Edgar Allan Poe

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"Lord help my poor soul."(Neurotic Poets)The departing words of the 40-year-old American author, Edgar Allan Poe, on Sunday October 7, 1849. In Massachusetts on the 19th day of January in the year 1809, Edgar Poe was born to actress Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe and actor David Poe Junior, making him an older brother to Rosalie Poe, and a younger one to William Henry Leonard Poe. Poe may, perchance, have been named after a character in the play that his parents were performing that year. He was never formally adopted, however, Edgar Poe was renamed Edgar Allan Poe when the John Allan family took him in after his mother deceased and his father forsook the family. The purpose of this paper is to examine the disheartening life of such an amazing poet, critic, editor and author and show how influential his success even after death can inspire us to try our hardest despite the circumstances.

Considered to be a member of the American Romantic Movement, and best known for his mysterious tales and symbols of death, Edgar Allan Poe was the first notable American writer to try to support oneself through only writing, unfortunately, this caused him to experience a financially difficult life because his works weren't truly appreciated until after his death. Poe attended grammar school in Irvine, a boarding school in Chelsea, Reverend John Bransby’s Manor House School, and at the age of 17 he registered at the University of Virginia. However, this was short-lived as well as him working as a clerk and newspaper writer, because at 18 Poe enlisted in the United States Army under the false name Edgar A. Perry, but failed at being a and shortly thereafter, Poe began his writing career by anonymously publishing a collection of his poems, Tamerla...

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... his work lives on, so does the mystery of his death. The purpose of this paper was to examine the disheartening life of such an amazing poet, critic, editor and author and show how influential his success even after death can inspire us to try our hardest despite the circumstances. Poe's life is one of dismay but also of triumph, and we could all learn a great deal from him.

Works Cited

1."Neurotic Poets - Edgar Allan Poe." Neurotic Poets - Neurotic Poets - The Link Between Creativity And Madness. Web. 18 May 2011. .

2."The Raven." Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More. Web. 18 May 2011. .

3."Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article." AbsoluteAstronomy.com. Web. 18 May 2011. .

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