Works and Life of Edgar Allan Poe by Amen Gashaw

Birth

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Edgar was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts, and was the child of Elizabeth and David Poe. His father abandoned the family before Por turned 3 and his mother died the following year. Edgar was then separated from his siblings and adopted by John and Frances Allan, giving him the name Edgar Allan Poe.

Child Hood

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Due to Allan's rich assets, Poe could live without many issues and was able to get a quality education. Although he was on good terms with his mother, he and his father did not get along. But he did not let this stop him as he was already writing poems when he was only 14.

Early Adult Hood

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When Poe was 17 he enrolled at the University of Virginia but due to his fondness of gambling and alcohol, he quickly went into debt and had to drop out of college a year later. So he enrolled in the army under a fake name and age and in the same year published his first poem "Tamerlane and Other Poems" under a fake name: "A Bostonian." But sadly in 1829 Poe's adoptive mother, Frances Allan died due to illness. In that same year, Edgar published " Al Aaraaf" which held the longest poem he had ever written. Later in 1830 in an act of peace, Edgar's father allowed Poe to leave the military and continue his studies at the Military Academy at West Point. And not even a year after he enrolled he got into more disagreements with his father and got disowned and later expelled from West Point.

Career

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With no money or Job Poe decided to try to make money by writing poems and became the first person in America to make a living as a writer. But it wasn't very successful and he was barely living off his income until he found a job as a staff writer and critic in the magazine "Southern Literary Messanger" in Richmond, Virginia where he gained a reputation as a cruel critic and the nickname "The Tomahawk Man" he later got married and continued to publish poems which are still famous to this day.

Death

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To this day Poe's death is still a mystery but, on September 27, 1849, Poe was on his way to New York from Philadelphia when he supposedly vanished, he was later found on October 4th in Baltimore in clothes that weren't his and hysterical. He was taken to a hospital but sadly no one was able to find out what had happened to him due to his state of mind and on Sunday, October 7, 1849... he died. To this day Poe's death is still a mystery.

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Poe and Gothic Fiction: The Raven

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A story of Grief and Loss.

A man hears a noise by his window only to realize it is a Raven who can only say one word; "Nevermore" The story is about how a man who is Grieving over his lover Lenore who has passed away and the Raven seems to be a constant reminder of his loss.

Love Life

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In 1836 Poe fell in love and married his 13-year-old cousin Virginia Elizabeth Clemm they were said to have had a happy marriage until Virginia died of tuberculosis at the age of 24. This took a toll on the poet and he was told never to have been in good health since.

Family Relations

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Poe was never officially adopted this caused and was also the result of him not being on good terms with his father.

Later after the death of Poe's mother, John and Poe were said to have tried to get on good terms, but when Poe was at The Military Academy in West Point his father got a second wife without telling Poe. This was said to have been why Poe got into more disagreements with his father eventually leading to him getting disowned.

Poe was said to have tried to write to his father asking for money and to try to reestablish a friendly relationship but his letters were never answered.

And in 1834 John Allan died and did not include Poe in his will.

Letter Poe sent to his Father after his disownment

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After Death

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2 days after the death of Poe his obituary was written under a fake name by Rufus W. Griswold a man entrusted with Poe's papers and copyrighted and unpublished work. However, Griswold hated Poe, viewed Poe's work with contempt, and considered himself superior. Through the obituary, Griswold claimed that Poe was a Madman, Drunkward, and envious man. Thankfully Poe's family and Friends took a stand and told people the truth regarding the Poets life.

Made the First Detective/Mystery story and Pioneered the way for other works such as Sherlock Holmes and more

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Contributed to the emergence of Science Fiction

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Formed the Foundation of Horror as we know it

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Became one of the first to advocate for the establishment of standards on which literary works are to be judged

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Last Words: "Lord, help my poor soul"

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Death Theories

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Edger's Death is one of the greatest mysteries about him and there are many theories as to what happened to him including:

Illness (illness was more prone in his time so he could have died due to sickness
Beating (Poe defiantly had a few enemies so this is plausible he could have also done something while drunk)
Poe could have also been a Victim of Cooping and was forced to vote multiple times under different disguises and rewarded with alcohol considering how he was found in close that were not his and not in the right state of mind and also considering how the day before he was found (Oct 3) this could be highly likely.
Brain Tumor (Could explain his state of mind days before death)
Some even say that Poe was just found dead in the streets.
and much much more ranging from rabies to carbon monoxide poisoning

It could also have been a combination of a few theories, but sadly the real truth of what happened to Edgar will probably never be known and lost to history forevermore.

Poe Had Siblings

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One unknown fact was that when Poe was born he had siblings one older and another younger. His older brother's name was William Henry Leonard Poe and his younger sister's was Rosaline Mackenzie Poe. Sadly when their parents died and Poe became adopted the siblings were separated.

Also, it seems that literature was in the Poe bloodline since all siblings were involved in literature in one way or another Edger being a famous Poet, Henry was an amateur Poet and American sailor, and Rosaline was also a Poet and was said to have taught penmanship.

Allegations toward "The Raven"

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After the death of Poe, the London-based critic George Gilfillan claimed that Poe caused the death of his wife just so he could write "The Raven" after, but this allegation was easily Disproven since "The Raven was written two years before the death of Virginia.

Elements of Poe's Life portrayed in his writings: "The Masque of the Red Death

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Poe also used Literature to open the door to his mind. For example "The Masque of the Red Death" is a story about a wealthy prince who attempts to hide from a deadly plague known as the "Red Death" but to no avail. He wrote this at a time when his Wife was sick with Tuberculosis, one should also know that tuberculosis can cause one to cough out blood which seems to parallel the book which describes the Red Death as one in whom "Blood was its Avator." And also how the main message of the short story is that Death comes for all, is not blinded by wealth, and heeds not the pleas of its victim, which seems to compare to Virginia who died at the hands of Tuberculosis at the age of 24.

Poe and Adventure: The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

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Not only did Poe write about Horror, Gothic fiction, mystery, and science fiction, but he also wrote adventure novels. His only complete novel "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" depicts the adventures of a Boy named Pym who sneaks into a ship and experiences different events and calamities from shipwrecks and revolts to cannibalism and finding Giant Humanoid figures rising from the waters.

Poe and Science Fiction: The Unparalleled Adventures of One Hans Pfaal

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Poe also wrote science fiction. One of his books titled "The Unparalleled Adventures of One Hans Pfaal" depicts a journey to the moon in a Hot-air Balloon.

"All That we see or seem is but a dream within a dream"

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This a quote that can be interpreted in many ways, may be saying that perhaps nothing matters since just like a dream it will eventually be forgotten. It could also be a quote of accepting that life could be just a dream but it is also our dreams and hopes that keep us grounded and willing to live in reality.

"Never to suffer would never to have been blessed”

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Perhaps this could mean that times suffering and blessings are intertwined you can never have one without the other, and by knowing this we can understand that while good things never last it is the trials and tribulations we face that make the blessings we find forever sweet.

Poe and Mystery: The Murders in the Rue Morgue

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Poe also wrote mystery stories such as "The Murders In The Rue Morgue", "The Loined Letter", and "The Mystery of Madame Roget." All of which feature the detective C. Auguste Dupin who uses his skills to solve the problem and crack the case using wit and deduction.

One of the first American Writers to become a major figure in world history

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