Edgar Allan Poe: The Man Who Was Used Up

A famous writer, a renowned poet, and a American hero, Edgar Allan Poe has helped shaped modern day literature. Taught in schools as being a tortured soul, Poe’s dark writing has shaped American English for the better. Edgar Allen Poe’s early demise came as a shock to many during the time. Poe left this world in a mystery, much like some of his most famous works. The way in which Poe died, is never as simple as it seems. The limited details of his demise has left a hole in American literature and history. Modern day textbooks such as Great American Stories detail his death in zero to none detail, “A week later, he was found near Baltimore tavern-delirious, his clothing torn and wet from a raging storm. He died four days later” (95). This

Fleming, Thomas. "Poe, Edgar Allan." ["Reader's Companion to American History"]. Reader's Companion to American History, Jan. 1991, p. 846. EBSCOhost, proxygsu-wgt1.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=27829334&site=eds-live&scope=site.

expected John to pay of his debts. John would not pay of the debts and made

He would often quote Cervantes or Shakespeare and add that he was envious of their literary genius. At the tender age of fifteen, someone offered to publish a book of his works. Allan would not allow it though, as he was afraid of Poe's ego swelling. Poe strived to excel in everything he did, swimming, long jump, running, and writing. This will to succeed showed up in his work later in life when he wrote constantly to keep up with the demand for his stories. Poe eventually broke away from Allan as a result of an argument between Allan and his second wife with Poe taking the wife's side. He did briefly reconnect with Allan to get his recommendation for West Point. Poe eventually purposely failed our of West Point by missing classes and lost touch with his father all together.(18) These tumultuous times had great highs and lows which greatly affected Poe's later writings.

In ‘The Cask of Amontillado,’Tell-Tale Heart,‘ and ‘Annabel Lee,’ Edgar Allan Poe utilizes vivid imagery and dramatic syntax to captivate the reader into the suspenseful mood of his piece. Poe consistently writes in a thrilling genre. After creating many astounding works based on his past experiences, including being an orphan, his mother and wife dying tragically before him, and his time as an alcoholic, the world of literature considered him as one of the writers that started it all. He was born on January 19, 1809 and died on October 7, 1849. Poe’s first collection of poems was published in 1827, when he was 18. He used his influence to portray a writing style that no one had ever done before. Entranced by this alternative style, his audience

Poe’s troubled childhood contributed to many difficult relationships with others. He did not get along with his foster father John Allan, as their strong personalities conflicted often, leading to general distrust between the two. Allan described Poe as lazy, ungrateful, “miserable, sulky, & ill-tempered” (Allan, John. Received by Henry Poe, 1 Nov. 1824.). Allan could not provide enough money to support Edgar at university, so Poe resorted to gambling, and ended up in debt. This enraged his foster father, and he refused to help Poe financially. Later on, Poe’s foster mother, Frances Allan, died, separating a connection between the two men. Poe’s gambling and drinking that led to his deliberate expulsion from West Point also angered his father. Later, Poe became engaged in more family issues and eventually his foster father disowned him. However, the breaking point of their relationship occured when Poe wrote to Sergeant Samuel Graves, stating that “Mr. A[llan] is not very often sober” (Poe, Edgar Allan. Received by Sergeant Samuel Graves, Richmond, 3 May 1830, Richmond.). Allan learned of this and sent an undocumented letter to Poe, who replied accusing his father of abuse:  “I wrote to you for some more money, and for books — You replied in terms of the utmost abuse — if I had been the vilest wretch on earth you could not have been more abusive than you were” (Poe, Edgar Allan. Received by John Allan, West Point Military Academy, 3 Jan. 1831, West Point Military Academy).

