The Life of Edgar Allan Poe

1807 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Edgar allan poe influence on literature

Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19 1809 with the name of Edgar Poe as well as a brother and sister. When he became one his father abandoned Poe’s mom and him shortly followed by his mom’s death. Now orphaned he was taken in by a successful scottish merchant with the name of John Allan. Although John never legally adopted Edgar he renamed him Edgar Allan Poe and took care of him. Later on John Allan moved his family to Britain where Poe enrolls in a grammar school located in Irvine, Scotland. Then he stopped the class the following year and rejoined his parents before he became a student in the a boarding school found in Chelsea. He then proceeded to the University of Virginia where he quarreled with his father about gambling debts. After one year Edgar Allan Poe quit the university after his debts increased more and more, not feeling that he would be accepted by his family he decided to enlist in the army with a false name and age.

In the Army he was given a wage of 5 dollars a month for a military contract of 5 years. In the military he published his first book called “Tamerlane and Other Poems”. After a while he was assigned to be an artillery loader where his wage became 10 dollars. When it reached the second year of his 5 year contract he decided to quit, revealing his real name and age. There was a problem however, he needed his parents to consent to Poe’s legal discharge. However John Allan was not willing to agree at first, but when his wife died he agreed to Edgar’s discharge. After Poes discharge he was sent to West Point as a cadet. At the same time his father disowned Edgar Allen Poe because of great quarrels due to John Allan’s second wife, which he married after his first wife’s death.

At this time Edg...

... middle of paper ...

...tually died.

Edgar Allan Poe was then somehow found on the streets of Baltimore where he was picked up by a resident in a horrible condition. He was then taken to a hospital where he died after four days, up to this day no one knows what the cause of his death was because his medical record was destroyed. After his death Rufus Wilmot Grisworld created a false biography of Edgar Allan Poe because of his jealousy. Rufus stated that Poe was a drunk and drug addict and used forged letters as proof. Sadly many people believed in Rufus’ biography because it was the only one with Edgar Allan Poe’s complete life. Edgar Allan Poe made a very great contribution to the world of poetry that the world will read for many millenniums further.

Works Cited

Edgar allan poe. (2014, March 5). Wikipedia. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_allan_poe

Show More
Related

  • Edgar Allan Poe Rabies Essay

    663 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was setting out for Baltimore. On October third a man named Joseph Walker had found Poe lying outside by Gunners hall, not normally dressed and unconscious. Poe was unaware of surroundings and was fatigue. Joseph had made contact with a doctor and had sent Poe to the hospital. Four days later Poe had died in the hospital. No scientist had figured out the true reason why Poe died, and we will never actually know because no one had an autopsy for Poe after his death. Many people believed he died of alcoholism, rabies, brain tumor, and the flu, but all of these add up to meningitis and encephalitis.

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe's Cooping Theory

    1232 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston Massachusetts. Poe is best known today as a short story writer, poet, critic, and editor. Poe was born into a family of actors and was the second youngest of the three children. Poe never really knew his parents because his father had left the family when he was in a early age and his mother ended up passing away before he reached the age of three years old. Poe was seperated from both of his siblings and began living with John and Frances Allan who was a successful tobacco merchant. In 1826 Poe went to the University of Virginia but money was a big issue for Poe since the Allam family didnt give him enough funds for school. Poe turned toe gambling to try to make enough money to cover the

    Read More

  • Teresa Odom Edgar Allen Poe Rough Draft

    813 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston Massachusetts. He had a single mother after his father disappeared shortly after he was born. His mother was an actress and soon remarried she died at a young age and the children were sent to three different foster homes. Edgar moved in with john Allan and Frances she was childless so Edgar got a lot of attrition from her and tensions began to rise when Edgar discovered his forester father was unfaithful to his foster mother and lead to other problems in their relationship. ("edgar allan poe", 2013)

    Read More

  • Biography of Edgar Allan Poe

    11901 Words  | 24 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was born at 33 Hollis Street, Boston, Mass., on January 19, 1809, the son of poverty stricken actors, David, and Elizabeth (born Arnold) Poe. His parents were then filling an engagement in a Boston theatre, and the appearances of both, together with their sojourns in various places during their wandering careers, are to be plainly traced in the play bills of the time.

