Edgar Allan Poe The Poe(t) Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 as Edgar Poe.

He was the second son of David and Elizabeth Arnold Poe, both whom were actors. In 1810, shortly after Poes birth his father deserted the family. The subsequent death of his twenty-four year old mother on December 8, 1811 in Richmond, Virginia, left Poe an orphan at the young age of three. After his mothers death, John, a strict unemotional tobacco merchant, and Frances Allan, a weak woman due to health problems, took in Poe; his paternal grandparents took in his brother William Henry; and foster parents cared for his sister Rosalie. Poe was educated with the Allans aid, in private academies, excelling in Latin, in writing verse, and declamation. However, despite his education, he was looked down upon and regarded as an outsider by the upper class of Richmonds society; perhaps because the Allans never legally adopted Poe. Also, the culture of Richmond during Poes young adulthood did not regard actors in a high manner. This could have attributed to his reputation since his biological parents were actors. The loss of his mother at an early age definitely affected Poe. The angels, whispering to one another, Can find, among their burning terms of love, None so devotional as that of Mother Poe wrote that in To My Mother. In Tamerlane, he not only wrote about his father, but he wrote about his mother as well; he had more respect for his mother than he did for his father. This respect can be found in Tamerlane because i n it he speaks much nicer of his mother. For example, he writes, O, she was worthy of all love! Love as in infancy was mine Twas such as angel minds above Might envy; her young heart the shrine on which my every hope and thought. Tamerlane also shows Poes inner reflections of how he thought life with his mother might have been. In 1831 Poe moved to Baltimore to live with his aunt, Maria Clemm. There he fell in love and married her daughter and his cousin, Virginia Clemm, who was not even fourteen at the time. Ten years later she died of tuberculosis. He dearly loved his wife and after she died, his life just went to pieces. In The Raven, the character is mourning over the death of Lenore when a raven visits him. Poe used the raven because it is a bird that feeds on dead flesh a symbol of death. Thy God hath lent thee by these angels he hath sent thee Respite and Nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore! (The Raven). Lenore is thought to be a representation of Poes deceased wife Virginia. He used The

Raven to hang on to his wifes memory because he simply did not want to get over her death and his loss. He wrote Leave my loneliness unbroken! quit they bust above my door! Take thy beak from out my heart, and take they form from off my doo r! (The Raven). In the poem, To My Mother, Poe writes about his own mother taking care of Virginia in heaven and becoming her mother as well. The death and mourning of his wife did, in fact, come out in his writing. Poe is very lonely at this point in his life and misses his wife Virginia. As Poe wrote in To One Departed For mid the earnest cares and woes That crowd around my earthly path, (Sad path, Alas, where grows Not even a lonely rose!) To One Departed. Death is a time in life that scared Poe and he thinks of it as being evil, because the two women he loved most were taken from him in a short amount of time. However, he did not always think of death as being evil. In Tamerlane, Poe knew that death was a part of life and he seemed content with the idea of dying. An example would be Father, I firmly do believe I know for Death, who comes for me. Else how, when in the holy grove Tamerlane. Over the years, Poes works have endured much criticism as well as much praise. Many professionals who have researched Poes life and his writings feel that many of his writings strongly show reflections on Poes real life. Many modern critics of Poe fail to realize that although Poes tales took an unusual viewpoint, at the time, death was looked at as being a very complex celebration, it was not necessarily acceptable, but instead it was a subject of quiet intense fascination. Poe was forever being misunderstood in the way that his words were read; he was looked upon as being a dark man, but inside he had a desire to be loved. It is quite apparent that Edgar Allan Poe has a way with making his pen create astounding words that turn into complex and intriguing novels and poems. The works he gave to the literary world have touched the hearts of many. Poes sh ort stories first began to appear in the 1830s, which lead to a steep increase in readers fascination with the nature of man and the mind that produced these ideas. This fascination can be seen today in modern critics questions about Poes uncontrollable nature, which served as the foundation for his dark tales. Although people thought Poe had a problem with alcoholism, Poe was neither an alcoholic nor a drug addict; he did struggle during much of his adult life with the tendency to drink heavily during periods of depression and anxiety. These times of depression and darkness only add to Poes complex personality. This highly complex personality allowed him to have strict creative control

and academic insight, while at other times he suffered from emotional instability and dependence. Poes writing helped him cope with his troubles and explore new territory in literature. His interest in the supernatural and wicked causes also gave him ideas for his burial motifs; therefore sustaining his interest. The supernatural is the phenomena of the unexplained and Poe was overwhelmed by its mystery. With this mystery comes a feeling of mystery, excitement, and from these two came fear. To Poe, death itself was the supreme mystery. Poe illustrates his views of the supe rnatural in The Black Cat. Not only does this fictional tale keep his readers on edge with fear, but it also keeps them guessing about the authors state of mind when he was writing. Many of Poes literary works deal with the source of wickedness like in The Black Cat. Some literary critics have portrayed him as being a true sociopath, and psychotic. Edgar Allan Poe was born into this world a century too soon. He was misunderstood in every way possible throughout his life; his only longing in life was to be loved. Even this longing was ripped from his life, not just once, but twice, first his mother and then his wife, Virginia. These events created so deep an impact on Poe that his writings reflect a tendency of loneliness and desperation. The standard trademark of Poes writings is that it portrays disturbing images and emotions, which give a sense of aforementioned loneliness and desperation. He has the ability to create a mirror image of himself in every short story and poem. The sadness, which plagued Poe throughout his life, laid the framework for all of his writings. It might be said that if Poe did not have such a miserable life he may not have been able to write the attention grabbing stories that he did. Poes free and out of the ordinary style is very successful in incorporating the supernatural and evil into his work. He maintains his interest as well as the readers by including subjects that are not commonly seen in short stories and poems. Poes work is shocking, disturbing, and challenging to read. Some of Poes literature has obvious relations to his own life, and how he coped with the problems that he faced. Edgar Allan Poe died on October 7, 1849 outside a voting office in Baltimore. The cause of death remains unknown, although in his obituary it says his cause of death was congestion of the brain. He lived and died as a man of mystery and his life is as mysterious today as it was when he lived. It was because of his life experiences of economic troubles, being hurt by his enemies, and haunted by nightmares and visions,

that Edgar Allan Poe is currently considered as one of Americas greatest poets, short story writers, and literary critics. Bibliography Burt, Daniels. Poe, Edgar Allan Literary100: A Ranking of the most Influential Novelists, Playwrights, and poets of all time. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2001 Facts on File, Inc Blooms Literary Reference online. www.fofweb.com Hutchisson, James M. Poe. University press of Mississippi, 2005 Kunitz & Haycraft, Poe, Edgar Allan American Authors 1600-1900 H.W. Wilson Company, 1938 Levert, Suzanne. Edgar Allan Poe. Chelsea House Publishers, New York, Philadelphia, 1992. Paddock, Lisa Poe, Edgar Allan Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romantic and Realism, 1815-1914, volume 2, New York: Facts on File, Inc 2002 Facts on File Inc. Blooms Literary Reference online. www.fofweb.com Sova, Dawn B. Edgar Allan Poe A to Z Facts on File, Inc. New York, 2005 Wagenknecht, Edward Edgar Allan Poe The Man behind the Legend New York Ox ford University, 1963