The Life and Writings of Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe is a famous poet from the 1800. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809. His parents were David and Elizabeth Poe. David was born in Baltimore on July 18, 1784. Elizabeth Arnold came to the U.S. from England in 1796 and married David Poe after her first husband died in 1805. They had three children, Henry, Edgar, and Rosalie. Elizabeth Poe died in 1811, when Edgar was two years old. Giordeno also mentioned, “She had separated from her husband and had taken her three kids with her. Henry went to live with his grandparents while Edgar was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. John Allan and Rosalie was taken in by another family. John Allan was a successful merchant, so Edgar grew up in good surroundings and went to good schools” (Giordeno).

Before Poe became a writer he was enrolled in the army at eight teen years old, but he did not stay long her was soon dismissed. Poe was very poor while he was living and did not become famous until after his death in 1849. He is most famous for writing border line horror stories and poems. Some of his most famous poems are The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Pit and the Pendulum. In The Raven Poe discusses many different literary terms. The three that stand out the most is symbolism, tragedy, and beauty.

In The Raven Poe uses symbolism. One way he demonstrates symbolism is the bust of Pallas. Poe explains about the bust of Pallas when he says, “Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -Perched, and sat, and nothing more” (Poe l41-l42). Courson thinks that the bust of Pallas symbolizes intellect, “Then Remorse enters, and fixes itself firmly on his mind, ‘the bust of Pallas,’ the emblem of intellect.” (Courson) However, Za...

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