    Read More

  • The Life And Death Of Edgar Allan Poe

    1437 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of actress Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe and actor David Poe, Jr. His father abandoned the family in 1810, and his mother died of tuberculosis when he was only two, so Poe was taken into the home of John Allan, a successful tobacco merchant in Richmond, Virginia. Although his middle name is often misspelled as "Allen," it is actually "Allan" after this family. After attending the Misses Duborg boarding school in London and Manor School in Stoke Newington, London, England, Poe moved back to Richmond, Virginia, with the Allans in 1820. Poe registered at the University of Virginia in 1826, but only stayed there for one year. He was estranged from his foster father at some point in this period over gambling debts Poe had acquired while trying to get more spending money, and so Poe enlisted in the United States Army as a private using the name Edgar A. Perry on May 26, 1827. That same year, he released his first book, Tamarlane and Other Poems. After serving for two years and attaining the rank of Sergeant-major, Poe was discharged. In 1829, Poe's foster mother Frances Allan died and he published his second book, Al Aaraf. As per his foster mother's deathwish, Poe reconciled with his foster father, who coordinated an appointment for him to the United States Military Academy at West Point. His time at West Point was ill-fated, however, as Poe supposedly deliberately disobeyed orders and was dismissed. After that, his foster father repudiated him until his death in March 27, 1834.

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe Influence

    1195 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poe and his work has been in pop culture for what seems like forever. Curiosity of him and why he wrote what he wrote will come up with many different myths of his life. “Forget about the myth of Poe's life: the significance and richness of his work is such that we should be celebrating his bicentenary by rediscovering it. He holds up a mirror to ourselves, and each time we read him we find something new” (www.theguardian.com). Focus on what Poe’s work has to offer and look for him in things you wouldn’t think where he would be.

    Read More

  • The Death Of Edgar Allan Poe

    1325 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 19, 1809. He was born to two poor actors, David Poe and Elizabeth Arnold Poe. David Poe was born to a good Baltimore family. He was known as a heavy drinker, and soon after Edgar was born, left his mother and Edgar’s two other siblings. Elizabeth was thought to be charming and talented, but she died an early death. She died of tuberculosis at the age of twenty-four. Edgar was only three years old. The death of his mother ruined Edgar for the rest of his life. Edgar’s brother, WIlliam Henry Leonard Poe, also came to be a poet, but he had a n early demise. His sister, Rosalie Poe, grew up to teach penmanship. Edgar and his siblings were separated from each other after the death of their parents).Shortly after, Edgar was taken in by John and Frances Allan. John was a successful tobacco merchant. Edgar moved to England with the Allans and went to school in England from 1815 to 1820. Edgar and David did not see eye to eye at all. John wanted Edgar to be a businessman and a Virginian gentleman, but Edgar aspired to become a writer. By the time Edgar began college at the University of Virginia in 1826, he barely communicated or received support from the Allans. Edgar was a wonderful student but a terrible gambler. He soon accumulated a considerable amount of debt because John sent him to university with a measly amount of money. He did not have enough for expenses which led him to gambling. He was so poor and desperate that he burned his furniture to keep warm. Humiliated, he returned home to Richmond to discover that his fiancée, Elmira Royster, was engaged to another man. His stay at the Allan mansion was cut very short because of the increasing tension b...

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe's Life and Work

    1406 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809. His parents, who were actors, died when Poe was a small child. Poe was then adopted and raised by John Allan, a tobacco exporter, and Frances Allan in Richmond, Virginia (Magill, 1640). Poe was sent to the best schools because of Allan’s job. 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. After two years in the military Poe was dismissed for neglect of duty. His foster father then disowned him permanently. He stayed very little time there because Allan, once again, refused to send Poe any money. (Hoffman, Daniel)

    Read More

  • The Life of Edgar Allan Poe

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    The life of Edgar Allan Poe, was stuffed with tragedies that all affected his art. From the very start of his writing career, he adored writing poems for the ladies in his life. When he reached adulthood and came to the realization of how harsh life could be, his writing grew to be darker and more disturbing, possibly as a result of his intense experimenting with opium and alcohol. His stories continue to be some of the most frightening stories ever composed, because of this, some have considered this to be the reason behind these themes. Many historians and literature enthusiasts have presumed his volatile love life as the source while others have credited it to his substance abuse. The influence of his one-of-a-kind writing is more than likely a combination of both theories; but the main factor is the death of many of his loved ones and the abuse which he endured. This, not surprisingly, darkened his perspective considerably.

