Personal Life and Challenges of Edgar Allen Poe in the Poem Alone

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).

Therefore he wrote about a raven. Finally, Poe's use of assonance throughout the poem also contributed to the poem's illustration of despair and gloominess. Assonance is the repetition of vowel sound. For instance, at the end of each stanza it says, "Quoth the raven, Nevermore," "This is it and nothing more," or a phrase ending with the word more. The repetition of these sounds emphasize the words that contribute to the mood of the poem.

Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “Alone” is a reflection of his childhood. The first lines tell the reader that the speaker never felt kindred with the other children. As you read on, it is apparent to the reader that someone dear to them passed when they were young. Looking at the diction, symbolism, and allusions used in this poem, we can see that the underlying theme is that lost love can cause desolation. The word choice used in this poem helps to portray a mood of isolation.

While reading the poem the title keeps reminding the reader of the character's situation and evokes the pity of the reader as it makes it apparent that the boy is leaving school, but only in his mind, because he cannot cope in the adult environment. Both poems have a fairly regular verse form with a relatively formal structure showing that both the boy and the old man are heading in a continuous but gradual course away from the adult world. In Williams' poem the three verses gradually get shorter starting with eleven lines and decreasing to nine. Also the sentences are very short at the start, for example "I had my own suitcase", "I wasn't listening" and "I thought it was going to be fun", but gradually get longer throughout the poem. This illustrates the boy's gradual relapse from a normal child of his age as he slowly recoils from the adult world and growing up, to his childhood.

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. Without his poems, Poe probably wouldn’t be the poet he is known for today. As the “Father Of Horror” Poe really brought his poems to life in a haunting and deeply saddening way; but also in a good way. Works Cited "Edgar Allan Poe Biography." Bio.com.

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The horror described in thi... ... middle of paper ... ... though, he was not loved nor recognized much for his talents during his lifetime. It wasn’t until he died and his literature rival begin dishing dirt on him, that people started recognizing Poe and his talents. Throughout Poe’s life, it seemed like writing was his way of letting out some of the pain that life had brought down upon him; a way to keep himself sane it almost seemed. It reflects his difficult childhood, his devastating love life, and his depressing views on life. That concludes Edgar Allan Poe and his literature.

He takes notice in the bad and the good of every event. "Alone" is the epitome of Poe's thinking and his view of himself in the eyes of the public. From what we know about Poe, he was within himself; meaning that he didn't seek outside help on his troubles and struggles but sought his own way of dealing with it. With the lines in 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." We can say that Poe knew from a young age that he was different from other people.

Many teachers refer to Poe, while teaching poetry. Many famous poets now refer back to Poe as an inspiration for their love of the poetry.The work of Poe is a clear indication of his mastery of language,along with his preoccupation of the dark side of human nature. “Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality” (Edgar Allan Poe). Furthermore, as the Father of the Modern Detective story, Edgar Allan Poe made his mark on the world of literature. Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1809, and lived a depressed life until dying in Baltimore in 1849 after being found unconscious in the street.

Poe's life started tragically, when his father deserted his family and his mother died of tuberculosis (Bloom 1999). The death of his mother could have influenced some of his darker themes in his poems about death .He lived his childhood with a foster family who paid for his education (Bloom 1999). He went to a University for a while until he got into trouble. He had a gambling issue that latter put him into great debt; his foster father refused to pay for (Bloom 1999). Poe put his soul into writing and he used his personal experiences through out life.