...“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity” (Poe). Edgar Allan Poe stated this in a letter to one of his admirers, referring to his depression and alcoholism. He was an American editor, writer, and literary critic. Poe was famous for his horror and mystery stories, but he had faced multiple tragedies within his family. Some of his popular works are The Raven, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Fall of The House of Usher. These stories tell of tragedies of madness that end in a death or an emotional problem. Poe died on October 7 in 1849 in Maryland, but the cause of his death is still disputed. The course of his life and the tales that he wrote have multiple similarities. Edgar Allan Poe’s personal life is reflected within his stories. To begin, Edgar Allan Poe’s own depression is shown in The Raven. At the end of the poem, the narrator says, “And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor / Shall be lifted—nevermore!” (The Raven 186). Poe had lost his mother, foster mother, brother, and wife to tuberculosis. These losses had sent him into a depression that could not be lifted. He had been taken in by the Allans when he was three after his parents died. Allan...
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...The Epic Tale: Edgar Allan Poe “Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those who have personality and emotions know what it means to want to escape from these things.” (T.S Eliot). Poetry is literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm. The first cited work of poetry was The Epic of Gilgamesh dating back to the 18th century. Edgar Allan Poe is an American poet who was sculpted by his childhood hardships, was driven by setbacks, used poems to provide stability in his life, and died mysteriously. Soon after Edgar Allan Poe was able to...
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...2013 Edgar Allan Poe’s life from beginning to end was shrouded in turmoil and touched with mystery. He was a curious man in life that left much mystery in the wake of his passing. Several theories exist but there is no absolute answer to Poe’s untimely death. He was born January 19, 1908 in Boston, Massachusetts, orphaned at the age of three when his mother passed away and then “went to live with John and Frances Allan, a successful tobacco merchant and his wife, in Richmond, Virginia.” (“Edgar,” 2013, p. 2) He attended the University of Virginia until financial issues forced him to move home. He also attended West Point but was kicked out after only a year for poor management of his obligations. In 1836 Poe married his young cousin, Virginia, when she was age 13. He worked for a few magazines earning himself a reputation as a ferocious critic by writing venomous reviews of his peers. In his writing career he became known as the “Father of the Detective story” forever changing the face of the genre. One of his works, “The Raven,” is one of the best known poems in American Literature. His adored Virginia passed away in 1847 and Poe became overwhelmed with grief. He continued to work but suffered from poor health and struggled fiscally. There has been much debate on how Poe’s final days were spent. Some say he drank himself to death while other theories suggest carbon monoxide poisoning, epilepsy and rabies but no one really knows for sure. The story of Poe’s death...
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...Conspiracy Theory Research Paper: Was Edgar Allan Poe Murderer? Have you ever wondered how the gruesomely poetic Edgar Allan Poe died? Was he in fact murdered or driven mad by sickness? There are many conspiracies leading up to his demise. Due to the lack of medical research and supplies back in the 1800’s it was hard to get an accurate medical examination of his body after his passing. He was also buried two days after his death, furthermore making it more arduous to examine his newly deceased corpse. Edgar Allan Poe was a famous ominous poet from the early 1800’s. He was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, MA. Poe was gloriously known for his short stories on mystery and murder. He was an orphan by the age of two and his new family never...
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...Presence of Poe Edgar Allan Poe is regarded as one of the great American writers in history. He had a unique way to present his stories, his imagination stretched into the darkest corners of his mind. One can say his characters were developed from personal experiences in his life. His use of writing techniques was ingenious and unsurpassed. These are just a few reasons why he is a permanent reminder whenever horror stories come to mind. Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809. His parents were David and Elizabeth Poe. He was one of three children including his brother Henry and his sister Rosalie. His mother separated from his father when he was about two years of age and took her children with her. She died about a year later, when he was two years of age. He was separated from his siblings and was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. John Allan; this is where his name became Edgar Allan Poe. John Allan was a successful merchant, so Poe grew up in good surroundings and attended excellent schools. When he was six, he was sent to school in England and attended for five years. He then returned to the United States to continue his studies. At seventeen, Poe went to the University of Virginia but dropped out less than a year later because he could not support himself. John Allan shunned him. He enlisted in the Army because he had no money and nowhere to go at the age of eighteen. He did reasonably well attaining, the rank of sergeant-major, and got accepted to...
