Alone By Edgar Allan Poe Analysis

Edgar Allan Poe, the man known as the father of horror stories. His short stories and poems are known to be gloomy, dark, and morbid. Most people are not aware that many of his works are reflections of his own life. Throughout his whole life, Poe experienced numerous tragedies. Many of his hard experiences can be seen in his poems Annabel Lee, Alone, and Israfel. His short stories were also affected by his past. The Raven also has small depictions of Poe’s life. A tragic past, consisting of a lack of true parents and the death of his wife, made Edgar Allan Poe the famous writer he is today, but it also led to his demise and unpopularity.

Edgar Allan Poe is a well-known writer for his suspenseful and dramatic poems and pieces of fiction. Examples of his short stories include “The Cask of Amontillado”, “The Raven”, and “The Pit and the Pendulum”. Born in the city of Boston and raised in Richmond, Virginia; Poe explored the darker side of himself. As he grew older, he experienced great depression, which led to alcoholism. He eventually died at the age of 40. With his past in mind, Poe’s pieces of writings allow the readers to leave their own world and explore a whole new world filled with darkness and gloominess. Eventually, his pieces of work leave the audience with an abrupt feeling of awkwardness. “Alone”, written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1829, is a poem that expresses Poe’s opinion of how he feels like an outsider. He cannot fit into society, and because of this, he senses great sorrow.

The poem “Alone” by Edgar Allan Poe depicts the personal life and challenges Poe faced as a child. For example, the poem begins with Poe explaining how he knew he was different from other children, this is apparent when Poe writes, “From childhood's hour I have not been/ As others were-- I have not seen” (Poe ll. 1-2). Poe further goes on to explain how he felt abandoned and apart from his peers, stating “And all I lov'd-- I lov'd alone” (Poe 8). I believe this explains how Poe felt alone after his parents died, as if no one else understood what he was going through. Further into the poem, Poe explains how he had to face the “evil” in his life while his peers mainly had “good” lives. This is apparent at the end of the poem, when Poe writes, “(When the rest of Heaven was blue)/ Of a demon in my view--” (Poe 21-22). Although the poem is only 22 lines, Poe uses multiple poetic device throughout the whole poem.

The first two stanzas of The Raven introduce you to the narrator, and his beloved maiden Lenore.  You find him sitting on a “dreary” and dark evening with a book opened in front of him, though he is dozing more than reading.  Suddenly, he hears knocking on his door, but only believes it to be a visitor nothing more.  He remembers another night, like this one, where he had sought the solace of his library to forget his sorrows of his long lost beloved, and to wait for dawn.  Meanwhile the tapping on his door continues.

The poem “Alone” by Edgar Allan Poe depicts the personal life and challenges Poe faced as a child. The poem begins with Poe explaining how he knew he was different from other children. A quote that clearly portrays this would be, “From childhood's hour I have not been/ As others were-- I have not seen” (Poe ll. 1-2). Poe goes on to explain how he felt abandoned and severed from his peers, stating “And all I lov'd-- I lov'd alone” (Poe 8). I believe the previous quote explains how Poe felt alone after his parents died. Later on in the poem, Poe explains how he would only see the “evil” in life while his peers saw the “good”. This is proven at the end of the poem, when Poe writes, “(When the rest of Heaven was blue)/ Of a demon in my view--” (Poe 21-22). Although the poem is only twenty-two lines, Poe uses multiple poetic device throughout the poem.

"From childhood's hour I have not been As others were; I have not seen As others saw; I could not bring My passions from a common spring. From the same source I have not taken My sorrow; I could not awaken My heart to joy at the same tone; And all I loved, I loved alone.

After killing the old man the narrator further defiles his body because he feels as if although the eye is gone there is still quite a bit of power left. As a wise man once said although a single twig may break a bundle of twigs is strong. In the same sense he butchered the old mans body into pieces to separate his view of power into subsequent pieces making them weak. Throughout the story he still tries to explain that he is sane and that what he is doing is true justice, even though butchering a dead body is completely in human. As he states, “If still you think me, you will think so no longer… The night waned, and I worked hastily, but in silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs” (Poe 7).

Edgar Allen Poe was and still is one of the most well know poets of all time, he has taken many a reader on a grotesque literary journey through his twisted perception on the world in titles like “Tell-Tail Hearts” and “The Raven”. One of his most personally significant poems is a 22-line piece known as “Alone”, originally published by E. L. Didier in Scribner’s Monthly September, 1875. So why was a poem written by a man that died on October 7, 1849 at the age of forty not published until 26 years after his death? The answer is simple, Poe originally wrote the poem in the autograph album of Lucy Holmes Balderston whose family would later sell the poem to Scribner’s Monthly. This poem is one of his most important, as it gives the reader an in-depth look into the sad life and soul of a twenty year old Edgar Allen Poe.

It seems odd that the “black” room differs from the others in the sense that the colours are not coordinated. Unlike the other rooms, the panes in this room were not the same colour as the rest of the room, rather, they were “scarlet --a deep blood color”. Due to its difference from the other rooms, it must be special. A potential interpretation may be that the room represents something. We know that black often represents death, and Edgar Allan Poe directly relates the colour to that of blood. With this evidence, it seems obvious that the “black” room is an analogy for death.

Edgar Allan Poe writes many short stories and poems. They are all different, but they also all have the same things in common. Poe creates mystery and suspense for all of his short stories and poems. One way he does this is by using settings. Poe’s descriptions are insane. Lastly, he makes his characters stand out. Poe is a creative writer that uses setting, descriptions, and characters.