This essay has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work written by our professional essay writers.
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the grime like atmosphere, Poe was one of the earliest American actively engaged in a discipline, or profession of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the genre of science fiction. He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career. Edgar may have been named after a character in William Shakespeare's King Lear, a play the couple was performing in 1809. His father abandoned their family in 1810, and his mother died a year later. Poe was then taken into the home of John Allan, a successful merchant in Richmond, Virginia, who dealt in a variety of goods including tobacco, cloth, wheat, tombstones, and slaves. The Allans served as a foster family and gave him the name "Edgar Allan Poe", they never formally adopted him. From his entire past and everything he has been through help him become this amazing writer that will live on. It starts from his childhood, midlife, and where he worked because of times where he failed.
Edgar Allan Poe's parents were David and Elizabeth Poe. "David was born in Baltimore on July 18, 1784. Elizabeth Arnold came to the U.S. from England in 1796 and married David Poe after her first husband died in 1805. They had three children, Henry, Edgar, and Rosalie."(Giordarno, 1) . Elizabeth had separated from her husband and had taken her three kids Henry, Edgar, and Rosalie, with her . Edgar possibly have been named after a character in William Shakespeare's King Lear, a play the couple was performing in 1809. His father abandoned their family in 1810, and his mother died a year later from Tuberculosis. Poe was then taken into the home of John Allan, a successful merchant in Richmond, Virginia, who dealt with many types of goods ranging from tobacco, cloth, wheat, and tombstones. The Allans served as a foster family and gave him the name "Edgar Allan Poe", though they never formally adopted him. Just form when he was child Edgar had rough time as a child. He was a child knowing that his mother died and the father walking out on his family also being separated from his brother and sister. Adjusting to a new family must have been hard on Poe. That would be the start that help him with his style writing it's was a dark time from him.
When Edgar was older, he accomplished the first objective by publishing his first book "Tamerlane" when he was only eighteen. Many people say that the story is about his father walking out on his mother. In the story the priest sacrificed love for power which means he left his lover in search of power. Later on he enlisted to the United States Army. Unable to support himself, Poe enlisted in the United States Army. Using the name "Edgar A. Perry", he was 18. At the time you had to be at least 22 to enroll in the army. He first served at Fort Independence in Boston Harbor for five dollars a month. The reason why he had to leave school and join the Army was because he couldn't find himself through college and was humiliated for it "Two years later he heard that Frances Allan, the only mother he had ever known, was dying of tuberculosis and wanted to see him before she died. By the time Poe returned to Richmond she had already been buried.Poe and Allan briefly reconciled, and Allan helped Poe gain an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point" (Poe Museum). That must have been rough on Edgar, he missed out on his "only" mothers death. The thought that he lost two mothers and Poe was never there for any of them probably pissed him off."In 1831, Edgar Allan Poe went to New York City where he had some of his poetry published.He submitted stories to a number of magazines and they were all rejected. Poe had no friends, no job, and was in financial trouble."(Giordarno, 1). After his mother's death he tried to make money by sending stories to companies to publish them. It was very hard for Edgar, he tried so hard to put his work out to the public, not one story was published. By 1835, Edgar finally got a job as an editor of a newspaper because of a contest he won with his story, "The Manuscript Found in a Bottle". Things were looking up from this point for Edgar, right? He has a job so he's definitely getting an income. Sadly, his success had to come to an end when Edgar returned to Richmond and visited the home of his fiancée Elmira Royster. He had found out that she had become engaged to another man in Poe's absence. Most people today would have given up with so many fails but not Edgar! When Edgar was heartbroken he was so mad about everything that has gone mad, and stormed out of the home. He went on a quest to become a great poet! Sometime around 1840, Edgar Poe joined George R. Graham as an editor for Graham's Magazine. Poe worked for Graham's, he published his first detective story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and challenged readers to send in A text written in code, which he always solved. During the time Poe was editor, the magazine sales rose from 5000 to 35,000 copies. Poe left Graham's in 1842 because he wanted to start his own magazine. He kind felt that he grew a connection with the people and decided to start with own magazine. As he tried to start his magazine it had failed.The magazine was "The Stylus" it is likely no one thought that it was his magazine or they just didn't find it amusing. Which why his stories on his magazine didn't sell enough to help maintain the business. He's not the only writer that failed trying to be an independent business or writer.