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...“Was the death of Edgar Allan Poe really an accident?” Edgar Allan Poe death on October 7, 1949 was a strange and surprising event to everyone who knew and loved him. The cause of Poe’s death remains a mystery even now. While there are many reasonable facts and theories surrounding Poe’s unusual death, such as, heavy metal poisoning, further investigation regarding Poe’s enemies needs to happen in order for the mystery to be solved. There are many things that are known about the events surrounding Poe’s shocking decline in health and eventually his demise. For example, Poe was told by his fiance Elmira Shelton that he looked ill about a day before his departure for Philadelphia. So, Poe visited his doctor and friend, John Carter who recommended that he stay home and rest (D). During many times before his decline in health Poe suffered from recurrent depression, drug and alcohol abuse (A). A few days after his departure he was found “semi-conscious and was taken to a nearby...
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...Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner like a fine silk thread, supporting the theme of death in each. In the short story, “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, the cause of death is never obviously revealed but lightly hinted upon Emily as the cause. “The Cask of Amontillado,” a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, the cause of death is revealed but no one knew the cause of Fortunato’s disappearance. These stories contain many differences as well as similarities ranging from imagery, symbolism, theme, and tone. The recognizable commonality of the two is the theme of death. Each of these stories portrays death, or murder, as a result of vengeance, revenge and betrayal. “The Cask of Amontillado” deals with the death of Fortunato and “A Rose for Emily” deals with the death of Homer and Emily. William Faulkner never admits that Emily is the cause of Homer’s death but gives the audience clues that suggest Emily was indeed responsible. Emily’s death seemed to be of natural causes (Faulkner, 1931, p 531). Edgar Allan Poe, in “The Cask of Amontillado” tells the audience of Montresor’s plot of revenge and murder of Fortunato. Betrayal and revenge are obvious throughout both stories. In “A Rose for Emily,” Emily first betrayed Homer after he did not take her for his wife after the whole town saw the two of them together. In “The Cask of Amontillado” betrayal is shown in Montresor’s actions, which result in Fortunato’s death. In both stories, death is caused...
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...Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer and poet, known mostly for his stories containing dark imagery, and involving mystery and horror, and also for his troubled life. The Nightmare Before Christmas is a film, directed by Henry Selick and produced by the famed Tim Burton, that follows Jack Skellington, the "Pumpkin King" of Halloween Town, who has grown weary of doing the same things to celebrate Halloween every year. When stumbling upon a door leading to Christmas Town, Jack decides to celebrate his own Christmas holiday, but with eventual and terrible consequences. Now, even though Poe and The Nightmare Before Christmas have more than 100 years separating them, one can still see several similarities between what Poe had written and what...
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...Borough Of Manhattan Community College Edgar Allan Poe: Recurring Theme By Eric Torres Professor J. Carlacio ENG 201 - 071 14 March 2014 Edgar Allan Poe: Recurring Theme Edgar Allan Poe was an inimitable poet in the world of literature. Due to intensely traumatic events that occurred in his personal life, his anxiety led to a strong emphasis on a recurring theme of death particularly a woman not only within his poems. Although the death of a woman was common amongst his work, Poe in fact held women in high regard. There were a number of women present in his life that nurtured and comforted him, but the few he chose to acknowledge and genuinely care for coincidentally would die which was a major part why Poe often went through severe episodes of depression. Poe’s depression led him to a dark emotional state and caused a constant playback of death within his mind. Mourning many years in his life his love for women and experience with death combined to form a curiosity for the unknown and he transitioned this madness into his work. Poe was deeply in love with his wife Virginia. They married each other in the year 1836. She had passed in result of what was then known as consumption to what is now known as Tuberculosis in the year 1847. Within the course of those eleven years Virginia’s presence in his life played an important role in shaping his literary work. From the first time they had met to even after her death, she inspired Poe indefinitely. In Annabel Lee Poe...
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...The Life of Edgar Allan Poe Does grief benefit writers? The idea is that sadness, despair, and heartache may be channeled and applied for creativity as emotional inspiration. A well known example is Edgar Allan Poe, who suffered from poverty, was orphaned before age three, and fought alcoholism during most of his life. After meeting and falling in love with his cousin, Virginia, Poe was not aware he’d have to endure the pain of losing her like so many of his loved ones before. He once stated, "The death of a beautiful woman is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world." (citation?) If it had not been for the tragic illness and death of Virginia, Poes' work may not have been as good or memorable, and we may not have gained some of...