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe Biography

    1022 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe is a Boston born native to Massachusetts. An orphan by age two, Poe was separated from his two siblings, William Henry and Rosalie, and sent to live with John and Fanny Allan. Poe’s young life was ordinary. At the age of 6, Poe and the Allan family moved to England for John’s expanding business. Poe was separated from his new family to attend schools in Scotland and Chelsea, England. He was unhappy and bitter about being abandoned in his later years. The Allan’s business failed and their debt increased to an unimaginable level. The Allan family and Poe returned to America in 1820. After the death of John Allan’s uncle, the inheritance was able to soothe their debt. As a teen, Poe attended Clarke Academy which is where he began his love of poetry and literature. Poe went on to excel in athletics and academics, all the while never being legally adopted by his guardians. Poe attended the University of Virginia in Charleston and ran into his own debt. His relationship with John became increasingly difficult and eventually came to physical confrontation after the death of Fanny, Poe’s beloved maternal figure. Poe left in 1827 to join the army. In 1830 he began at West Point Military Academy, only to be court martialed a year later. Upon leaving West Point, Poe left to live with his extended family in Baltimore Maryland. This family consisted of his aunt Maria, and two cousins Henry and Virginia. During his time of staying with his aunt “Muddy” and his two cousins, Poe lost his old guardian John Allan and also his oldest brother Henry. In 1835 he began working for the Southern Literary Messenger. His first short story, "Metzengerstein" was published in 1836. In May of that year, Poe and his 14 year old cousin Virginia Cl...

    Read More

  • The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allen Poe

    1944 Words  | 4 Pages

    On September 28, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe arrived in Baltimore, Maryland to take a train to Philadelphia. What was supposed to be a brief stop over turned into an eternity. What caused the death of "the father of the detective story"? The possible scenarios surrounding the events that lead up to his death are the cause of many magazine articles, books, and even recent medical studies. Although no one really knows what happened to Edgar Alan Poe, there are over twenty different theories about what might have happened to him. I will discuss the four major theories of what Edgar Allan Poe's cause of death was.

    Read More

  • Essay On Edgar Allan Poe

    709 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1811, Elizabeth Poe passed away. Edgar Allan Poe was only 2 when this tragedy occurred. His father abandoned his siblings and him not too long after. After being abandoned by his father, he was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. John Allan. His sister, was adopted by another family. Starting from a young age, Edgar Allan Poe was parentless and had no family connections. Growing up with Mr. and Mrs. John Allan, Poe lived a luxurious life. He went to nice private schools and lived in a nice home. However, when Poe attended college, he was not given enough enough money to survive. This angered him, and he began to drink, gamble, and fall in debt. Not too long after, Poe dropped out of school. It is known that Poe sent many letters to John asking for help but did not receive any. Poe was not mentioned in John’s will when he passed away in 1834. When his foster father died in 1834, the death had major negative effects on Poe’s

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: The Death Of Edgar Allan Poe

    438 Words  | 1 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was a son of traveling actors that soon his father left the family behind. Which then his beautiful mother passed away in a theatrical room in Virginia.At the age of three he was a foster child.Which then he was brought into the Allan family which his parents were pleased with him.They really liked how he was athletic and was able to get great scholarships.Poe attended the University of Virginia but, soon he dropped out of huge gambling debts.Edgar Allan Poe’s final days has been a mystery since no one really knows how he died. Lots of people have been writing stories on how he possibly died but, we don’t know if they are true. His death has been a cliffhanger ever since people have been writing stories on how he must have

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe's Impact on American Literature

    1370 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809. Even though Edgar Allan Poe did not grow up around his biological parents, his parents were both actors. “His father left the family early on, and his mother passed away when he was only three.” (“Biography”) Since Poe did not have any parents around, he went to live with John and Frances Allan. Poe attended both the University of Virginia and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. In the 1830's Poe moved in with his aunt and cousin, Virginia, whom he would end up marrying. She was thirteen years of age when they married. In 1835 Poe obtained a job at the Southern Literary Messenger. While he was working there he was able to publish a few novels in a hope of his works receiving notice from others. In 1837 Poe left the Southern Literary Messenger due to various issues that were present in his life. After the death of his wife, Virginia, and an alcohol problem which would strain a lot of his relationships with other people, Poe finally died on October 7, 1847.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Edgar Allan Poe´s Literature

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe has a unique writing style that uses several different elements of literary structure. He uses intrigue vocabulary, repetition, and imagery to better capture the reader’s attention and place them in the story. Edgar Allan Poe’s style is dark, and his is mysterious style of writing appeals to emotion and drama. What might be Poe’s greatest fictitious stories are gothic tend to have the same recurring theme of either death, lost love, or both. His choice of word draws the reader in to engage them to understand the author’s message more clearly. Authors who have a vague short lexicon tend to not engage the reader as much.

    Read More

More about The Life of Edgar Allan Poe

Open Document