When Edgar was six he went to school in England which was a boarding school. He learned basic information except he learned two extra foreign languages. In America, they never taught foreign languages in elementary schools. Later on, Edgar went back to school in America and finished in Richmond, Virginia. Edgar Allan Poe "spent one year at the University of Virginia before stepfather pulled him out" (Kelly, 1). Poe may have become engaged to Sarah Elmira Royster before he registered at the one-year-old University of Virginia in February to study languages. The university, in its infancy, was established on the ideals of its founder, Thomas Jefferson. It had strict rules against gambling, horses, guns, tobacco and alcohol, but these rules were generally ignored. Jefferson had enacted a system of student self-government or like hobbyism, allowing students to choose their own studies, make their own arrangements for boarding, and report all wrong to the faculty. The unique system made the high dropout rate. During his time there, Poe lost touch with Royster and also became distant from his foster father over gambling debts. Poe claimed that Allan had not given him sufficient money to register for classes, purchase textbooks, and enough money to live in dorms. Allan did send additional money and clothes to help him out, but Poe's debts increased and Allan soon had to stop supporting him. Poe gave up on the university after a year, and, not feeling welcomed in Richmond, especially when he learned that his sweetheart Royster had married Alexander Shelton, traveled to Boston. sustaining himself with odd jobs as a clerk and newspaper writer. Edgar had many influences that made him into a better poet/writer. "When he was orphaned before the age of three, Raised by childless wealthy couple - John and Frances Allan,
After spending a year at the University of Virginia, his adopted father took him out of school because of his gambling debts."(Kelly, 1). After his brother's death, Poe began more earnest attempts to start his career as a writer. He chose a difficult time in American publishing to do so. He was the first well-known American to try to live by writing alone. Publishers often pirated copies of British works rather than paying for new work by Americans. Despite a great growth in American publishing around this time period, he and many did not last more than a few issues and publishers often refused to pay their writers or paid them much later than they promised. These reasons helped him become who he was. Being raised with his actual parents made him want to become a better person, to make his parents proud. Without the help of the wealthy couple John and Frances Allan who adopted him, edgar wouldn't be able to go to the nice school, to find if passion in writing. After his meltdown he was pulled out of school by his stepfather because of his drinking and gambling problems. Reality hit him hard; soon he realized that drinking won't help him be who he wants to be. Edgar put more time in what he truly loved, being a poet, critic, and short story writer.
Edgar Allan Poe had many works; he had Poetry Fiction and works of nonfiction. "Poe's stature as a major figure in world literature is primarily based on his ingenious and profound short stories, poems, and critical theories, which established a highly influential rationale for the short form in both poetry and fiction. "(Edgar Allan Poe) Poe's best known fiction works are "Gothic"(at the time well just call would file his work under "crime"), a genre he followed to appease the public taste at the. His most recurring themes deal with questions of death. It is likely he writes in that style due to his childhood. He had a very bad childhood and following life. Anyone would understand why he writes so dark if they knew his life. Poe didn't just do Gothic writings, he wrote satire like "How To Write A Blackwood Article", humor tales, and hoaxes. He virtually invented the detective story because of his style of writing. Edgar mostly wrote specifically for mass market tastes. Edgar wrote about 50 poems including his most famous, "The Raven". The poem is often noted for its stylized language and supernatural atmosphere that he creates. It tells of a talking raven's mysteriously visits a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness. The lover, often identified as being a student,is lamenting the loss of his love, Lenore. Sitting on a bust of pallas, the raven seems to further investigate his distress with its constant repetition of the word "Nevermore". The poem makes use of a number of folk and classical references. Poe's writing reflects his literary theories which was to work of quality should be brief and focus on a specific single effect. And thats how he made the short story the raven.
Edgars death was a strange one that not many people know what had happen to him. Doctor basically went with he had "cerebral inflammation" which was cause from the alcohol. Poe was found on the streets of Baltimore in need of immediate assistance. So he was taken to a hospital in Baltimore, Poe is said to have repeatedly called out the name "Reynolds" on the night before his death, though it is unclear to whom he was referring. Some sources say Poe's final words were "Lord help my poor soul".
Just like his poem and stories he had an unusual death.
In conclusion Edgar Allan Poe, throughout his attempts to live as a writer, had to repeatedly resort to humiliating pleas for money and other assistance. Yet he was a wonderful poet of his time. He has had a very hard life, he was orphaned before the age of three, didn't see his mother before she died, was pulled out of college, and had a gambling and drinking problem. Seems like the universe hated him and constantly tried to bring him down. He never gave in to his failures, he just kept pulling through proving himself that he can be what he wanted if just kept trying. He teaches people not to give up when times are hard. He's someone to look up to and learn from his mistakes. Edgar Allan Poe is a very good recommendation to learn about, his poems and short stories are very good! And just reading about his life makes you realize how your life is easy and how much better you can do, overall he is a good inspiration.Wouldn't want to go through what he has, well nobody would.