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...Poe’s Grim and Dreary Style Many writers express how they feel by the way they write and how they see the world around them. Edgar Allan Poe is no exception to the rule. During the early years of Edgar Allan Poe, his father abandoned him, his mother, and two siblings (Marshall 42). At a young age, he witness his own mother cough up blood and die slowly due to tuberculosis (Marshall 42). He was later adopted in 1811 by a couple who did not even want him (Marshall 42). Some would say his talent was molded from the tragic events throughout his life, which lead him to write. Poe was an American poet and writer whose work still lingers in many individuals’ imaginations. He was very somber in many of his poems and when writing. Throughout his life,...
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...In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”, death and revenge are the key concepts of this tale. The location causes the narrator to have a perfect ideal situation to commit a heinous crime, and throughout the story there is foreshadowing of murder through events based on revenge. In “The Cask of Amontillado”, the two main settings contribute to the story by giving it an eerie dark feeling, provide a terrifying and suspenseful mood, and cause a mysterious and emotional effect. The primary setting that Poe uses is the carnival in Italy, in modern society this pastime is a cause for celebration and enjoyment. Although, in Poe’s depiction of this event, it contributes to a melancholy and apprehensive mood exemplified in the quote, "it was about dusk” (Poe 144). This later foreshadows a thought that anything can happen and no one will notice. A feeling of fear and excitement is created, which has causes suspense waiting to see what the narrator will do to Fortunato when he leaves the carnival in the middle of the night. When Montresor described the carnival as “supreme madness”, it gives a sense that no one is in their right mind and everyone is intoxicated. With the intoxication of Fortunato, Montresor may continue his plan with no fear that he will be discovered or that it would be fouled. Equally important to the story is the catacombs located beneath his palazzo. When Montresor and Fortunato arrive, the mood is defiantly frightening because it starts out as a dark feeling...
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...Edgar Allan Poe is known as the master of horror and gothic writing. In a sense, he has taken the meaning of the word “horror” and turned it into an entirely different definition, even a different world. Poe's narrators do not make the reader scared, per se, but they make him or her inquire about things around them. Although people should never assume, they should always speculate and investigate. In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Poe uses an imperfectly informed narrator because he wanted the reader to play with – and question – reality, to use their senses and imagination, and be able to tell the difference between dreams and reality. One theory on why Poe makes his narrator limited is that he wants the reader to search for the truth, not just have it handed to them. For instance, the reader – nor the narrator – knows anything about Roderick Usher. The narrator says, “Although, as boys, we had been even intimate associates, yet I really knew little of my friend”. What, then, would cause the narrator to travel to the House of Usher after Roderick had written him a letter? A person such as the narrator can only truly call Usher an acquaintance. In reality, who would drop everything and anything for an associate? The unknown information on Roderick Usher only causes more questions that, in the end, still remain unanswered. Little by little, as the tale goes on, the reader, as well as the narrator, discovers that Roderick and his late sister, lady Madeline, are twins. After...
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...In the gothic short story "The Masque of the Red Death," Edgar Allan Poe writes about how Prince Prospero’s fear and obsession leads him to an inevitable, psychological death. Through the setting, characters, and symbolism, Poe reveals the message that phobias can cause people to lose their sanity. The setting in "The Masque of the Red Death" symbolizes Prince Prospero's mind and his isolation from the terror that haunt him. The story demonstrates this by taking place in a palace that exists detached from the chaos outside. Everyone in the fortress remains oddly cheerful even though an unruly disease kills people outside the castle walls. In actuality, the villa symbolizes the Prince's mind and his mental solitude from the...
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...according to the dictionary, is the feeling or condition of being afraid. Edgar Allan Poe, the author of many short stories, who based his stories from fear and death. The name Poe brings about mind images of murderer and madmen. The two stories that will be mention in this piece are “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Pit and The Pendulum”. Edgar Allan Poe loved to write and because of his life, he writes various stories about fear. Poe uses life experiences and gothic language to set the mood of fear in each short story. The Pit and The Pendulum is a short story about the narrator who is being sentenced death during the time of the Inquisition. The narrator was losing consciousness and when he wakes, he faces complete darkness. He was confused because execution is usually in the form of hanging. The narrator is belted down on a table with a blade swinging back and forth at the level of his waist or stomach. “ Then the mere consciousness of existence, without thought - a condition which lasted long. Then very suddenly, thought and shuddering terror, and earnest endeavor to comprehend my true state.” “a fearful idea now suddenly drove the blood in torrents upon my heart, and for a brief period I at once more relapsed into insensibility upon recovering, I at once started to my feet, trembling convulsively in every fibre.” The first quote, there seems to be no fear without any thought but what is a more desirable state. The second quotes means the narrator can only...
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