Tragedies Influence Poe's Works
analytical Essay
761 words
Introduced by tragedies early in his life, Edgar Allan Poe became one of the most successful writers, poets, and storytellers to ever live. Edgar Allan Poe had the intelligence to do anything he wanted to do, however, the pain of losing his loved ones always seemed to drive him towards a pen and paper. His emotions never failed to show through his writings, which helped the story line touch the readers. Poe became very close to several different women but each would die shortly after he came to love them. This only pushed him to write more emotionally. Poe had a natural talent for putting his real life experiences into a fictional story and making it seem as if it were really happening. A mutual understanding towards many of Poe’s works is that the loss of a lover brings about insanity, but the truth is that in Poe’s works the loss of a young lover leads to depression. This is a theme that is played out in more than one of Poe’s works, but it is most prevalent in the depressing poem Annabel Lee. The speaker is conflicted with losing what is his whole world and his childhood lover. While all is well with both him and the girl alive, an insurmountable depression takes hold once the winds blow out to carry her to the grave. This is a theme that plays out often in his works and has been observed as one of his main inspirations. Within Peter Coviello’s research, he comes to the conclusion that “Within [Poe’s] world, only very young girls, who are not yet encumbered by the revulsions of adult femininity, seem capable of providing a site for stable heterosexual male desire in Poe.” Rather than using a full fledged adult as his lover, he engineered a child into his poem so the lover does not harness the potential to mutate into a monstros... ... middle of paper ... ...r in his life into his characters, even after his death. Works Cited Coviello, Peter. "Poe in Love: Pedophilia, Morbidity, and the Logic of Slavery." ELH 70.3 (2003): 875-901. ProQuest. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. Poe, Edgar Allan. Annabel Lee. 8th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 691. Print. Poe, Edgar Allan. The Fall of the House of Usher. 8th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 702-714. Print. Poe, Edgar Allan. Ligeia. 8th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 692-701. Print. Zimmerman, Brett. "Phrenological Allegory in Poe's "the Fall of the House of Usher"." Mosaic : a Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature 43.1 (2010): 57-72. ProQuest. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. Zlotnick-Woldenberg, Carrie. "Edgar Allan Poe's "Ligeia": An Object-Relational Interpretation." American Journal of Psychotherapy 53.3 (1999): 403-12. ProQuest. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that edgar allan poe became one of the most successful writers, poets, and storytellers to ever live. the pain of losing his loved ones drove him towards a pen and paper.
- Analyzes how the loss of a young lover in poe's works leads to depression, which is prevalent in the depressing poem annabel lee.
- Analyzes how madeline, roderick, and the house all connect and lead the reader to believe these characters are allegorical to poe's life
- Analyzes how the narrator's strange visions are induced by opium and his perpetual love for ligeia. poe never seemed to repair entirely from the tragedy that took place in his early life.
- Analyzes how edgar allan poe used his real life tragedies and turned them into something marketable. the women in his life created negative and positive effects on his works.
- Explains that poe's "ligeia" is an object-relational interpretation of the poem.
Related
- analytical
- Biography of Edgar Allen Poeanalytical essayEdgar Allen Poe is an influential force in the literary world. Poe is known for his horrific, depressing and dark writing style commonly seen in the way he presents his work. Many of Poe’s poems harbor unlikely plot twists and are mysterious, depressing and often based around human psychology. Readers often question Poe’s sanity and question the meaning of his intricate and complex poems. In order to understand Poe’s mindset and the reason behind why he presented and wrote his poetry in such a specific fashion, one must understand Poe himself, his lifestyle and what motivated his dark writing. Poe’s writing presents readers with an array of situations requiring careful analyzation of the writing in order to uncover some of the common themes in which Poe writes about which is death, love, and (how the) human mind works under pressure.
In this essay, the author
- Explains edgar allan poe's influence is still seen throughout literature and his work which employs common themes, but in a deeper analytical format. his lifestyle and childhood inspired his poems.
- Describes booth, alison, and kelly j. mays' norton introduction to literature.
- Explains that edgar allan poe and john milton: the nativity ode' as.'
- Explains meyers, jeffrey, edgar allan poe: his life and legacy. cooper square, new york, 2000.
