Tragic Events In Edgar Allan Poe

On October 3, 1849, Poe was found unconscious, but the doctors weren’t able to find out what really happened. On October 7, 1849, Poe died in the hospital. Poe’s one of the famous works is “The Raven”, which was dedicated to the school children’s memory in the nineteenth century, first got published in New York Evening Mirror in January, 1845.This poem had an enormous success and got published in many other publications in America and Europe. Many critics connect Poe’s tragic life with his poem’s synopsis (“Explanation”, par.1). The poem is about a man who dreams about his lost love, Lenore, and how the talking bird, who only knows one word “Nevermore”, usually visits him.

The life of Edgar Allan Poe is not a tale of ease. Poe’s life was full of personal and fiscal disaster. These disasters help to mold some of the most ominous and intellectually challenging poetry ever written. For the short duration of Poe’s life, he was seen as a literary critic rather than an author. To the modern generation his unbeknown status seems bafflingly inconceivable, considering his now acclaimed publications. Edgar Allan Poe’s writing was very much dictated by his life. The mournful tone of Edgar Allan Poe’s life created his literature; death and all his friends narrated Poe’s life. Edgar Allan Poe shows his life’s constant despair through his poetry and short story writings.

“The Raven,” incorporates the darkness of death and all of, what one could see as, the negative aspects of it. “Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore,” (line 24) is collage of words to symbolize nothingness. When one combines the word ‘shore’ with a word of a Roman god (Pluto) and ‘night,’ it enhances the meaning in its entirety; it represents a vast sea of nothing with all its mysteriousness. The author, Poe, is desperately trying to escape the pain of this death. In attempts of this creates another symbol when he said, “Quaff, oh quaff this kind of nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore” (Line 83). Nepenthe was founded in ancient times and was used as drug to help reduce one’s pain and sorrows, to induce forgetfulness. If the narrator lost his one and only true love, then this serves

Edgar allan poe was a genius of gothic literature, and has been quoted and studied and will continue to be studied for many years to come. Edgar Allan Poe’s life was filled with tragedy. Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston. Edgar Allan Poe used his own life tragedies, that fact of his wife dying and the time period of the gothic era to make “The Raven” such a success.

Edgar Allan Poe tells the story of a bereaved man who is grieving for his lost love in the poem, “The Raven.” During a dark and gloomy night, the man hears a knock at his door. Hoping that it is Lenore, his dead lover, coming back to him, he goes to open the door. Unfortunately, he is only met with emptiness and disappointment. Shortly after, a raven flies into the room through the window and lands on the bust of Pallas. The man begins to converse with this dark and mysterious bird. In response to everything the man says, the raven repeats one dreadful word: “Nevermore.” The symbolism of the raven being connected to death, and the man’s interaction with the dark bird reveals to readers that he is going through the stages of dying.

This essay is about Edgar Allan Poe and how is often disturbing stories and poems were a direct reflection of the chaotic and sad filled life. Poe had many people in his life die around him and this was the reason for his fascination and some say obsession with “death.” Of course, Poe is most famous for writing many stories and mysteries that centered on murder, suicide, and overall macabre themes. Many people throughout time have been astonished by his many writings calling them “stories written by a genuine mad man.” When you do an Internet search of his name you often find the word lunatic attached to his name. However, this disturbing stories and death-obsessed poems are nothing when compared to his actual life, and the various experiences throughout it. Poe has ten people in his life that were close to him, very important figures that either died or exited his life without an explanation. These “losses” left Poe unable to manage his emotions, ultimately destroying them altogether, which resulted in him writing so many mysteries.

Edgar Allan Poe was a skilled writer; he wrote many books that involved horror and mystery. Poe started his writing career editing newspapers and writing short stories. One may assume that Poe wrote these panicked stories to tell others about his own life. Influenced by his tragic childhood, Edgar Allan Poe started writing horror and mysterious stories.

"In one case out of a hundred a point is excessively discussed because it is obscure; in the ninety-nine remaining it is obscure because it is excessively discussed." This quote by Edgar Allan Poe describes his obscure works which have been discussed and criticized in great detail for many years to come. Some readers believe that his works are too dark and eccentric maybe even deathly. Others believe his works to be masterpieces. However, one thing that is not up for debate is the fact that Edgar Allan Poe is a literary genius. Edgar Allan Poe, the creator of the ratiocinative story and the amateur sleuth and leading contributor to the gothic genre, is the greatest author of the mid-nineteenth century.

Edgar Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts to parents, David and Elizabeth Arnold Poe, both were actors. David Poe, who died shortly after, abandoned the family before Poe was two years old, leaving his mother alone with the three kids. Not too long after, Poe watched as his mother slowly died of Tuberculosis, while coughing up blood. Unfortunately for Poe, this was just the beginning of a life full of despair.

Edgar Allan Poe in “The Raven” uses figurative language, imagery and tone to develop the theme of death awaits everyone. The speaker in “The Raven” is bothered or haunted by a mysterious raven and it will not stop pestering him. Poe uses figurative language to develop a theme. An example of figurative language is personification.

Throughout all the short stories and poems written by Edgar Allan Poe, some connections can be made on the content, as in “The Black Cat”, and “The Raven”, are two narratives written by Poe, that unveil the themes and symbols he often uses in his work. Poe is on the mysterious side, but he is also taking the life he is given, and making his narratives raw and realist by some degree. Poe uses techniques that left him express his imagination through writing. There are many different ideas and questions arising from all his work. “The Black Cat” and “The Raven”, are two narratives that use similar themes and symbols that allow readers to receive a small connection of the madness inside of the narrators.

When Edgar Allan Poe was twenty-six years old, he married his twelve year old cousin, Virginia Eliza Clemme Poe…still a better love story than Twilight. Edgar Allan Poe’s life was filled with loss and emotional desolation. However, his utilization of his traumatic experiences has earned him a permanent spot in important literary figures. Edgar Allan Poe was a beleaguer and an extremely skilled writer, that is still an accredited and inspiring figure even after hundreds of years after his death.

The Raven tells a story of a man with much grief over this loss of his love, Lenore. As the poem opens, the narrator is trying to find peace through his books. He states, “…while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,” (862). The setting, a chamber in a house, is described in such a way that creates a very dark, almost melancholy style. The narrator, while trying to find comfort for his loss, hears a tapping at his window. As he opens the window, a raven, a long time symbol of death, flies in, and refuses to leave. Poe uses the symbol of the raven, and his repeating word of “nevermore”, to show that the narrator will never get over the loss of his love, Lenore.

This essay will discuss the themes in Poe’s writing that mirror his personal life and, in addition, the fear and supernatural motivators for his characters. First, I will discuss Poe’s background and explore how he became best known as a poet for his tales of mystery and macabre.

Sadness, guilt, and fear are some of the most negative emotions that humanity can experience, however they are also the strongest. Edgar Allan Poe, a nineteenth century author and poet, is known primarily for his use of these emotions, as well as the results that may come from these emotions, such as substance abuse, depression, and death. However, the ability to write such elegant, sophisticated works that delve into the very dark recesses of the human mind reflects greatly upon the author himself. Repetitive themes found both in Poe’s stories and in his life deliver insight on the inspiration for this author’s stories. Poe uses themes of death, illness, and depression in order to reflect his own experiences within his writing.