suspense and emotional depth. The narrator’s various struggles highlight human resilience and the horrors of the Inquisition, making the story compelling and relatable for readers.
Instruct students to create a storyboard with at least three panels: each panel should depict a different type of conflict (e.g., Man vs. Self, Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Society), include a visual scene, and a short written description explaining the conflict and its significance.