How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #4
All around was horror, and thick gloom, and a black sweltering desert of ebony. (8)
The setting becomes the source of terror here, and the landscape reflects the narrator's generally freaked-out state of mind. And check out Poe's clever diction here: he refers to the sea as a desert. What's that all about?
Quote #5
I beheld a spectacle which froze the current of my blood. (9)
Anytime one's blood is frozen, scary things are likely going on: in this case, it's the arrival of the black galleon.
Quote #6
The crew glide to and fro like the ghosts of buried centuries, their eyes have an eager and uneasy meaning. (22)
Shiver us timbers, Shmoopers. We find these zombie sailors with the uneasy eyes to be the most terrifying thing in this whole terrifying tale. Are they ghosts? Are they just really rude? And why don't we ever get the full story? The mystery surrounding these guys makes them even scarier than the whirlpool. At least you know what's waiting for you at the bottom—death.