- Explains that edgar allen poe is an influential force in the literary world. he is known for his horrific, depressing and dark writing style.
- Explains that edgar allan poe's ancestors were agriculturalists, artisans, actors, and the paternal branch of the family had military distinction.
- Analyzes how edgar allan poe's most common theme is the prospect of death in his poem the bells.
- Analyzes how the narrator's love for annabel lee is expressed through his continuous declarations of love and his constant visits to her living place.
- Analyzes edgar's last theme in which he frequently wrote about what the human mind functioned under pressure. the raven and the narrator are both symbols.
- Describes edgar allen poe's the bells, and kurt fawver, "little girls and psychic fiends: nabokov’s lolita as vampire tale."
1399 wordsRead More - Comparing Masque of the Red Death and Hop Froganalytical essayPoe, Edgar Allan. The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. New York: The Modern Library 1992
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how poe addresses the topic of class differences and the struggle for power with his fictional characters resounds of his own struggles in his personal life.
- Analyzes how poe made good use of information in order to gain a wider subscription for the southern literary messenger.
- Analyzes poe's characterization of class differences and power struggle in the masque of the red death.
- Opines that kennedy, gerald j., a historical guide to edgar allan poe, oxford: oxford university press, 2001.
893 wordsRead More - The Ghastly Writings of Poeanalytical essayThe Ghastly Writings of Poe Edgar Allen Poe makes tales of imagination and fantasies the irrefutable realms of fear. His tales and poems “have influenced the literary schools of symbolism…as well as the popular genres of detective and horror fiction (Stern xxxviii). However, as many of Poe’s tales and poems conjure terror and trepidation, they also penetrate the imagination with fantasy. Poe repeatedly attempts and succeeds at making his readers endure analogous feelings as those characters in his works. The most common realms Poe writes about are dreams, fantasies, the subconscious, and glimpses of the afterlife.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how edgar allen poe's tales and poems conjure terror and trepidation, but also penetrate the imagination with fantasy. the most common realms are dreams, fantasies, the subconscious, and glimpses of the afterlife.
- Analyzes how poe's tales of revenge and murder mirror the conflicts of his life. the tell-tale heart and the black cat deal with a murderer who escapes the consequences.
- Analyzes how poe favors death and terror over any other genre. he inflicts the fear of the unknown on his audience.
- Analyzes how poe never writes a "ghost story", although he creates characters that have no real existence.
- Analyzes how poe considers himself a poet, although he leaves only fifty poems to the world. his poems concern his love, his inner-self, and above all death.
- Analyzes how poe makes his point through imagery, not argument like so many other poets. in "romance," the contrast is between the ideal world of the imagination and the painful world
- Analyzes how poe's poem "ulalume" reveals the theme of longing for a lost love.
- Opines that edgar allen poe leaves to the world wonderful works of literature. he writes tales and poems of ghastly creatures, long lost loves, revenge, and death.
- Cites bradley, scully, magill, frank n., myerson, joel, and poe's the tell-tale heart and other writings.
1467 wordsRead More - Edgar Allan Poeanalytical essayAsselineau, Roger. "Edgar Allan Poe." American Writers Vol. III. Ed. Leonard Unger. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1974: 409-432.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the artist, like the hero of one of his own tales, was constantly threatened and tortured by the pendulum of fate swinging between the extremes of the human condition.
- Explains that poe's life was a downward spiral. he courted several widows at once, trying to regain the sliver of happiness which his child-bride virginia had given him.
- Compares the literary merit of edgar alan poe with those of mark twain and james russell lowell.
- Explains that poe's world is a nightmarish universe, with wasted landscapes, silent, forgotten lands, and medieval buildings suggestive by their very architecture of horrendous and unknown happenings.
- Analyzes how poe's attitude towards his writings is more complex than is commonly realized. the frantic insanity is always accompanied by a certain amount of reason.
- Analyzes how edgar allan poe lived a life of hardship, which was reflected in his writings.
- Analyzes how poe was a master at stimulating the reader's imagination and thereby bringing out the sense of irrational fear that all human beings possess.
