Creative Writing: Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allen Poe Edgar Allen Poe's life problems had a profound impact on his various short stories and poems. Poe's problems started seemingly right after birth. His biological father, David Poe, Jr., was an alcoholic and often abused Poe (Encyclopedia Americana, 274-275). Shortly after the age of two, Poe's mother died. He only had memories of her vomiting and being carried away by "sinister men dressed in black", as he put it (American Writers III).

When Poe turned seventeen he attended the University of Virginia. The amount of money John Allan was giving Poe was not enough to cover the universities tuition requirements. One year later, Poe left the University of Virginia due to unfulfilled tuition payments. Some Poe experts say he may have gambled to obtain the debts. Other beliefs are that Poe later spent his two years in the army, in hopes to stay away from debtor’s prison.

The tobacco industry collapsed after only three years of their stay, and the... ... middle of paper ... ...engagement was broken off. Edgar returned to Richmond in 1989 hoping to find financial support for his own journal, but was unsuccessful. He, however, reunited with Elmira, his first love, who had been widowed, and they re-engaged. Edgar, then, sailed from Richmond to Baltimore in Oct. 1849. A short time later, Edgar Allan Poe was found outside a polling place, in a state of delirium.

By this time however, he had written and printed his first book, Tammerlane, and Minor Poems (1829).2 After a few months though, John Allan and Poe were reconciled. Allan arranged for Poe to be released from the army and enrolled him at West Point. During this time, his fellow cadets helped him publish another book of poetry. However, John Allan again did not provide Poe with enough money, and Poe decided to leave this time before racking up any more debts Still, Poe had no money and necessity forced him to live with his aunt, Mrs. Clemm, in Baltimore, Maryland. None of his poetry had sold particularly well, so he decided to write stories.

When Poe was six years old he was sent to private school. Poe kept studying and went to the University of Virginia for one year. After one year in the University Poe quit school because Allan refused to pay his debts, and he did not have money to pay for Poe’s education. Later, Poe left Boston in 1827 where he enlisted in the army. Poe served two years in the military after he quit school.

At his own request, was honorably discharged in April of 1829 (Gullete 5). Temporarily reconciled, Mr. Allan secured Poe an appointment to West Point. But still refused financial support. After six months, Poe purposely got himself discharged from West Point, by purposely neglecting his military duties and for disobedience of orders (Encarta [CD-ROM]). Poe then moved to New York, and with the help of some money raised by his West Point friends, he published his first poems in 1831.

Poe returned to Richmond due to the fact that he was so poor. Upon his return he found his fiancée had moved on and was engaged to another man while he was away to college. Hearth broken and angry, Poe only spent a few months in the Allan mansion before leaving to find adventure. By the time he was eighteen Poe published his first book, Tamerlane, and soon after enlisted in the United Stated Army. Two years later he found out Frances was dying of tuberculosis.

After his mother’s death Poe had to live with a tobacco merchant and his wife(biography.com). He lived in Richmond, Virginia until he decided to leave to attend the University Of Virginia(biography.com). His adoptive father,John Allan, who he lived with when his mother passed, never gave him enough money to pay for all the costs of college(biography.com).Therefore Poe turned to gambling to cover the cost(biography.com). Poe was a very broken individual that had been through an enormous amount of problems(biography.com). When he came back home one time he discovered t... ... middle of paper ... ... through great troubles all of his life, he still decided to share it with the world in the best way he could.

Poe then enrolled into the University of Virginia, but soon enlisted into the army after not getting financial support from Allan. In two years, Poe became a sergeant major. Then Poe enrolled in West Point. Before recruiting, Poe had published a volume of poetry, Tamerlane and Other Poems. After his army time and while a student at West Point, he published a second volume: Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems, whi... ... middle of paper ... ... surrounded his potentially adulterous relations with Frances Sargent Osgood, Virginia's health was decreasing due to tuberculosis, leading Poe to seek refuge in increased drinking.

Becoming orphans, both Poe and his sister were split up in family friend’s houses. Poe went to live with the Allan's. As Poe grew up he started having problems with his John Allan, his foster father, which caused future problems. Poe's first step to start a career was attending the University of Virginia in 1826. "Allan failed to provide Poe with enough money for necessities such as furniture and books and Poe soon ran up a tremendous gambling debt and began drinking, despite his very low tolerance for alcohol" (Loveday 2).