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What influenced Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar allan poe's influence on his writing
Edgar allan poe's influence on his writing
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In “Alone” by Edgar Allan Poe, Poe examines his early life through the lens of an outsider, connecting the emotional instability of his childhood years to his present desolation. He struggles with his insecurities and succumbs to darker thoughts- the very culprit of his isolation. Poe confesses how his lurking demons have led to his alienation because of his innate emotional inability to view the world like others. Therefore, the outside world has never bothered to understand his somber self simply because he differed from others. Poe displays his main theme by hinting at how he stood out due to his distinct perceptions. He conveys his woe “from childhood’s hour I have not been/as others were, I have not seen /as others saw, I could not bring” …show more content…
Poe illustrates how “the cloud that took the form/(when the rest of Heaven was blue)/of a demon in my view”(20-22). He focuses on his theme by crafting imagery to use heaven and the sky as symbols of how others perceive the world while he, seeing the same thing, stresses on the demon present. He exaggerates the persistence of his demon by clarifying its presence in “the torrent, or the fountain/ the mountain/ the sun” and even in “the lightning” (13-15,17). While Poe acknowledges the beauty of the scenery, his fixation on the demon overtakes his ability to perceive light. Poe’s habitual nature to be drawn into darkness rather than to observe beauty mirrors the lonely emotional experience of his childhood. Poe’s use of imagery and metaphors, while alluding to the basic elements of nature, exemplify the extent of the hold his demons--his sinister thoughts--have on him. The demon has become the root of darkness in Poe and his insights about the world- the sole miscreant behind Poe’s isolation and his relentless misery. Poe’s quarrel with his darker self- this demon- further worsens the vicious cycle when Poe’s demon feeds off his aberrant interpretation of the world. As a result, Poe continues to only see darkness rather than the light - abetting the existent void he already feels since he is the only one capable of seeing his lurking
The poem “Alone” by Edgar Allan Poe depicts the personal life and challenges Poe faced as a child. For example, the poem begins with Poe explaining how he knew he was different from other children, this is apparent when Poe writes, “From childhood's hour I have not been/ As others were-- I have not seen” (Poe ll. 1-2). Poe further goes on to explain how he felt abandoned and apart from his peers, stating “And all I lov'd-- I lov'd alone” (Poe 8). I believe this explains how Poe felt alone after his parents died, as if no one else understood what he was going through. Further into the poem, Poe explains how he had to face the “evil” in his life while his peers mainly had “good” lives. This is apparent at the end of the poem, when Poe writes, “(When the rest of Heaven was blue)/ Of a demon in my view--” (Poe 21-22). Although the poem is only 22 lines, Poe uses multiple poetic device throughout the whole poem.
Edgar Allen Poe is known for his dark yet comedic approach toward the his theme of his stories. Likewise, Poe’s themes have gathered many fans due to his impression of reasoning in his stories. The author uses thinking and reasoning to portray the theme. Poe’s unique diction comprehends with the theme of the story. Poe has a brilliant way of taking gothic tales of mystery, and terror, and mixing them with variations of a romantic tale by shifting emphasis from, surface suspense and plot pattern to his symbolic play in language and various meanings of words.
Many literary critics have observed and noted the use of single effect in Edgar Allan Poe’s works. In “The Raven,” Poe chooses single effect as a dominant attribute to the poem as a whole. Edgar Allan Poe is widely recognized for his use of darkness in many of his works. In “The Raven,” the darkness in the poem encourages the namelessness of Lenore and the despair of the speaker. The darkness the speaker sees beyond his door is actually Lenore. However, his beloved is still absent. The darkness the speaker sees is not only Lenore but it is also the dreaded raven. A shadow, which haunts his soul, is hidden in the darkness beyond his door. In the fifth stanza, it is no more a darkness but the word “Lenore” being echoed. In the sixth stanza, the haunting echo transforms into the wind and “nothing more!” In stanza 7, all the forms become a raven that speaks “Nevermore.” Poe also uses darkness in an effort to achieve clarity. The effort to differe...
