Edgar Allan Poe Influences

Edgar Allan Poe once said, “I would define, in brief, the poetry of words as the rhythmical creation of Beauty”("BrainyQuote"). Poe has been known for his fantastic and eerie short stories, but he also wrote poetry. In fact, it was poetry that started his career. Throughout Poe’s life, poetry was a big part of him, and with his passion he created great works like “The Raven”. With Poe’s life story, poetic vision, and great poems, he has changed the literary world forever.

Edgar Allan Poe’s story begins in January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts, where the great poet was born. Poe’s early childhood was not the happiest of them. Poe had to live with John and Frances Allan when he was only three years old because his parents, who did acting

for a living, had died("Poets.org"). Poe was a very intelligent young man and was sent by John Allan to the University of Virginia. Sadly, Poe had to leave the university because of his gambling debts and John Allan wouldn’t pay for the university anymore ("Poets.org"). Soon, Poe would go back to Boston, Massachusetts to join the Army. That’s where Poe would start publishing his first poems. Poe wanted to enroll in the United States Military Academy after his military service, but soon had to leave because of financial issue("Bio.com"). Later on Poe’s poems had become a hit and was working for the “Southern Literary Messenger” and other magazines ("Poetry Foundation"). Poe died on October 7, 1849 from unknown causes.
Edgar Allan Poe was greatly influenced by romantic novelists Lord Bryon, John Keats, and Percy Bysshe Shelly at the start of his poetic career, and later on as a sign of his dark, gothic poems ("Poetry Foundation").

Because of this, his works have repeating themes, which have to do with emotions ("Poetry Foundation"). Most of his work portrays the main character as a madman, that has either suffered from a great loss or has a dwelling fear of some sort. One example of this theme is “The Raven”, a story about a man who thinks that a raven is talking and answering back to him, which is a sign of pure madness ("Shmoop.com"). Many poets use different techniques and poetic devices in their work. As for Poe, he uses both symbolism and repetition as devices in his poems. Symbolism is “the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense” ("Literary Devices"). The poem “The Masque of the Red Death” is a great example of this device because Poe uses the Masquerade as a symbol of the people hiding from the Red Death ("Shmoop.com"). Another device is repetition, which is a “device that repeats the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer” ("Literary Devices"). In “The Bells”, the word “bells” is repeated and every time it is said, each word has a different tone as if each bell has a different sound ("Poetry Foundation"). In all, Poe had a great reason for writing, his passion for poetry, in

which he said, “With me poetry has not been a purpose, but a passion” ("BrainyQuote").
Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “Annabel Lee” is a very tragic and sad poem.

“Annabel Lee” is based on a couple in a kingdom by the sea and the girl, who’s name is Annabel Lee, dies ("Shmoop.com"). So Annabel’s partner is reminiscing about the memories he once shared Annabel. However, the partners’ tone of voice slowly changes throughout the poem from a caring and happy voice to a sad longing voice as if to say Annabel’s name would somehow bring her back ("Shmoop.com"). Throughout the poem, it is evident that the theme of the poem is that the speaker was in love with Annabel Lee. Furthermore, in line 9 it says, “But we loved with a love that was more than love” (Poe) which is basically stating the couple loved each other so much that they felt something that was more than love. The speaker uses symbols to help the reader visualize his point. Symbols such as a chilling wind, a highborn kinsman, and winged seraphs that apparently “took” Annabel Lee from him ("Shmoop.com"). The poem of “Annabel Lee” may be a tragic love story, but in the end it is a very interesting piece of literature written by Edgar Allan

Poe.
In conclusion, Edgar Allan Poe changed the literary world forever, with his poems and stories. From being in the military to a great writer, Poe had a somewhat great life. Furthermore, Poe’s life influenced his poetic vision. He created masterpieces throughout his career and earned his spot in the poetry world. Although he lived a short life, he inspired and empowered other writers.