- Analyzes allen, henry, and asselineau, roger. "edgar allan poe." american writers vol. iii. ed. leonard unger.
3229 wordsRead More - The Creation of Art and Lifeanalytical essayThere have been many deaths in Edgar Allan Poe’s life. Each death may have brought out a story from the great writer. The truth may also be that the works of Poe’s involving love and death have aid in some of his loved ones dying. There are several stories that Poe has created before an untimely death. One story happens to be Ligeia, a creation of great love and passion for a female that the narrator has never felt before. The story of Ligeia may also be views about Poe’s love for his teenage bride Virginia Clemm. The nature of love energy written in Ligeia may have also sent a message to the life cycle of Virginia Clemm. The strength of the narrator’s love, who is believed to be Poe himself, gives off such great passion…”In beauty of face no maiden ever equaled her. It was a radiance of an opium dream”(EAP 1838), such lovely words to be written about someone dear to one’s heart. Possibly, Ligeia may be Virginia Clemm by some.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that poe's creations are what build his life. death of loved ones, scandals, and brutal gossip mountains help him develop into a twisted mad man struggling to cope with no chance of gaining sanity back.
- Explains that edgar allan poe's works involving love and death have aided in some of his loved ones dying.
- Analyzes how any form of romance in poe's work can be a way to make up for the lack of love in his life.
- Explains that many opinions on the matter of ligeia representing virginia clemm are written and spoken amongst critics, english teachers, and peers.
- Analyzes how the pit and the pendulum is a creative spin on how poe's energy in the world has conquered his works of art.
- Analyzes how john allan tortured poe's life in regards to the pit and the pendulum. the negative energy he exuded through the tale will flourish in his coming years.
- Analyzes how poe's fall as a creative genius can be seen in detail with his work the fall of the house of usher.
- Analyzes how poe's works of art are a guide for him to look towards the man he is going to be.
- Analyzes how poe gives into mental insanity instead of stability once he accepts life's obstacles and interferences. the fall of the house of usher is like a statement about him.
- Analyzes how "the fall of the house of usher" is a view of poe's life. his battle with drinking is well known, and his final drink may be his last.
- Analyzes how edgar allan poe's many works exhibit great strength in his departure from reality. he seems to have some sort of superiority complex that causes his handling of life events unique.
- Explains krutch, joseph wood. edgar allan poe: a study in genius.
- Opines that the fall of the house of usher. short story criticism. vol. 22.
2288 wordsRead More - The Big Red by Edgar Allan Poeanalytical essayEdgar Allan Poe had a peculiar way with his work. He was adopted early in his life to be spared from poverty and heartache (Roberts and Zweig 226). But in the Big Read it is stated that he still felt a satisfaction from women’s suffering. Poe just wanted to be a writer and followed his passion into judging others work to support himself (Roberts and Zweig 226). Some say that he is selfish and indulgent. Sadly the death of Poe is still a mystery but his works affect people’s lives on a daily basis. The elegance of Poe’s prose invokes an emotional reaction he was subject to during his childhood that later led to the creation of the most influential works of the 19th Century.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how poe idolized and fantasized about women specifically about their demise. his lack of female role models had a lot to do with these fantasies but he did not specify whether it was their actual death or their spiritual death.
- Analyzes how the article "the great bad writer" deems poe to be "self-indulgent" vulgar, and borderline insane, but he was the most influential american author of the same century.
- Analyzes how poe's prose and essence is evident in his works. he was taken out of a situation that would be harmful, but ended up being the man he was supposed to be.
- Analyzes how edgar allan poe had a peculiar way with his work. he was adopted early in his life to be spared from poverty and heartache.
- Analyzes how poe held the idea that poetry had to have unity—its totality of effect or impression.
- Explains that jackson, kevin, and roberts, edgar v., editors, "edgar allan poe's call card." shmoop university, inc.
1127 wordsRead More - The Life of Edgar Allan Poeanalytical essayThe 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.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how edgar allan poe's life was stuffed with tragedies that all affected his art. his writing grew darker and disturbing as a result of his intense experimenting with opium and alcohol.
- Explains that poe was an orphan before the age of three after his mother died and his father walking out on them. he grew resentful for being raised as a foster child and experienced the death of many loved ones.
