# data[].attributes.body
-Sought after El Dorado, may have inspired "Eldorado"

# data[].attributes.body
The knight had been searching for El Dorado for quite some time, even singing a song as he went. This indicates he is on a long adventure and not frantically searching under pressure. The knight spent a lot of time on his adventure in search of El Dorado, but found nothing that would indicate he was even close. He finds a “shadow”, or a ghost, on his way. This may be a figment of his imagination from his years exploring, or a person he finds on his way, or even an actual ghost. Edgar Allan Poe is notable for his trademark usage of the supernatural in his poems, so this wouldn’t be a stretch. He finds a “shadow”, or a ghost, on his way. This may be a figment of his imagination from his years exploring, or a person he finds on his way, or even an actual ghost. Edgar Allan Poe is notable for his trademark usage of the supernatural in his poems, so this wouldn’t be a stretch. The shadow replies that El Dorado is “over the mountains of the moon” and “down the Valley of the Shadow”, which would both imply that the mythic El Dorado does not exist and is but a legend. El Dorado is the rumored “City of Gold” told of in folktales of South America. This poem could have historical significance as a reference to the expeditions of Sir Walter Raleigh. Raleigh was a knight, which would explain the word selection in the first stanza: “gaily bedight, a gallant knight.” Not only did Raleigh fit the description of a knight, but he also explored the mystery of El Dorado in both 1594 and 1616 to no avail, as is described in this poem. Another interpretation is that “Eldorado” was based off of Poe’s reaction to the California Gold Rush, which took place in the same year that he wrote the poem. In this interpretation, the “knight” is a prospector who leaves west in search of riches and ends up not finding any gold, as most did. This is an equally plausible, if less grandiose, interpretation of “Eldorado”

# data[].attributes.body
"BBC - Historic Figures: Walter Raleigh." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.
Loveday, Veronica, "Edgar Allan Poe", web.a.ebscohost.com, 2005
Poe, Edgar Allan, "A Dream Within a Dream", The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, 1903.
Poe, Edgar Allan, "Eldorado", The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, 1903

# data[].attributes.body
The author muses at the thought of life being a mere dream. He also suggests that hope as a concept is frivolous in this dream world, as all of reality is simply an illusion. The author sees himself on a sandy beach, which would seem to further his theme of life being a dream, as dreams can break normal laws and allow people to traverse freely, in his case to a beach. He caresses a handful of sand, but it all falls into the waves, and he begins to weep. The specific reasoning behind this is seen in the author’s word choice. In the third and fourth lines of the second stanza, Poe says, “And I hold within my hand / Grains of the golden sand-” (Poe). The sand being described as “golden” is important because it adds an additional layer of symbolism. Hourglasses are traditionally filled with gold-toned sand, which means the sand passing through his hands symbolizes the passing of time out of his control. This lack of control over his own destiny causes Poe to cry. While the title and basic context of the play would suggest a theory that reality is a dream, this key indicator of the passing of time could make for a much different conclusion. The alternative conclusion here is that Poe, realizing he cannot control how much time he has to be alive, becomes disillusioned with life and sees it as being no more meaningful or significant as a simple passing dream. Coincidentally, he wrote the poem in 1849, the year of his death. Perhaps this poem indicated a premonition of his impending mortality.