The vision of the mind is easily portrayed through the art of literature, painting a picture with the stroke of words. The natural inspiration that influences the creation of these works is derived from the life and the experiences of the creator. For some, these tales become stories and those stories become novels, but for one man it meant so much more. The works of Edgar Allan Poe became his life; he expressed every feeling and every moment of his existence through ink and paper. Poe involved his entire life in his writing, leaving no element of the story untouched by his trademark of a past. His work became so unique and unorthodox, yet it did not lack the attention it deserved. The American critic, Curtis Hidden Page, suggested that “the essence of his work is logic, logic entirely divorced from reality, and seeming to arise superior to reality” (Quinn 31). The foundation of Poe’s stories seems simple enough, but beneath the surface remains unanswered questions and undiscovered truths, which have yet to be uncovered. The people and experiences throughout Edgar Allan Poe’s lifetime have influenced various themes including: insanity, revenge, death, and guilt which can be distinguished through a collection of his works.
Howarth, W. L. (1971). Twentieth century interpretations of Poe's tales; a collection of critical essays.. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
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.
Edgar Allan Poe’s haunting poems and morbid stories will be read by countless generations of people from many different countries, a fact which would have undoubtedly provided some source of comfort for this troubled, talented yet tormented man. His dark past continued to torture him until his own death. These torturous feelings were shown in many of his works. A tragic past, consisting of a lack of true parents and the death of his wife, made Edgar Allan Poe the famous writer he is today, but it also led to his demise and unpopularity.
The short story is generally a study in human terror. Furthermore, the author explains Poe use of a particular style and technique, to not only create the mood of mystery, but to cause the reader to feel sympathy for the narrator. Poe makes a connection between the storyteller and reader with knowledge and literary craftsmanship.
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.
“Poe’s Theory of Poetry.” The Big Read. Handout One. N.d.. 16. Web. 19 April 2014.
What is point of view? Point of view is “the speaker, voice, narrator, or persona of a work; the position from details are perceived and related; a centralizing mind or intelligence; not to be confused with opinion or belief “(Roberts, 119). Edgar Allen Poe’s writings use point of view to change the reader’s viewpoint of the reading. “An objective narrator is telling a terrible story objectively might be frightening, but even more frightening is a man telling without emotion the story of his own terrible crime”(Gargano, 52). In Edgar Allen Poe’s collections: The Cask of Amontillado, Black Cat, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Tell Tale heart he uses the point of view to influence the readers understanding of the selections.
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). I believe the previous quote explains how Poe felt alone after his parents died. Later on in the poem, Poe explains how he would only see the “evil” in life while his peers saw the “good”. This is proven at the end of the poem, when Poe writes, “(When the rest of Heaven was blue)/ Of a demon in my view--” (Poe 21-22). Although the poem is only twenty-two lines, Poe uses multiple poetic device throughout the poem.
The poem consists of an undeniable narrative structure. Told from the third person, Poe also uses symbolism to create a strong melancholy tone. For instance, both midnight and December symbolize an end of something and the hope of something new to happen. Another example is the chamber in which the narrator is placed, this is used to show the loneliness of the man.
As I have stated earlier, the human mind is a strong, yet fragile object. As seen, the narrator’s mind had been weekend from his own insanity and guilt from his crime that it eventually led to the degradation of his mental vitality, and his eventual demise from revealing what he had done. Poe’s use of irony, symbolism, and imagery help to explain the plague that guilt and madness-ridden thoughts cause on the mind, and illustrate that no one is safe from the insanity that paranoia and guilt can cause.
The poem "Alone" by Edgar Allan Poe, written in 1830, is about how Poe was always different, and he could never really fit in, he was always sad. The meaning of the poem "Alone", is that of Poe being so different, being left out, not fitting in, and the feeling of sorrowness. The poem is attempting to teach the meaning by the way Poe writes of his sorrowness and his sense of being different, his seeking to solve the mystery of why he "lives" and why he was born, and finally why his life is so different, when others are living completely normal and happy lives.