- Describes how poe relocated to richmond to join his new foster family. his foster father, john allan, continually abused him and he enlisted in the army to escape his troubled home life.
- Explains that frances keeling valentine allan, poe's foster mother, taught him history, reading and writing. she guarded him from abuse whenever she could control her husband.
- Describes how poe wrote prose and short stories after his brother died of tuberculosis. he wanted to write poems that would evoke emotions and produce a certain effect in readers.
- Analyzes how the news of his foster father dying took a severe toll on poe's mental stability and his writing.
- Narrates how poe moved to richmond, virginia, where he worked for the messenger magazine, but his substance abuse pushed his boss to ultimately fire him. the death of virginia led to job losses, canceled speeches, and two failed relationships.
- Analyzes how poe's work reflected the personal tragedies and loss he endured throughout his life. sorrow and darkness were a constant theme.
859 wordsRead More - Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories Create Plausible Horror Essayanalytical essayDo Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories create plausible horror? This is debatable among people. Some do not believe some of Poe’s short stories to be filled with horror. It is just how one perceives it. It is obvious that his stories do contain characters with disturbed psyches; such as in his stories, “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Edgar Allan Poe was not the first writer of his time to write horror stories. Horace Walpole and Charles Brockman Brown both had popularized horror stories by Poe’s time. However, these horror stories were often ignored by critics. They were not popular and had to be written in magazines and newspapers. The horror genre soon became an important part of literature that Poe has changed
In this essay, the author
- Explains that some people do not believe edgar allan poe's short stories to be filled with plausible horror. horace walpole and charles brockman brown had popularized horror stories.
- Explains that they will review and analyze some of poe's writing to show the horror aspect of his works.
- Analyzes how edgar allan poe adds great detail to his stories with mentally disabled characters. the narrator describes the house as gloomy and mysterious.
- Opines that edgar allan poe's life was a chain of tragedies adding up to some kind of mental disturbance.
- Analyzes edgar allan poe's "the cask of amontillado" where montressor bricks another character, fortunato, alive. the reader is baffled to find no motive for revenge.
- Analyzes how edgar allan poe's works have stayed famous and are still used in schools. the presence of maturity is shown in the well-planned act of revenge montressor holds against fortunato.
- Explains that edgar allan poe's stories have a creeping horror persona because of their gothic sensibilities.
- Explains that edgar allan poe made an important contribution to our academic understanding of the short story as a form of artistic expression.
- Analyzes how edgar allan poe uses irony and first-person narrative to evoke a sense of horror in his writings. he made gothicism more horrifying by bringing in psychological elements.
- Opines that t. s. eliot was wrong in accusing edgar allan poe of dabbled in verse and prose, as he could easily be judged likewise.
- Analyzes how edgar allan poe made his way through literature all these years despite being disliked by some for his writings. history has witnessed that the evil side of human nature hasremained unchanged by passing time.
- Concludes that edgar allan poe changed the face of literature through his short horror stories, such as "the cask of amontillado" and "the fall of the house of usher."
- Analyzes how edgar allan poe's stories have stayed popular because of the maturity within the stories and the gothic nature which brings creeping horror persona.
