# data[].attributes.body
LO! Death has reared himself a throne

In a strange city lying alone

Far down within the dim West,

Where the good and the bad and the worst and the best

Have gone to their eternal rest.

There shrines and palaces and towers

(Time-eaten towers that tremble not!)

Resemble nothing that is ours.

Around, by lifting winds forgot,

Resignedly beneath the sky

The melancholy waters lie.

No rays from the holy heaven come down

On the long night-time of that town;

But light from out the lurid sea

Streams up the turrets silently —

Gleams up the pinnacles far and free —

Up domes — up spires — up kingly halls —

Up fans — up Babylon-like walls —

Up shadowy long-forgotten bowers

Of sculptured ivy and stone flowers —

Up many and many a marvelous shrine

Whose wreathed friezes intertwine

The viol, the violet, and the vine.

Resignedly beneath the sky

The melancholy waters lie.

So blend the turrets and shadows there

That all seem pendulous in air,

While from a proud tower in the town

Death looks gigantically down.

There open fanes and gaping graves

Yawn level with the luminous waves;

But not the riches there that lie

In each idol’s diamond eye —

Not the gaily-jewelled dead

Tempt the waters from their bed;

For no ripples curl, alas!

Along that wilderness of glass —

No swellings tell that winds may be

Upon some far-off happier sea —

No heavings hint that winds have been

On seas less hideously serene.

But lo, a stir is in the air!

The wave — there is a movement there!

As if the towers had thrown aside,

In slightly sinking, the dull tide —

As if their tops had feebly given

A void within the filmy Heaven.

The waves have now a redder glow —

The hours are breathing faint and low —

And when, amid no earthly moans,

Down, down that town shall settle hence.

Hell, rising from a thousand thrones,

Shall do it reverence.

# data[].attributes.body
The poem the "City in the Sea" by Edgar Allan Poe is not a metaphorical poem, it is a poem about a city that is filled to the brim with human greatness and accomplishments. "Of sculptured ivy and stone flowers"(Poe, 20). But death rules over the frightening city were depression and stillness prevail. "Death looks gigantically down."(Poe, 29). The poem seems as if it is saying that human effort are fruitless and pointless. The theme is that a civilization is filled with human accomplishment, hope, and effort is run by lust, greedy, envy, pride, etc. Humans are selfish people. The structure of the poem of having varies number of lines in each stanza gives more room for imagery and descriptive detail. It let the reader become engulfed by the city in the sea. The meaning of this poem is to express loneliness; especially since during Edgar's childhood he did not know his parents. His mother died when he was only three and his father left him.

# data[].attributes.body
― The theme of "A Dream Within a Dream," by Edgar Allan Poe, solely focuses on the idea of isolation. The grains of golden sand represent lifelines and how easily they can slip away at the hands of death. "Grains of the golden sand — How few! Yet how they creep through my fingers to the deep," (Poe, Stanza 2). Only a few lives remain as others silently slip away. The poem also reflects on how time is just an illusion. "Thus much let me avow — You are not wrong, who deem that my days have been a dream," (Poe, Stanza 1). Poe states that days, and time itself, was all just a dream. Reality was no longer a factor in this world. The meaning behind this poem is behind the comparison of dreams and reality. Dreams, like the sand, are hard to grasp. The waves represent the obstacles between a person and their dreams and aspirations. "O God! Can I not save one from the pitiless wave?" (Poe, Stanza 2). These waves may cause one to lose balance, along with the grains of sand. The structure of this poem is straightforward. The rhyme scheme follows the pattern of: aaa bb cc dd bb. There are a total of two stanzas; as each share at least ten lines or more. Aside from this, this piece is a narrative. It begins to tell a descriptive story about dreams and its illusions. There is also a partial historical aspect within "A Dream Within a Dream." As Poe grew up without parents, he was prone to isolation and loneliness. This led to the topic of this piece; life can be imaginary and full of solitary, along with inconveniences.

# data[].attributes.body
1.) Figurative language - is writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally.
"In each idol's diamond eye," (Poe, 19)
In real life, people cannot really have diamonds in their eyes. Throughout the poem, it basically talks about how their is a place where a ton of bad people live and the figurative language that is used just shows how there are greedy people there.

2.) Imagery - is the descriptive language used in literature to recreate sensory experiences relating to sight, taste, touch, hearing and smell.
"Far down within the dim west" (Poe, 3)
Whenever reading this the reader can picture a sunset and an old western background; or how the place that the author talks about is far deep in the west.

3. ) Symbol- is a person, place, object or activity that stands for something  beyond itself.
"Death looks gigantically down." (Poe, 29)
Death cannot actually look down on anyone but it can be used as a symbol of evil or the dead. It is used to exemplify how the horrible place cannot be saved.

# data[].attributes.body
1.) Metaphor - A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action that is not literally applicable.

"That my days have been a dream," (Poe, Stanza 1).

― Poe states that his entire life was made up; a dream. Nothing was considered a reality anymore. This entire poem describes the contrast between the imaginary and reality.

2.) Personification - The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.

"Yet if hope has flown away in a night, or in a day," (Poe, Stanza 1).

― The idea of hope of personified. In this piece, it was given the ability to "fly" into the night and day. As hope is given "wings," it symbolizes how hope has no limit and can reach anyone or anything that surrounds it.

3.) Alliteration - The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream," (Poe, Stanza 1).

― The letters "s" and "d" are repeated throughout these lines of the poem. The words "see" and "seem" share the same consonant. As the word "dream" is repeated and contains the same consonant as well.

# data[].attributes.body
Sowersby, Kris. "Edgar Allan Poe." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 01 Aug. 2016. Web. 05 Apr. 2017. <https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/edgar-allan-poe>.

Poetry Magazine Editors. "Edgar Allan Poe." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, 2017. Web. 05 Apr. 2017. <https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/edgar-allan-poe>.

"Edgar Allan Poe." Poems by Edgar Allan Poe. Ed. Web Master. Internal.org Editors, 2012. Web. 05 Apr. 2017. <http://www.internal.org/edgar_allan_poe>.

"100 Inspiring Sites for Poets & Poetry Lovers: Masters in English." 100 Inspiring Sites for Poets & Poetry Lovers: Masters in English. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2017. <http://mastersinenglish.org/poetry/>.

# data[].attributes.body
Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow —

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day,

In a vision, or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone?

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar

Of a surf-tormented shore,

And I hold within my hand

Grains of the golden sand —

How few! Yet how they creep

Through my fingers to the deep,

While I weep — While I weep!

O God! Can I not grasp

Them with a tighter clasp?

O God! Can I not save

One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream?

# data[].attributes.headline
Edgar Allan Poe Biography ― 1809 to 1849

# data[].attributes.subject
Edgar Allan Poe Biography ― 1809 to 1849

# data[].attributes.body
Edgar grew up without his parents, Elizabeth Arnold Poe and David Poe. Elizabeth Arnold Poe was a British actress and his father was an actor as well. Poe's father left his family when Poe was really young; not only that, but Poe's mother also passed away when he was only three years old. Edgar had two other siblings, but was separated. His siblings were named William and Rosalie. Poe started to live with John and Frances Valentine Allan after the events of his parents. John Valentine Allan was a successful tobacco merchant. Edgar had a close connection with Frances, but not so much with John. John wanted Edgar to continue his family business, but Edgar did not care about money. Edgar attended the University of Virginia in 1826 and was a great student in his classes. Edgar was unable to pay for his education, so he resorted to gambling. Poe ended up in debt so he decided to move back home. His fiancee, Sarah Elmira Royster, was engaged to someone else. While Edgar was in Boston, he published his first book called, Tamerlane and Other Poems. Edgar also joined the army, but returned back to Richmond since Sarah had already passed. While Poe was there, him and John made amends with each other after a span of time. John helped Allan get into the United States Military Academy at West Point. At West Point, Poe did well with his studies, and he published a second collection. He was later expelled from West Point because he was not good at doing his duties. Poe fought with his foster father for remarrying another woman. After leaving West Point, Poe started writing full time and the rest is history.