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Literary analysis of poe
The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe essay
The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe essay
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Edgar Allan Poe; Inspired by Misfortune
Where is the line drawn between a genius and a madman? The more one delves into the works of Edgar Allen Poe, the more the line seems to blur. Any reader, if they examine a number of Poe 's pieces, will observe a reoccurring theme; throughout his works, there is a similar element of death and macabre. However, despite the depravity and misfortune in his works and his life, Edgar Allen Poe was perhaps the most prominent and profound authors of his time, and he is highly regarded for his intricate poetry and horrifying stories that have both captured and enthralled readers for ages. Edgar Allen Poe used his literary works to alleviate the stress of his own reality. In The Black Cat and Annabel Lee,
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His first prelude to drinking was thought to to have taken place in 1826, as he attended the University of Virginia. (eapoe) Like his peers, no longer subject to the influence of parents and figures of direct authority, many of the young men there succucumbed to the pastimes of wild living. Many of the regular issues included drinking, pistol fighting, and gambling. Poe was not immune from these temptations. In 1880, one of Poe’s classmates, Thomas Goode Tucker, recalled that Poe “. . . would seize a full glass, without water or sugar, and send it home at a single gulp. This frequently used him up; but if not, he rarely returned to the charge” (Edgar Allan Poe, Drugs, and …show more content…
Annnabel Lee is a poem of two lovers, in their own world, living a perfect life. This poem reflects Poe 's own pain, in which Annabel Lee dies, and her lover is heartbroken.
"And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side, of my darling--my darling--my life and my bride" (Annabel Lee) In his final, concluding words, the narrator finishes the poem in a light and sanguine tone as he explains calmly that he sleeps every night beside her tomb on the seashore. This detail reveals the extent of his obession upon her memory and causes one to imagine that his largely sweet and innocent account of pure love actually harbors an unstable mind. Even though she is dead, he still cannot let go of her memory. This poem reflects Poe himself, his life, and his loss of a loved
Once he returned to America, he enrolled at the University of Virginia to study languages. Sadly, his life started to take a turn for the worst again. Poe soon began to drink heavily and gamble. Poe dropped out from the university once his debt became too large and damaged his relationship with his godfather Allan because he refused to repay his debts for him. Allan and Poe endured many quarrels over his debts. It was finally concluded that it would be best for Poe to join the military. While in the military, Poe published his first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems. He returned to Virginia in 1829 when he found out Frances Allan passed away from tuberculosis. Poe also published his second poetry collection Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems during this
Some believe that Annabel Lee was written for his wife, but others think that the love of his life, Sarah Emira Royster, that he was parted from as a youth of 18, was the true recipient for the beautiful but morbid poem. . Mr. Poe was scheduled to wed the same Sarah Elmira Royster Shelton just days before his death. “The significance of “Annabel Lee” to their relationship may, however, be reflected in the account of his desire to have it published for the first time with their wedding announcement in the local papers. Since Poe died just ten days before they would have been married, the poem was instead first printed at the end of his obituary written by Rufus Griswold in the New York Daily Tribune” (Poe Museum)
Alcohol is a big discussion in his death since he had so much trouble with it in his past. A couple of months before Poe's death he had become a member of the temperance movement, eschewing alcohol, which he had struggles with his whole entire life. Where poe was found was near a bar where Poe was actually seen at. Poe could have died of alcohol poisoning with doesn't explain his five day disappearance and his change of clothing. Since alcohol has been a big problem in his life Edgar could have just been tempted to drink after not having it for a while and just got of hand. The alcohol theory was propagated by Snodgrass after Poe's death. Snodgrass was a member of the temperance movement and gave lectures across the country. Snodgrass said that binge drinking caused the death of Edgar Allan Poe. Modern science has thrown out Snodgrass's theory because of the samples of Poe's hair. His hair showed levels of lead which indicated that Poe remainded faithful to his vow of sobriety up until his death. Also alcohol played a role in the cooping theory because the political gangs used liquor and violence to force them to vote for their candidates. Also in those days Alcohol was a reward for voting and since he was found near the bar that was holding voting that day he could have voed and received the alcohol that made him sick and
In "Annabel Lee", a young man is mourning the death of a beautiful young lady. Even though the woman had died quite some time ago, the man is still in melancholy. He misses her terribly and constantly thinks of how she was she was tragically taken from him by the angels who were jealous of their love, and by her family who didn't think the he himself was capable of bringing her to her final resting place. He loved Annabel Lee more than anyother human can love another. The following quote tells the reader how much he loves her and shows that he would do anything for her, even if that means sleeping by her tomb, each and every night. "And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side of my darling, my life and my bride, in her sepulchre there by the sea, in her tomb by the side of the sea."
