Edgar Allen Poe Synthesis Essay: Alcoholism Edgar Allen Poe was a great writer who had a tragic death., and is a long controversy about how he died. There are many different theories of how he died, but no one knows how. One theory tells us that he could’ve died from alcoholism. Another theory points to rabies as a possible cause of death. However, alcoholism is the most reliable source because there is more information about his death of alcoholism than rabies. To begin, Poe’s location of death and the condition he was in all point toward alcoholism. “Poe was found outside a Baltimore saloon in an alcoholic stupor on Oct. 3, 1849 and died four days later.” (New York Times, pg. 189) If Poe was intoxicated, then all he would’ve had to do was walk outside. “No reliable evidence exists about what happened to or within Poe between that time and Oct. 3, a week later, when a printer named Joseph …show more content…
“It was election day for members of Congress, and like other local watering holes the tavern served as a polling place.” (Kenneth Silverman, pg. 184) One Election day, Poe died at the tavern, where people could’ve kidnapped him and drugged him. “Poe had a look of “vacant stupidity”. He wore neither vest nor tie, his dingy trousers fit badly, his shirt was crumpled, his cheap hat soiled. Snodgrass thought he must be wearing castoff clothing, having been robbed or cheated of his own. (Kenneth Silverman, pg. 184). Poe had a stupid look; not knowing what was going on. He was not even wearing his own normal clothes, but rather someone else’s. Snodgrass thought he had been robbed or cheated of his own self. “Apparently flooded with drink, he may also have been ill from exposure.” (Kenneth Silverman, pg. 184) Poe was intoxicated, people would purposely intoxicate people “to make them a different person’’, and send them to vote again multiple times for their candidate. Also the weather outside was terrible, it was rainy and
Poe was taken from a tavern to the hospital days before death. He was seen in a drunken stupor, but some say this is not true. Others say that he was taken from a tavern but not drunk, rather sick from the elements. Another is he was found drunk on stairs. That theory is very unlikely for what every other source says.
On Oct. 7, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe died mysteriously. While there are many theories about why or how he died, I believe that it is a unknown illness or cholera. First, a document by Poe it suggest that Edgar Allan Poe had contracted cholera weeks before arriving in Richmond and had a manic episode. Next, According to Susan Archer Talley, Poe was pale and trembling. His condition was serious enough that two doctors though he was in “imminent danger” and that another “attack would kill him. Then, in addition, John Moran claims that Poe had arrived at the hospital unconscious and remains in that condition from 5:00 pm until 3:00 am. When he wakes up he trembles and sweats profusely until the following day. Although no one will ever know for certain
He was found wearing a set of old, ragged clothes some of which he would have never worn or owned ever before. During his time in the hospital he was behaving untamed and delirious this helps to prove why my decision was the correct one. Due to his condition he eventually passed out into a coma, however when he awoke he behaved in a normal fashion. He died on October 7 and his last words were “Lord please help my poor soul.” “Supporters of the cooping theory point to Poe’s unfamiliar and ill fitting clothes, as well as to the fact the citywide elections were held in Baltimore the day he was found; as stated before the Irish pub nearby functioned as both a bar and a voting station” (Sarah Pruitt
Edgar Allen Poe was a great poet that lived a rough life. Poe had lost many of his loved ones throughout his life and many were due to tuberculosis. Poe was very poor when he lived by himself and became an alcoholic. He had died when he was 40 years old and people believe that it was due to alcoholism or rabies. I believe that Poe had died of Rabies/Encephalitis because he had all of the symptoms of rabies and it was confirmed by doctors.
The weak conditions of his body, like a possible brain damage were choose as the causes of Poe’s death, and we don’t really know a lot more about his death because the papers with the medical analysis has been missing during the
According to the CDC, over 88,000 people die every year due to the excessive use of alcohol in the United States. Now this proves that alcoholism is a very serious and common issue in our country. Poe’s death to this day has been thought of as a great mystery, most believing he died from either alcohol or rabies. According to several sources saying that Poe was sent to the hospital after being to drunk, not being able to tell doctors the names of his family members/where he lived, and the fact that his cat, Caterina, was proven to not have rabies, I believe he died from alcohol.
“Mr. Poe could not possibly send forth a book without some marks of his genius, and mixed up with the dross we find much sterling ore.” — (From a review of Poe’s Tales, September 6, 1845.) In 1845, Poe, 27, and Virginia, 13, married, and were happy for a time. In 1842, Virginia ruptured a blood vessel; the first sign of the ill health that plagued her short life. Poe turned to alcohol to cope with her illness and the stress of his dying wife. Two years later, Virginia died of tuberculosis, and Poe’s own death would follow shortly two years after that.