1788 wordsRead More - Edgar Allan Poe - A Complicated and Disturbing Authoranalytical essayPoe is a very complicated author. His literary works are perplexed, disturbing, and even grotesque. His frequent illnesses may have provoked his engrossment in such things. In 1842 Dr. John W. Francis diagnosed Poe with sympathetic heart trouble as well as brain congestion. He also noted Poe's inability to withstand stimulants such as drugs and alcohol (Phillips 1508). These factors may have motivated him to write The Tell-Tale-Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Black Cat. All of these stories are written in or around 1843, shortly after Poe became afflicted. His writing helped him to cope with his troubles and explore new territory in literature. Poe's interest in the supernatural, retribution, and perverse cause them to be included in his burial motifs; therefore sustaining his interest. There is a common thread laced through each subject, but there is variation in degrees of the impact. The supernatural is the phenomena of the unexplained. With this comes an aura of mystery and arousal of fear. Death in itself is the supreme mystery. No living human being can be certain of what happens to the soul when one dies. It is because of this uncertainty that death is feared by many. These types of perplexing questions cause a reader to come to a point of indifference within one of Poe's burial motifs. One is uncertain of how the events can unfold, because a greater force dictates them. Reincarnation in The Black Cat is a supernatural force at work. There is some sort of orthodox witchcraft-taking place. The whole story revolves around the cat, Pluto, coming back to avenge its death. One can not be sure how Pluto's rebirth takes place, but it is certain that something of a greater force has taken hold. The cat's appearance is altered when the narrator comes across it the second time. There is a white spot on the chest "by slow degrees, degrees nearly imperceptible…it had, at length, assumed a rigorous distinct outline…of the GALLOWS" (Poe 4). Foretelling the narrator's fate a confinement tool appears on the cat's chest. This also foreshadows the cat's confinement in the tomb. It reappears like a disease to take vengeance on a man that has committed horrid crimes. "I was answered by a voice within the tomb! --By a cry, at first muffled and broken, like the sobbing of a child, and quickly swelling into one long, loud and continuous scream, utterly anomalous an...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how poe's writing helped him cope with his troubles and explore new territory in literature. his interest in the supernatural, retribution, and perverse causes them to be included in his burial motifs.
- Analyzes how the story revolves around the cat, pluto, coming back to avenge its death. pluto's appearance is altered when the narrator comes across it the second time.
- Analyzes how poe's life was full of turmoil, which inevitably caused his madness. the tell-tale-heart illustrates the human spirit as a mysterious and unexplainable force.
- Analyzes how poe creates a character of evil by introducing evil as an uninhibited force that propels the callous, vile act.
- Analyzes how poe uses perversity to shock, and disgust the reader. the main character in the black cat kills his wife without any compunction.
- Analyzes how montressor plays with fortunato's last fragment of hope — he breaks his family motto and takes away his life. the burying of a live body conjures up images of desperation and hopelessness.
- Analyzes how retribution is a means by which one releases anger. the black cat revolves around revenge.
- Analyzes how poe uses alcohol as an anesthetic to ease other problems. he is a lost soul among many that is yearning for something to believe in.
- Analyzes how the cask of amontillado revels in revenge based on upholding one's family motto, which states "no one assails me with impunity."
- Analyzes how poe's free and out of the ordinary style is successful in incorporating the supernatural, perverse, and retribution into his work.
- States that phillips, mary e., edgar allan poe-the man, volume ii. chicago, il: the john c. winston co, 1912.
- Describes poe, edgar allan, the cask of amontillado.
2579 wordsRead More - Poe's Heartanalytical essayEdgar Allan Poe is one of the most recognized prose poets, short story authors, and literary composers of all time. His works contain trending themes such as love, time, death and the concept of “oneness.” Poe often expressed these themes according to events that he had experienced, and some of his themes intertwined with others. Take for instance, his love for beauty and perfection played a major role in his concept of oneness, or state of absolute fulfillment. However in his short story, The Tell-Tale Heart, Poe effectively explores the power of guilt, and leads his readers through a cynical plot to murder while enduring the struggle to silence a beating conscience by treading the lines of genius versus insanity, moral reasoning versus indifferent resolution, and meticulousness versus obsession.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that edgar allan poe is one of the most recognized prose poets, short story authors, and literary composers of all time. his works contain trending themes such as love, time, death and the concept of "oneness."
- Analyzes how poe treaded the line between genius and insanity throughout many of his works, including the tell-tale heart.
- Analyzes how poe blurs the line between moral reason and indifferent resolution in the story.
- Analyzes how the narrator's obsessive behavior became an uncontrollable obsession as he watched the old man every night before gaining courage to kill him.
- Analyzes how the narrator's success was cut short when policemen knocked on his door, taunting him with an increasingly growing heartbeat. the dramatic twist in the tell-tale heart is a result of his neurotic adjustment.
- Analyzes how poe's ability to tread these lines and leave his readers to generate their own conclusion within a few short pages of text is what establishes him as the "father of short stories."
- Introduces kennedy, gioia, krutch, wood, and sisler to edgar allan poe's "philosopy of composition."
1467 wordsRead More