Analyzing Edgar Allan Poe's 'Annabel Lee'

Chris Kiser
Mr. Hausammann
Honors English 9, Period 3
18 May 2016
Final Poetry Project Research Paper

In discussions of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Annabel Lee” a point of contention is why many teens are so attracted to Poe as a poet. The way that Poe writes is very different; some people may call it “Gothic” or dark and deep. Some people contend Poe will only attract a darker more gothic group of teenagers’ with his particular writings about death and murderers. While others contend Poe is able to attract more than just teenagers and that there is more to Poe’s poetry than just death and murders. Though I do believe Poe’s writings can be dark sometimes, I also believe that Poe’s poems do mean something more than just death and murder.
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Knowing this information many others along with myself believe there is hidden meanings behind the writings of Poe. A lot of people don’t know Poe’s past, starting at a young kid Poe was separated from his family. First his father left, then his mother died when he was only three. After that he was separated from all his siblings forcing him to live with tobacco merchant and his wife. I believe this is a big part of the reason his writings have come to be known as very dark. As Biography.com states: “A bright, imaginative thinker, Poe crafted stories and poems that still shock, surprise and move modern readers.” Poe is described as a bright imaginative thinker. This is able to support the theory of Poe writing for more of a reason then to spread darkness. They literally describe Poe as a “bright” thinker, when many people would contend the complete

Some of Poe’s less known stories contain information about the high seas and other adventures. There are even some lighter poems written by Poe, but most still consist of at least one darker element. Poe’s short story “Eleonora” is one of his writings that I believe to be less dark. Poe talks about the beautiful land that the narrator lives on, he explains it to be “an idyllic paradise full of fragrant flowers, fantastic trees, and a River of Silence.” Though it is set in a brighter mood unlike “Annabel Lee” death still plays a role. Seeing this along with most of his poems it makes me think he does sometimes write about good things, just with a darker