This is why it cannot be alcoholism. “The writer is so sensitive to alcohol that a glass of wine would make him violently ill for days.” (New York Times pg.188). Therefore, he could not have died of alcoholism if drinking alcohol makes him that sick. Mr. Jerome, curator of the Edger Allen Poe House and Museum in Baltimore, said Poe may have had problems with alcohol when he was younger but by the time he died at forty he almost always avoided
Even though Poe was completely addicted to alcohol, many times, he tried very hard to fight against his alcoholism. Right after his first long drinking experience, during college, he tried to stay away from it (Black, Jamee A. 3). His drinking times were intermittent and he stayed abstain from alcohol for months in some of those periods (Poe, Drugs and Alcohol 8). Promises were made and repeatedly times he said that would never drink again. As one side of Poe tells him that he should stop with alcohol, the other side tells that he should drink to relief his emotional pains and usually he followed this last side once is a lot easier to deal with it (Black, Jamee A. 6). In 1847, Poe’s get extremely hard into drinking, one of the worse times during his whole life, after the death of his young wife Virginia (Hennelly, Mark M. 1). After this event he could stop drinking alcohol anymore (Poe, Drugs and Alcohol 14).
To begin with, as Poe’s death is mainly argued to be rabies or alcohol intoxication, he could not have died of alcohol because of the symptoms presented. Symptoms of intoxication include drowsiness, vomiting, breathing difficulties and even unconsciousness, but not hallucinating and seeing
The death of Edgar Allen Poe is quite the mystery. No one knows what really happened to the failed poet that cold night, while he lay on the street. Many theories suggest that Poe was murdered by one of his many enemies or that he has brain cancer and died on the street. One theory I support is that Poe died from alcohol poisoning, there is quite a bit of evidence that supports Edgar Allen Poe passed from alcohol poisoning such as he became addicted to alcohol after his wife passed, he was found near a pub, and he had brain symptoms that pointed to alcoholism.
A lot of people die of over consumption of alcohol. Poe might have died from alcoholism. Dr. Snodgrass believes that Poe died of alcoholic consumption. “His death was due to an alcoholic problem.”
Neither of his first two collections attracted much attention. "Poe married his 13-year-old cousin Virginia Clemn. She burst a blood vessel in 1842, and remained a virtual worthless until her death from tuberculosis five years later" (online-literature, pg. 2). He addressed the famous poem "Annabel Lee" to her in 1849. In 1836, he received an editorship at The Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond. Around this time, Edgar began using drugs and dinking very heavily. He even showed up at events drunk. Still, he was writing incredible stories and poems. Poe received a large amount of recognition, not only for his poetry and fiction, but as an exceptional literary critic. He also achieved popular success, especially following the publication of his poem "The Raven." Edgar had fallen for Merrie next and she died of brain cancer. After a period in which he was involved in various romantic affairs, Poe planned to remarry, but in late September, 1849 he arrived in Baltimore for reasons unknown. "Poe suffered from bouts of depression and madness, and he attempted suicide in 1848" (online-literature, pg. 2). In early October he was discovered nearly unconscious in a Baltimore gutter. Edgar was taken to Washington College Hospital. Some say that Poe called out the name "Reynolds" on the night before he died. He died on early in the morning of October 7, 1849. He was buried in the yard of Baltimore's Wesminster Presbyterian Church. People said that his
Poe definitely abused alcohol within his lifetime. During the final days of Poe’s life, he was found intoxicated in a bar. After this, he was sent to Washington College Hospital. He died there surrounded by strangers. His fiancee and mother-in-law only found out about what happened when they read about his death in newspapers. Poe’s abuse of alcohol led him to drink himself to death in a bar or at least end up in a bar where is intoxication led him to die by other means. The stories, “The Black Cat,” and, “The Cask Of The Amontillado,” written by Poe, are about the subject of alcohol abuse. In “The Black Cat,” Poe writes about a narrator who used to love animals. In the story, he is now going insane and abusing all of them along with his wife. The narrator mentions that he suffers from “intemperance,” or alcoholism, and that this caused him to, “offer,” his wife, “personal violence,” meaning that he abused her and that he “not only neglected, but ill-used,” his pets. Since the narrator was drinking, these events can be attributed to his alcoholism. “The Black Cat” makes a statement about why drinking can cause harm to others besides yourself by showing that it can cause people to abuse others. “The Cask Of The Amontillado,” also is centered around the theme of alcohol abuse. In, “The Cask Of The Amontillado,” the narrator, Montresor, lures another character, Fortunato, into his catacombs where he then bricks him up in a wall.
Many people believe Poe died of rabbies however, there is more then enough evidence that supports he died of alcohol. In "Poe's Final Days"the author says '' Many others who had known Poe, includuing the professsionally trained Dr. Snodgrass, also attributed his death to lethal amounts of alcohol." (Silverman 186). I believe this quote means that even his family knows he had gained his drinking problem back. If he did possibly get his drinking problem back then possibly he could not stop himself from drinking a lot at once. "Poe was found outside a Baltimore saloon in an alcohlic stupor on October 3, 1849, and died four days