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Edgar allan poe death essay
Edgar allan poe death essay
Edgar allan poe death essay
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I am writing in response to the articles regarding Edgar Allen Poe’s death that were published by Dr. Michael Benitez on September 15, 1996 and by Burton R. Pollin and Robert E. Benedetto on September 23, 1996. Dr. Benitez proposes that Poe’s died from rabies, while Pollin and Benedetto argue that Poe’s death was caused by alcoholism. Due to the lack of evidence in Pollen and Benedetto’s letter, it is more likely that Poe’s may have died due to rabies. According to Pollen and Benedetto who tried to dispute the rabies theory, Poe’s cat did not have rabies, and as such could not have rabies. However, Dr. Benitez did not say Poe’s cat was to blame. Also, in the late 1800’s there were no vaccinations for animals or for rabies. Pollen and Benedetto
Scientist had thought that Poe had a severe case of the flu, which is right but it is now known as Encephalitis and Meningitis. Poe’s symptoms are similar to rabies to but there is an explanation for that. Poe did have rabies, which later on progressed into an illness that had spread into his blood. Encephalitis can be caused by rabies from any animal including insects like mosquitos. By the facts that we know, rabies do not have to show a bite-mark, not all of them are visible to human eye, so therefor Poe could have had rabies. How likely is to get bitten from a tick or a mosquito out in the wilderness traveling? It is very likely so Poe did have rabies, but he didn’t die of rabies he died from encephalitis or meningitis. Twenty-six years later after Poe had died they had decided to honor Poe by making a monument for him. When they had reburied him they had found a chunk of his brain (or a lump), scientist had found out that brain tumors don’t decay. A tumor is swelling of the body caused by abnormal growth of tissue. The swollen brain would be an explanation for this because meningitis and encephalitis is a bacterial disease that affects the brain and the spinal cord. Another reason people believe Poe died was from alcoholism. Joseph Walker thought Poe was drunk and had consumed too much alcohol. Yes Poe was found outside of a bar, but you don’t have to go to a bar to just drink. Also impaired judgment is a symptom to meningitis and encephalitis, which can explains why Poe had looked drunk. We know that Poe was an alcoholic before, so we can state that Poe could have had some drinks before hand and had made his sickness progress. People with alcoholism are at more high risk when they get meningitis or encephalitis, which could even cause death. If Poe had been drinking while he had contacted rabies and had gotten meningitis or encephalitis this is
Now he could have died differently, some people think that Edgar Allen Poe could have died from rabies. The doctor that he went to had written a report and a doctor today compared the report and concluded that he had succumbed to rabies. The report had many symptoms of rabies but many other things too. Other doctors say that he could may have not died from rabies but from hydrophobia which is caused from rabies. It was reported that he didn’t drink any water at the hospital. Some people have been diagnosed with rabies but didn’t recall being bitten by an
Poe could have died of alcohol poisoning, but 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 out 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 binge drinking caused the death of Edgar Allan Poe.
More evidence that points to Poe dying of rabies is his behavior at the tavern and the hospital. Dr. Benitez explains that Poe was only semi-conscious at the tavern and was reported to have been wearing another person’s clothes. At the hospital, Poe was also reported to be exhibiting hydrophobia. Rabies victims commonly exhibit hydrophobia, since water becomes painfully hard to swallow. Poe also refused alcohol once brought to him at the hospital.
Dementia is a disease that affects the brain’s function of thinking and behavior, and in some cases language and judgment. The disease was proven to interfere with the ability to control emotions and behavior, which explains Poe’s self-destructive mind that lead to his attempt of suicide preceding his wife, Virginia’s, death.(NINDS 1) Poe’s dementia was progressive, meaning that his condition worsened throughout his life. A combination of Poe’s drinking habits and a manic depression could have contributed to this. The slight differences in Poe’s writing demonstrate the progression of mental decline. For example, his writing progresses from his early writing’s appreciation of tragic mysteries of life to an almost pure obsession of death.(Merriman 1)
The base of human nature is to find the limit of what is socially and morally acceptable. When this line in the sand of what is acceptable and what is not is known a person can do one of three things: accept the line as it is, challenge the validity of the line, or understand why the line is there yet still think of a way to cross the line without punishment. The power of human nature to destroy stems from the last of these but only in certain cases. If this was a passing thought, then it isn 't necessarily destructive. On the other hand, when obsessing about the idea of crossing the line that you know is morally sound and yet try to avoid the punishment dictated by society to the point of only being freed of the thought by doing the
...an animal that is hosting the virus. The fact that when the autopsy occurred he had no flesh wounds that may have resulted from the contact of an animal. There is also the reasoning that where would Poe come in contact with this animal? He was a very silent man who spent most of his time inside devoting his life toward poetry. The only plausible animal that he may have come in contact with would be his personal cat. She died but not of rabies. She died due to Edgar’s wife not feeding her and letting her starve to death. Though the article may state that all of the symptoms match that of rabies. The truth behind that is that only one to two of the symptoms match that of which Poe was experiencing were the actual symptoms that rabies carries. Though this theory is highly credible, not enough information really surrounds the topic for there to be a clean diagnosis.