“Although dissolute in his personal life, when Poe touched pen to paper, he became a disciplined craftsman.” (Carnes 300). Edgar Allan Poe cemented his place in American literature by publishing countless poems and short stories, including “The Raven” and “Masque of the Red Death.” Poe effectively invented the detective fiction genre and perfected the horror story. His style, visionary as it was, was not with its influences. A life filled with tragedy, disappointment, alcoholism, and depression shaped Poe’s seemingly strange and taboo mind. Many of Poe’s writings were directly impacted by events in Poe’s life. In the Romantic period of the mid 1800’s, Edgar Allan Poe succeeded among American

The Raven, published in 1845, brought Poe temporary popular and critical acclaim. The Raven was a personal challenge Edgar imposed upon himself. Poe originally wanted to use a parrot instead of a raven, but he felt it didn’t evoke the right tone. He also wanted to write a 100 line poem, but ended up with 108 lines, which was good enough for Poe.

Many believed that Edgar Allen Poe was insane, while others thought he was just a troubled man. After reading through his letters to his “Pa”, it was evident to me that he was depressed, desperate, and hopeless yet hopeful. I did not sense that he was insane or mentally ill while reading his works. Instead I could tell that his life was not very easy and that he was faced with many challenges and hardship.

In Annabel Lee, Edgar Allan Poe states, “We loved with a love that was more than love.” This saying is used by thousands of people everyday to their soul mate. The American Renaissance, which began in 1828 through 1865. Poe was an Anti-Transcendentalist, he wrote mostly about self-destruction (sin). Edgar Allan Poe enjoyed writing about death, sinful acts, and how others felt towards sin.

Although all did not necessarily praise Poe’s writing, he has certainly remained one of the most notorious writers in history. In reference to Poe’s poetry, most recall “The Raven”, however

In early 1829 the Romantic era was in full swing. At this point in time Poe would be an eighteen year old enlisted in the army. After dropping out of college due to lack of funds

As the United States became a flourishing nation in the 1800’s, American entertainment such as poetry and short stories began to unfold by up-and-coming writers. Among these artists of text, Edgar Allan Poe is without a doubt an incredibly prominent figure when discussing American literature. A celebrity after his critically acclaimed poem, “The Raven,” he was one of the earliest American authors to craft and perfect the short story. Furthermore, Poe is credited to contribute much to the horror and science-fiction genres, as well as being the inventor of the detective-fiction genre, as his novel The Murders in the Rue Morgue in 1841, predates the most famous character of the genre, Sherlock Holmes, in 1887 (Genesis: 1841). Under a constant struggle to make ends meet, he was among the first American authors to make a living strictly off his pieces of literature, which was not exactly a successful money-making career path (Graves). Which made matters even worse, several of his closest family members, relatives, and relationships all fell to tuberculosis, the final of which he attempted to take care of by himself, even though he was essentially penniless up to his mysterious death in 1849 (Hossick). With great success, however, it is important to analyze how this legendary writer came to be.

Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet and critic. Poe is famous for his tales and poems of horror and mystery. During his lifetime he had multiple relatives that died from Tuberculosis. “Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by bacteria that are spread through the air from person to person. If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal” (CDC 1). During his childhood, his biological father left his mother and the year after that his mother died from TB. When he was orphaned he got “adopted” by John and Frances Allan in Virginia. Thanks to John he attended the University of Virginia where he had his first meetings with drinking and gambling. Poe was “forced to withdraw from the University of Virginia after only one year because of gambling debts” (Railton 1); Afterwards, because he was unable to support himself, he joined the United States Army, however the “court-martialed and dismissed from West Point for dereliction of duty”

Edgar Allen Poe is a fictional writer he wrote many weird and scary stories and poems, most of his poems mirrored bad things’ that happened in his childhood. In 1845, Poe wrote The Raven which is still one of his best known poems. It was first published in the New York paper. The Raven brought him fame in his lifetime but the fame didn’t bring him much joy. (D-1) Poe’s poems and stories usually had a symbolic meaning in them such as “The Raven” it stood for grief and sorrow that would never go away. He wasn’t just a poem and story writer he was also a critic. In 1838-1844 he edited Burtons Gentleman’s Magazines and in Grahams Magazine his criticism in these magazines and in the messenger was keen, direct, incisive and sometimes savage.(B-10) Some of Poes magazine stories were collected as tales of the grotesque and arabesque he also began writing the mystery tales that earned him