One only needs to look at Edgar Allan Poe's works to see how disturbed he truly was. Poe wrote about men being buried alive, a heart that would not stop beating even after it was taken from the body, a man being tortured by a swinging blade, and a tormented man being haunted by a raven. Why would a person write about such horrors? What demons did he seek to exorcise through his writings? What made him so tormented and cynical? Maybe for Poe it was because both his mother and his bride were snatched from him by tuberculosis. Or maybe it was because the world around him was surrounded by violence and death. Or maybe Poe was just that tortured, due to his broken upbringing.
Several aspects of Edgar Allan Poe’s life are well known because of his popularity in American literature. Commonly known facts include, but are not limited to knowing that Poe greatly influenced the horror genre of writing, published many famous poems, and that he is credited with creating detective-fiction. One aspect of his life, however, is not as common. Poe suffered from a cognitive disorder presently known as dementia, which, in Poe’s case, worsened throughout his life. This had a negative effect on many aspects of Poe’s health, but his condition did help contribute to the stories and poems he created. Edgar Allan Poe’s progressive dementia influenced his gothic mind, which he set and used as a starting point for his many literary works.
Poe, Edgar Allan. "Annabel Lee." Poetry Foundation. Ed. Poetry Foundation. Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
Alcohol intoxication was clearly the cause of death for Edgar Allan Poe. Poe was found delirious off in a ditch almost a week after he had gone missing. There is proof that Poe was an alcoholic the letters that were found between him and his cousin stated that though he wished he could, he wished that he could stop drinking but it seemed as though he needed alcohol in his life. Another cause for Poe’s addiction was definitely concurring due to the loss of his parents along with the loss of the love of his life, his cousin. Through out Poes’ writing career the highs and lows of the business really also may have contributed to the amount of alcohol that he consumed. It really wasn’t until the raven when he may have lost some stress due to the high amount of receive he got from all the people writing his piece. It was the book of the century everyone loved it. Most likely the newfound fame led to stress which induced more drinking and getting more drunk every time.
Poe lived in poverty all of his life, never seeing enough money from his writings to allow him to live comfortably, and never seeing his writing arrive at the famed status that it has today. Poe drank heavily throughout his life due to all of the downfalls he suffered. In between these drinking binges Poe had spurts of creativity, this is when he wrote his best material (E. A. Poe Society of Baltimore Inc. "Poe, Drugs and Alcohol" 1). Poe's sad and troubled life gave him the material he needed to create stories and poems that would capture his audience. Though Poe lived a hard life and was criticized by many for being evil and demonic, his stories and poems are still with us today as some of the greatest American literature ever published. Edgar Allan Poe's life experiences including the untimely death of his parents, his use of drugs and alcohol, the many other deaths in his life, and his unhealthy relationships with women influenced his tales and poems now famed for being dark and horrific in tone.
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.
Edgar Allan Poe’s 1849 poem, “Annabel Lee”, explores the common themes of romance and death found in many of Poe’s works. The poem tells the story of a beautiful young maiden named Annabel Lee who resides by the sea. The maiden and the narrator of the poem are deeply in love, however the maiden falls ill and dies, leaving the narrator without his beloved Annabel Lee. Contrary to what many might expect from a poem by Poe and yet still depressing, the poem ends with the narrator accepting Annabel’s death and remains confident that they will forever be together despite her parting.
Poe starts off the poem as a whimsical fairy-tale type setting in a “kingdom by the sea.” He continues with this theme throughout stanza one by calling Annabel Lee a “maiden”, hinting that she’s a young and probably attractive girl. Towards the end of the first stanza, the speaker informs us of the love him and Annabel Lee share and how it was the only thing that really mattered.
Poems have really intricate meanings that can be portrayed in many different ways. They can be used to express feelings and emotions towards someone or something. Poems can be about love, hate, nature, or anything in particular. The poem “Annabel Lee,” by Edgar Allan Poe is a romantic poem, written during the Romanticism period. The poem is about the narrator, a young man, who is dealing with the tragic loss of his fair maiden, whom he fell in love with at a young age. The love between the couple is described as very childlike and innocent. Their love for each other is extremely passionate, for that reason, the angels became jealous and killed Annabel Lee. Although his wife passed away, the narrator does not want to give up on their love and
For example, he says “...wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee. But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we--Of many far wiser than we-- And neither the angels in heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea, Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee…” He never admits to feelings of depression or hurt, which was a big part of the way he felt after he lost Virginia. The poem Annabel Lee was just a way of honoring his wife, and his memories of her.
The explication was an opinion thought and also details about this poem. I found out that poems have a lot of meanings once you annotate it and break it down. “Annabel Lee” was an interesting poem that had brought out my attention. Although poems are not one of my biggest things to read or do, I enjoyed “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe.