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-Poe, Edgar Allan. "To My Mother." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.
-Poe, Edgar Allan. "To My Mother." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 30 Apr. 2015. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.
- "Text: Edgar Allan Poe, “To Helen” (Text-A), Poems (1831), p. 39." Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - Poems - To Helen (Text-A). N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

- "To Helen : Poetry Out Loud." To Helen : Poetry Out Loud. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.
- "Edgar Allan Poe." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 01 Aug. 2016. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

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1. Personification- the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman.

"And fill my heart of hearts, where Death installed you" (Poe, Lines 5-6)

Death, something nonhuman, is keeping the author stuck in one place, which is a human-like action.

2. Hyperbole- exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

" by that infinity by which with which my wife was dearer." (Poe, Lines 13)

His love towards the motherly-figure is "infinite", which shows his love towards her is unmeasurable.

3. Repetition- The purposeful re-use of words and phrases for an effect.

"My mother—my own mother.. the mother of myself" (Poe, Lines 11-12)

The author repeats the word "mother" in order to re-emphasize the significance of the woman. She was like a mother to him.

4. Apostrophe- Speaking directly to a real or imagined listener or inanimate object; addressing that person or thing by name.

"Therefore by that dear name I long have called you—

You who are more than mother unto me"  (Poe, Lines 5-6)

The author directly addresses his mother-in-law and even addresses her as "mother'.

5. Metaphor- a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

"By that infinity with which my wife

Was dearer to my soul than its soul-life."

(Poe, Lines 13-14)

The motherly-figure meant the whole world to him. He loved her very much.

6. Cliche- a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought
"My mother—my own mother.. the mother of myself" (Poe, Lines 11-12)
He chooses to describe his love towards her by saying his like his mother. Motherly figure typically symbolizes warmth and love and the author is trying to convey this through describing her as mother.

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Theme, Structure, Meaning, and Historical Context of 'To My Mother'

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Theme, Structure, Meaning, and Historical Context of 'To My Mother'

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The main theme of the poem is love. The narrator describes a motherly figure and how she took care of him and was like an angel towards him. "Because I feel that, in the Heavens above,

The angels, whispering to one another," (Poe, Lines 1-2) He describes his love towards her. "Was but the mother of myself; but you are mother to the one I loved so dearly, And thus are dearer than the mother I knew." (Poe, Lines 10-13) His love for her was beyond greater than his love for his biological mother. The structure of the poem is Rhyme scheme ABABCDCDECECFF. The rhymes are found every other sentence. For example, "Because I feel that, in the Heavens above, The angels, whispering to one another,

Can find, among their burning terms of love", (Poe, lines 1-3) lines 1 and 3 rhyme with the words "above" and "love". The meaning of the poem is that you can love someone, so much as much as your biological mother. Also, that you can have a mother like figure who isn't directly related to you.The poem was written for his mother-in-law, Maria, whom he thought as closely as his biological mother. He loved her because after his mother passed away, Maria took him in and loved him.

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On January 19, 1809, Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Poe's father and mother, both professional actors, died before the poet was three years old, and John and Frances Allan raised him as a foster child in Richmond, Virginia. John Allan, a prosperous tobacco exporter, sent Poe to the best boarding schools and later to the University of Virginia, where Poe excelled academically. After less than one year of school, however, he was forced to leave the university when Allan refused to pay Poe's gambling debts. Poe returned briefly to Richmond, but his relationship with Allan deteriorated. In 1827, he moved to Boston and enlisted in the United States Army. Following his Army service, Poe was admitted to the United States Military Academy, but he was again forced to leave for lack of financial support. He then moved into the home of his aunt Maria Clemm and her daughter Virginia in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1836, he married Virginia, who was fourteen years old at the time. After Virginia's death from tuberculosis in 1847, Poe's lifelong struggle with depression and alcoholism worsened. He returned briefly to Richmond in 1849 and then set out for an editing job in Philadelphia. For unknown reasons, he stopped in Baltimore. On October 3, 1849, he was found in a state of semi-consciousness. Poe died four days later of "acute congestion of the brain."

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Theme, Structure, Meaning, and Historical Context of 'To Helen'

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Theme, Structure, Meaning, and Historical Context of 'To Helen'

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The poem, 'To Helen' by Edgar Allan Poe resonates around the theme of love. The poem describes a love that is ideal, which is closer to fantasy than reality. Poe represents her as Helen of Troy, known for her physical beauty, at the beginning of the poem. "Helen, thy beauty is to me." (Poe, line 1) He also represents her as Psyche known for her soulful beauty, at the end of the poem. "Ah, Psyche, from the regions which Are Holy-Land!" (Poe, line 14-5) "To Helen" is written in a meter called iambic tetrameter. An iamb is a type of beat that contains an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. "Thy Nai ad airs have brought me home."  (Poe, Line 8) The poem essentially is a love poem. It forms a comparison between the real object of his affection to Greek and Roman figures to further emphasize his love towards her. It is believed that Poe wrote this poem in honor of Jane Stith Stanard, the mother of one of his school friends. He met her at the age of 14 and was quickly infatuated by her. However, she soon went mad and died not long after Poe met her.

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1. Imagery- visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work.
"That gently, o'er a perfumed sea,

The weary, way-worn wanderer bore " (Poe, Line 3-4)
This draws an image of an open sea. The speaker tries to show uncertainty before he met Helen.

2. Simile- a comparison using the word 'like' or 'as'.
"Helen, thy beauty is to me

Like those Nicéan barks of yore," (Poe, Line 1-2)
The author compares Helen's beauty to Nicean barks of yore using the word 'like'.

3. Alliteration- The repetition of the words that all start with the same sound.
" The weary, way-worn wanderer bore" (Poe, Line 4)
This adds to the structure of the poem, as the words give a repetition of the same sound.

4. Metaphor- a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
"The weary, way-worn wanderer bore

To his own native shore." (Poe, Line 4-5)

The narrator says he roamed the "desperate seas" for a long time to show the difficulty and hopelessness of his life before he met Helen.

5. Personification- the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman.
"The weary, way-worn wanderer bore

To his own native shore." (Poe, Line 4-5)

When the speaker says "desperate" he means "hopeless," his giving a non-human thing (seas) human qualities (emotions).

6. Allusion- an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.
"Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face,

Thy Naiad airs have brought me home." (Poe, Line 7-8)

The poem reminds us of the stories of Apollo and Hyacinth. The word makes us think of death and sadness, but also of beauty and rebirth. It is an allusion to Greek mythology.

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By Edgar Allan Poe

Because I feel that, in the Heavens above,

The angels, whispering to one another,

Can find, among their burning terms of love,

None so devotional as that of “Mother,”

Therefore by that dear name I long have called you—

You who are more than mother unto me,

And fill my heart of hearts, where Death installed you

In setting my Virginia's spirit free.

My mother—my own mother, who died early,

Was but the mother of myself; but you

Are mother to the one I loved so dearly,

And thus are dearer than the mother I knew

By that infinity with which my wife

Was dearer to my soul than its soul-life.

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By Edgar Allan Poe
Helen, thy beauty is to me

Like those Nicéan barks of yore,

That gently, o'er a perfumed sea,

The weary, way-worn wanderer bore

To his own native shore.

On desperate seas long wont to roam,

Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face,

Thy Naiad airs have brought me home

To the glory that was Greece,

And the grandeur that was Rome.

Lo! in yon brilliant window-niche

How statue-like I see thee stand,

The agate lamp within thy hand!

Ah, Psyche, from the regions which

Are Holy-Land!