The subconscious is said to control various aspects of the life of a human to include major and minor decisions alike; whether to follow the path carved out so cautiously by others or to forge a unique path and travel it fiercely with reckless abandon and ambition guided by extreme individuality. What is this perplexing, intangible thing we call the subconscious? And what role does it play in the writing process of a poet? In general, when given the task of defining the subconscious, the initial impulse is to provide an ordinary idea such as, “one’s natural instinct that lies beneath the actively aware mind and its intentional thoughts”; however, what if the subconscious is something more? What if the subconscious is actually the culmination of all life experiences up to a specific point in time and this culmination is the true vehicle of the poet’s thoughts? This culmination is the vehicle that drives these thoughts from the subconscious to the conscious, from the pen to the paper and to their final destination that is termed poetry. If the latter is accepted then it is certainly safe to say that both Edgar Allan Poe and Jim Morrison’s vehicles had a few dents and dings, maybe even a crack in the windshield, but they managed to turn these beaters into high performance sleepers. Both Poe and Morrison faced premature emotional distress, gaunt paternal connections, and parallel views on the process of writing poetry; all of which became the catalysts of recurring dark, shocking and unconventional themes in their poetry.
Edgar Allan Poe and Jim Morrison experienced traumatic events involving death at a young age. Poe was orphaned twice, once at the tender age of two when his mother Eliza Poe fell ill and passed away, and again wh...
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... rigors of prudish societies, to push reputation aside in hopes of revealing unpopular perspectives on the realities of life. Whatever the case may be the truth of the matter is that both Morrison and Poe were able to harness the magnificent talent of turning not so favorable life experiences into brilliant, unforgettable and timeless poetry.
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Many describe Edgar Allan Poe’s life as a mire tragedy that produced a genius. Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19 of 1809 in Boston Massachusetts. Poe was described as a handsome or an attractive man; “Poe, himself, is a very good looking fellow” (Simms qtd. in The Poe Log). His clothing was described as simple and black; “He dressed always in black, and with faultless taste and simplicity” (Weiss). He had pale color skin with a good complexion. His hair color was as dark black as a raven’s wing. When he was three years old his biological parents, David and Elizabeth Poe past away. David and Elizabeth Poe had three children Henry, Edgar, and Rosalie. When his parents died he was adopted by his step mother and father the Allan’s; they were tobacco exporters of London. Poe lived a luxurious childhood, going to good academic schools, even moving with his family to London, and continued his studies at a boarding school. When he was a teenager they moved back to US, because the Allan’s tobacco company was failing. He continued his high school career at local private academies. There he had a huge crush on a school friend’s mother. The mother die and Poe took it personally. After he was all grown ...
"After reading all that has been written, and after thinking all that can be thought, on the topics of God and the soul, the man who has a right to say that he thinks at all, will find himself face to face with the conclusion that, on these topics, the most profound thought is that which can be the least easily distinguished from the most superficial sentiment" (Poe). This quote shows how Edgar Allan Poe’s perspective was very different compared to other writers during that time. Poe was an American short story writer, poet, critic, and editor who was famous for his cultivation in mystery and macabre. His success in his works may or may not have been because of his emotional and mental problems. Edgar Allan Poe was a writer whose works represent his own unique style, how his emotional instability affected him, and what happened in his life.
Before the age of three, Poe was already an orphan after his Mother dying and his Father walking out on them (Frank 56). Poe was too young to remember his Mother since her death occurred when he was very young, but later in his life he grew resentful for being raised as a foster child. After the loss of his Mother, Poe would go on to experience the death of many more loved ones. This became the source of the terrible fear Poe would associate with death and dying, a common theme in many of his works.
"Jimi Hendrix Biography | The Official Jimi Hendrix Site." Jimi Hendrix | The Official Jimi Hendrix Site. Web. 08 Jan. 2012. .
Ingram, John Henry. Edgar Allan Poe: His Life, Letters, and Opinions. New York: AMS Press, Inc., 1965.
Edgar Allan Poe's deplorable life was filled with unfortunate calamity, endless tragedies, and pathetic misery, which inevitably led to his pessimistic view on life and obsession with death. His personal mind frame is automatically conveyed in his essays, which for him was a primary form of expression. Thus, a strong emphasis on somber despondency has proven to be a thematic element of his literary career.
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. New York: The Modern Library 1992
Poe went through many hardships during his life that helped inspire his literary works. Many of his works seem pretty normal at first but then you realize there is an underlying tone of tragedy in his works, just like in his life. Many of his poems are inspired by his friends, family and real life experiences. This supports my thesis because it shows that the people and experiences in his life influenced his choices, his works and his outlook on things.
Jim Morrison is widely considered to be one of the most iconic performers in rock and roll history. Paired with the instrumentals of The Doors, his haunting lyrics and chaotic performance style struck a chord with audiences of the 1960’s and elevated him to “Rock God” status. Morrison undoubtedly lived his life in a way to live up to that title: in his short lifetime he was arrested a total of 6 times and most of his adult life was consumed by copious amounts of sex, drugs and alcohol. Of course, all of this indulgence only led to tragedy, Morrison was often prone to self-destructive and abusive behaviors. Oliver Stone’s 1991 film The Doors as well as James Farr’s essay “'The Lizard King or Fake Hero?”: Oliver Stone, Jim Morrison, and History
Throughout Edgar Allan Poe’s life, death was a frequent visitor to those he loved around him. When Poe was only 3 years old, his loving mother died of Tuberculosis. Because Poe’s father left when he was an infant, he was now an orphan and went to live with the Allan’s. His stepmother was very affectionate towards Edgar and was a very prominent figure in his life. However, years later she also died from Tuberculosis, leaving Poe lonely and forlorn. Also, later on, when Poe was 26, he married his cousin 13-year-old Virginia, whom he adored. But, his happiness did not last long, and Virginia also died of Tuberculosis, otherwise known as the Red Death, a few years later. After Virginia’s death, Poe turned to alcohol and became isolated and reckless. Due to Edgar Allan Poe’s loss of those he cared for throughout his life, Poe’s obsession with death is evident in his works of “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Black Cat”, and “The Fall of the House of Usher”, in which in all three death is used to produce guilt.
Grantz, David. Qrisse's Edgar Allan Poe Pages, The Poe Decoder. 20 April 2001. Web site. 17 November 2013.