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.
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...
Throughout history, there have been genius minds that have changed our lives, whether we know it or not. These masterminds, such as Isaac Newton, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Albert Einstein, have all contributed to society with their vast knowledge on different subjects. Some genius minds are not recognized for their effect on society until well after their lives have ended. One of the individuals in particular goes by the name of Edgar Allan Poe. Most people when asked what they know of the man conjure up images of horror and darkness that they have learned to associate with the man. Many thought of him as a tortured alcoholic and drug addict, but so much more is to be said of the man who single handedly created so much literary success, though he did not reap many benefits from it. He was ahead of his time with his inspiring looks into the human experience, delving into the world of dreams and the mind's eye and opening up a whole new world for readers. He was a literary genius, but that genius was a blessing and a curse. From his tortured life of loss through his constant failures, it has been said that he lived a mysterious life that led to an even more mysterious death. The story of Edgar Allan Poe can be
...Unfortunately, Poe wrote about what he could not seem to escape, the continuous death and loss of the people around him. The loneliness and sorrow Poe experienced through out his life was the driving force behind his work. The substance abuse came as a result of the emptiness and sorrow Poe felt, resulting in the self-destruction and eventual end to his own life. In spite of his own tragedies, he remains one of the most treasured and beloved writers' in American history. His haunting poems and stories will be read by numerous generations.
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.
I do not believe Poe died from carbon monoxide poisoning, heavy metal poisoning or rabies. Hair samples were taken and tested for both carbon monoxide poisoning and heavy metal poisoning. Carbon monoxide poisoning resulted inconclusive while the heavy metal test showed it was 30 times lower than Mercury poisoning. Rabies was not a likely theory as Poe had no animal bites found on his body. He remained thirsty and drinking water until his death while in the hospital and people who have been infected with rabies have hydrophobia. Because of these facts, those theories are easily disproven.
In the article “The Murder of Edgar Allan Poe”by Douglas MacGowan, it stated that the cooping gang would compel people to drink whiskey. Also sometimes the whiskey was mixed with other drugs .According to this evidence it shows that he could’ve been drunk from all the alcohol that the gang gave him.In addition it tells us that he may have been on other drugs that he wasn’t supposed to compel . Also in the article “Poe's Death Is Rewritten as Case of Rabies”by Dr.Bentiz, it says that Poe refused alcohol and could only drink water. It also says that Poe wasn’t drunk but, a glass of wine would make him violent. This evidence shows us that he doesn't like alcohol but, sulfur dioxide is in wine and that is a toxic gas. So it would make him act a lot diffrent then he should be acting like. Another article “Poe’s Final Days by K.Silverman” talked about how on October 4 he was unconscious and his face was pale. When Poe was drunk he was abusive and very ungrateful. In fact, Dr.Snodgrass also attributed his death to a lethal amount of alcohol. According to this evidence it shows that the ingredients of wine could possibly make him violent. It also shows us that wine is not good for your body and you shouldn’t drink it. It also could’ve been rabies since he had a cat he could’ve died from
Throughout Edgar Allan Poe’s life, death was a frequent visitor to those he loved around him. When Poe was only 3 years old, his loving mother died of Tuberculosis. Because Poe’s father left when he was an infant, he was now an orphan and went to live with the Allan’s. His stepmother was very affectionate towards Edgar and was a very prominent figure in his life. However, years later she also died from Tuberculosis, leaving Poe lonely and forlorn. Also, later on, when Poe was 26, he married his cousin 13-year-old Virginia, whom he adored. But, his happiness did not last long, and Virginia also died of Tuberculosis, otherwise known as the Red Death, a few years later. After Virginia’s death, Poe turned to alcohol and became isolated and reckless. Due to Edgar Allan Poe’s loss of those he cared for throughout his life, Poe’s obsession with death is evident in his works of “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Black Cat”, and “The Fall of the House of Usher”, in which in all three death is used to produce guilt.