Free Essays on Edgar Allan Poe

Essay on Edgar Allan Poe’s Life and the poem â€Å"Annabel Lee† Edgar Allan Poe was a writer who left subtle and hidden clues to the meaning of his works. Most of his writings have been influenced by his life. The poem â€Å"Annabel Lee† is definitely about a personal experience of his. â€Å"Annabel Lee† is most likely about his wife Virginia Clemm. In one of the stanzas Poe writes, â€Å"But our love it was stronger by far the love of those who were older then we of many far wiser then we† In this passage Poe means that when the older people found out that Poe was marrying his cousin that must of found that obscene. Poe believed that the love between Virginia and him was stronger to overcome the things that the people were saying. He didn’t listen to the wiser people above him, he just followed what he loved. In the third stanza Poe writes, â€Å"A wind blew out of a cloud by night chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.† In this stanza what Poe means is that when Virginia became sick Poe began to sell many copies of â€Å"The Raven† The money he would make from his most famous poem he would use that to help his ill wife Virginia. When Poe was at the height of his career Virginia became more and more sick. Poe believes that a chilling cloud must have come over Virginia. That wind was the illness that Virginia had taken and she dies in 1845. In the last stanza Poe writes, â€Å"Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride, in her sepulcher there by the sea – In her tomb by the side of the sea.† In this passage Poe is telling about life after Virginia died. During this time Poe became depressed and went onto opium, a very powerful drug. Poe attempted suicide many times. This passage describes about how Virginia was everything to him. He describes how Virginia was his life and his darling. That’s what he attempted suicide so many times. In conclusion as you can see this poem had hidden clues to describe how Poe felt about... Free Essays on Edgar Allan Poe Free Essays on Edgar Allan Poe On January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts one of the world’s most distinguished writers was born. His name was Edgar Poe. He was born to Elizabeth Arnold Poe, an English born actress, and David Poe, Jr., an actor from Baltimore, Maryland. Young Poe’s life was that of most children, until his mother tragically died December 8, 1811, at the age of twenty-four. Within a few days of her death, Poe’s father dies. Poe then went to live with his godfather, John Allan, a successful tobacco merchant in Richmond, and his wife Frances, who had no children of their own. His foster parents John and Frances added Poe’s middle name of â€Å"Allan†. Although Poe was never legally adopted, he became known as â€Å"Edgar Allan Poe† at his Christening on January 7, 1812. And throughout his life, Poe typically signed his name â€Å"Edgar A. Poe†, with the initial rather than the full name. In 1815, his godfather, John Allan sent Poe to England and Scotland to begin his classical education for five years. When he returned to Richmond, Virginia, Poe studied Greek, Latin, French, Spanish, and Italian. Poe was well educated in private academies. In 1826, Poe entered the University of Virginia, where he distinguished himself as a student. Although this is where Poe began to run into trouble with drinking, gambling, and quarrels. This displeased John Allan which caused an argument between the two causing Poe to leave Richmond and sail to Boston. Then on May 26,1827, Poe enlisted in the United States Army under the name of Edgar A. Perry and claiming to be four years older than his actual age. Here is where Poe published his pamphlet called the Tamerlane and Other Poems. This book did not sell at all but today the remaining copies are among the most highly prized items in the rare-book market, valued at $150,000. Poe’s military went more successfully then the rest of his life. After two years, Poe was promoted to Sergeant Major, the highest nonco... Free Essays on Edgar Allan Poe Essay on Edgar Allan Poe’s Life and the poem â€Å"Annabel Lee† Edgar Allan Poe was a writer who left subtle and hidden clues to the meaning of his works. Most of his writings have been influenced by his life. The poem â€Å"Annabel Lee† is definitely about a personal experience of his. â€Å"Annabel Lee† is most likely about his wife Virginia Clemm. In one of the stanzas Poe writes, â€Å"But our love it was stronger by far the love of those who were older then we of many far wiser then we† In this passage Poe means that when the older people found out that Poe was marrying his cousin that must of found that obscene. Poe believed that the love between Virginia and him was stronger to overcome the things that the people were saying. He didn’t listen to the wiser people above him, he just followed what he loved. In the third stanza Poe writes, â€Å"A wind blew out of a cloud by night chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.† In this stanza what Poe means is that when Virginia became sick Poe began to sell many copies of â€Å"The Raven† The money he would make from his most famous poem he would use that to help his ill wife Virginia. When Poe was at the height of his career Virginia became more and more sick. Poe believes that a chilling cloud must have come over Virginia. That wind was the illness that Virginia had taken and she dies in 1845. In the last stanza Poe writes, â€Å"Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride, in her sepulcher there by the sea – In her tomb by the side of the sea.† In this passage Poe is telling about life after Virginia died. During this time Poe became depressed and went onto opium, a very powerful drug. Poe attempted suicide many times. This passage describes about how Virginia was everything to him. He describes how Virginia was his life and his darling. That’s what he attempted suicide so many times. In conclusion as you can see this poem had hidden clues to describe how Poe felt about... Free Essays on Edgar Allan Poe Every story that was conceived from the mind of Edgar Allan Poe contained a part of himself on each page. This left the reader with a better understanding of Poe’s life. Through his stories and pomes Poe displayed his greatest achievements and his worst disappointments. In this research paper I will reveal facts about Poe’s life and define hidden meanings throughout his works. Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19th, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. Poe’s parents were David Poe and Elizabeth Arnold Poe, an actor and actress that worked in the city of Baltimore (Britannica). Shortly after Poe’s birth, his father abandoned the family and left Poe and his mother to fend for themselves. In 1811 when Poe was two his mother died. That left him with his second depressing loss in only his first two years of life (540). After his father ran off and his mother’s sudden death, Poe was left with his godfather, John Allan. John Allan was a wealthy merchant based in Richmond, Virginia with the means, knowledge, and affluence to provide a good life for Poe. Poe enrolled at the University of Virginia in 1826 (Britannica). For the first time in his life things were starting to go well. Upon entering college it took Poe no more time to unpack his bag then it did for him to become involved in, immoral acts of gambling and drunkenness. He developed gamb ling debts from 2,000 to 2,500 dollars, which caused some friction between John Allan and himself (Quinn 130). After eleven months in college Poe dropped out, due to his debts (Britannica). Upon arriving at home Poe was invited to a party hosted by Sarah Elmira Royster, his sweetheart before going away to college. When he arrived at the party, he learned that it was Elmira’s engagement party. This was heart braking to Poe (540). After John Allan and Poe had a huge fight over Poe’s gambling addiction, Poe joined the army under the alias of â€Å"Edgar Allan Perry† (Britannica). It was not t... Free Essays on Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allen Poe has been known for his themes of revenge and perversity. Two short stories that illustrate these themes are â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† and â€Å"The Black Cat†. Many critics have argued that these stories were not about revenge, but more about perversity and the cruelty of the human mind. Believe it or not, every human being is capable of murder, many do it out of revenge but there are still those who do it for no apparent reason. Poe portrays in each of the characters, the darker side of the human soul. In the short story â€Å"The Black Cat† the narrator of the story undergoes a significant change in his character. At first both husband and wife adores their cat very much. He soon became addicted to drinking making him more and more crazy by the day, which led to the dislike of his cat. Because of this, he decides to cut one of its eyes with a penknife. Later on as his drinking led him to reach insanity to its full extent, the narrator hangs the cat and explains his reason for hanging it by saying â€Å"I knew that it loved me, and because I felt it had given me no reason of offense... and I knew that in so doing I was committing a sin-a deadly sin.† (245). By saying that, the narrator shows no reason for committing the murder. After the murder of the cat has been committed, the character shows no remorse towards his actions. He acts as if no wrong has been done. As the story progresses the narrator describes how his drinking habits cause him to neglect his beloved cat and wife. After his house burns down and he loses all he owns, he finds a new cat on the street, witched resembled the first. This cat also had a patch over one eye. He decided to bring the cat home to his wife. One day while working with his wife in the cellar he nearly trips down the stairs by the cat. He picks up an axe and tries to kill it but his wife gets hit with the axe instead. He then buries her inside the wall so the police woul... Free Essays on Edgar Allan Poe Biography of Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe was a great man who’s goal in writing was to send chills down the spines of his readers which he successfully achieved through his eerie stories and poems. But what made him this way? In order to understand the reasons for Edgar Allan Poe’s writings, we must look back to the very beginning of his life and follow it to the very end. Eliza Arnold came to America from England in 1795. She was just Eight years old. In April, 1796, almost as soon as she arrived, she began her acting career in Boston, Massachusetts. She quickly became very popular, because she could sing and dance as well as memorize long speaking parts. In all the cities she played in, she received praise from the critics. After Eliza’s first marriage, she met a man named David Poe. Shortly after, David left a promising career in law to become an actor and be with Eliza. David was not very good though. His unusual speaking styles often got him booed and berated by critics. In the first week of April, 1806, Eliza married David. The Poes were very poor at the time and money was tight. Their acting company had performances as benefits, and used the money to try and help the Poes stay healthy and save them from starvation. Even though they were poor, they still started a family. On January 30, 1807, Eliza gave birth to William Henry. Being as they were, they didn’t have any other choice than to give custody to David’s parents, who were better off. On January 19, 1809, Edgar Poe was born. The Poes were desperately poor, so David went begging for a few dollars from his cousin. His cousin thought he was a terrible man, though, and told him that he never wanted to speak to him again. After this terrible tragedy and numerous arguments with Eliza, David Poe disappeared. Sympathetic friends and audiences gave Eliza charity, offering some comfort from her ongoing poverty and recent abandonment. In the... Free Essays on Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and lived in six Eastern cities. His father was David Poe, a Baltimore actor. His actress mother, Elizabeth came to the United States as a kid. The parents were not that talented; they played small roles in rather third-rate theatrical companies. Because they both had small parts they barely managed to make a living. Edgar was the second of their three children. When the third child was born, the father died, or disappeared, and Mrs. Poe went to Richmond with the two youngest children. The oldest boy, William Henry, had already been left with relatives in Baltimore. Mrs. Poe was in the last stages of tuberculosis. Weakened by the disease and worn out with the struggle to support her children, she died. Edgar, two years old, and the infant, Rosalie, were left as orphans. It was pure luck that Mrs. Frances Allan, the wife of a merchant in Richmond learned about the Poe babies. She had no children of her own and liked ha ndsome little Edgar a lot more than his sister. She took him home with her, and another family took his little sister Rosalie. Mrs. Allan would have liked to adopt Edgar, but her husband was unwilling to commit himself. At that time people thought acting was immoral. John Allan could not help regarding the little son of actor parents as a questionable person to inherit his name and the fortune he was busy accumulating. He was willing however, to support the child, and in time came to be proud of Edgar's good looks and intelligence. When Edgar was six years old, Mr. Allen's business took him to Scotland, the country from which he had come originally. The family stayed in Scotland and England for five years. Edgar was eleven when the Allans returned to Richmond. Richmond in back then in the 1820's was a good place for a boy to live. It was still a small enough town for the fields, swamps, and woods to be close by. Boys swam in the river and in the little creek... Free Essays on Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 as Edgar Poe. He was the second son to Elizabeth Arnold Poe and David Poe. Both parents were actors, and shortly after Poe’s birth, his father deserted his family around 1810. Edgar became an orphan before the age of three years, when his mother died on December 8, 1811 in Richmond, Virginia at the age of twenty-four years. His father died at the age of twenty-seven years old. After his mother’s death, the childless couple, John and Frances Allan, took in Poe; his paternal grandparents took in brother William Henry; and foster parents cared for sister Rosalie. Allan was a strict and unemotional tobacco merchant and his wife was overindulgent. Poe was educated by the Allan’s aid, in private academies, excelling in Latin, in writing verse and declamation. However, regardless of his education, he was looked down upon by the upper class of society, perhaps because Poe was never legally adopted by the Allan’s, nonetheless he was regarded as an outsider by the Richmond elite. However, being the child of former actor’s could have also added to his reputation of not fitting in with Richmond’s culture at that time. The loss of his mother at an early age definitely affected Poe, â€Å"The angels, whispering to one another, Can find, among their burning terms of love, None so devotional as that of ‘Mother’† (To My Mother). In Tamerlane, he not only wrote about his father, but he wrote about his mother too. He had more respect for his mother than he did for his father. In Tamerlane he speaks much nicer of his mother. â€Å"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†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Tamerlane). He thought of life with his mother and how it might have been. In 1831 Poe moved to Baltimore to live with his aunt, Maria Clemm. There he fell in love and married ...