# data[].attributes.body
1. Anaphora- the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase in several successive verses or paragraphs."In sunshine and in shadow, Had journeyed long, Singing a song, In search of Eldorado...And o'er his heart a shadow, Fell as he found, No spot of ground, That looked like Eldorado." (Poe, Eldorado, line 3-6, 9-12). The words "shadow' and "Eldorado" are repeated in precisely the exact same place, "shadow" always repeats at the end of the third line of each stanza, and "Eldorado"  is always the concluding word of each stanza.
2. Allusion-A reference to a well known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art."He met a pilgrim shadow "Shadow," said he, "Where can it be, This land of Eldorado?" " (Poe, Eldorado, lines 15-18). In the poem, a search by a gallant knight for the land of Eldorado is taking place, which is a reference to the Spanish legend of El Dorado, a city of gold and riches in South America.
3. Symbol- a person, place, object, or activity that stands for something beyond itself." I stand amid the roar Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold in my hand Grains of golden sand." (Poe, A Dream Within a Dream, lines 12-15). This poem is about the past and how the past seems to be nothing more than a dream, the "golden sand" represents the sand in an hourglass flowing down to the bottom as if nothing happens and it all just fades like sand in an hourglass.
4. Motif- a recurring element in a literary work synonymous with the theme." You are not wrong who deem That my days have been a dream...All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream." (Poe, A Dream Within a Dream, lines 4-5, 10-11). The motif of dreams is constantly referenced throughout this poem, this adds to the theme of the passing of time as Poe writes that his whole life has faded away, like the passing of a dream, hence the title of the poem.
5. Mood- the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage."Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now, Thus much let me avow." (Poe, A Dream Within a Dream, lines 1-3). The very beginning of the poem sets the mood, it creates a kind of somberness, as if the narrator is saying goodbye to someone he loves for the last time, similar to Poe's own experience's with his wife, who died before Poe wrote this poem.
6. Personification- a non-human object or thing given human characteristics." He met a pilgrim shadow"Shadow," said he, "Where can it be This land of Eldorado?" "Over the Mountains Of the Moon, Down the Valley of the Shadow, Ride, boldly, ride" The shade replied "If you seek for Eldorado." " (Poe, Eldorado, lines 15-24). The knight is exhausted from his quest and comes across the "pilgrim shadow" who directs him to find the land of Eldorado. This shadow can speak to the knight, we are never told if this is a human shadow or perhaps something more sinister, like the grim reaper, or even the devil himself, directing this knight to "The Valley of the Shadow", which could refer to the knights death or even the afterlife, meaning Hell.

# data[].attributes.body
Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.

But he grew old-
This knight so bold-
And o'er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.

And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow-
"Shadow," said he,
"Where can it be-
This land of Eldorado?"

"Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied-
"If you seek for Eldorado!"

# 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.body
Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts, he was the second child of two struggling actors, David, and Elizabeth Arnold Poe. Edgar's father abandoned the family, forcing he and his mother to move to Virginia, however, on December 8, 1911, Edgar's mother Elizabeth died as a result of illness, and Edgar was left an orphan. After which, he was left under the care of the Allan's, who were family friends of the Poe's, and at the age of six, he moved to England with the Allan's. Poe spent the next five years in grammar school in Scotland and a London boarding school before finally returning to Virginia in in August 1820. He received the remainder of his education at a local academy, excelling in his classes, then being enrolled in the University of Virginia in February 1826, but was unable to continue his studies due to financial difficulties with his foster-father, due to a recent argument between them about him being unfaithful to his wife, ceasing to help Poe pay for university as a result. On May 26, 1827, Poe enlisted for military service under the name Edgar A. Perry, and became a private for the United States Army. He was stationed in South Carolina, working with artillery and writing poetry during his free time, he was then promoted to Sergeant Major on January 1, 1829 before being discharged on April 15. Poe finally got his first poetry to be published on the September issue of "The Yankee" paper and that December, a collection entitles "Al Aaraaf, Tamberlane, and Minor Poems" was published. However, in 1834, Poe's foster-father died, without loaning anything to him in his will, though, despite lack of funds from his late foster-father, Poe was able to provide for himself and later became editor of the "Southern Literary Messenger" in Richmond. Poe married his cousin, Virginia Clemm in secret on September 22, 1835, before making a public and official marriage on May 16, 1936, Clemm was only thirteen years old at the time. However, despite his happy marriage and literary accomplishments, Poe suffered from depression and succumbed to drinking, almost dying as a result from Heart Failure. Virginia was also in poor health, she fell ill with tuberculosis, and they decided to move out into the country to try and restore her health. It was during this time in 1844 that Poe wrote his most famous poem, "The Raven", before it was published in January 1845. Virginia, succumbed to her illness, passed away in January 1847, and it was during the next year in 1848 when Poe would write some of his last poems including "Annabel Lee" and "The Bells". Poe later set out for Baltimore where he was found unconscious outside a saloon, and immediately sent to the hospital. Then, on October 7, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe gasped "Lord help my poor soul" before he passed away, presumably from rabies. Now, over a century a half after his death, Edgar Allan Poe is remembered is one of the greatest American writers of all time.

# data[].attributes.headline
Edgar Allan Poe, By: Jack Palamaro and Ryan Knippel

# data[].attributes.subject
Edgar Allan Poe, By: Jack Palamaro and Ryan Knippel