Poetry 103: Edgar Allan Poe

Sooner or later, Poe (1809-1849) would have made his way to Mix Tape. It was inevitable since so many people love him. Teens are drawn and love his haunting words and the rhyme scheme of his poems, which make his them fun to read.

Edgar Allan Poe's life was comprised of deaths and financial troubles. When he was two, his mother died, so he was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. John Allan (his real father took no responsibility for Poe). However, the Allan's, though a well-to-do family, did not share their wealth or offer him support on his endeavors (much less mention Poe in their will). So, Poe had to find his own way through life. For example, in 1830, he entered West Point as a cadet, but he didn't stay long since he didn't have enough money, and Mr. Allan refused to help his adopted son. In 1835, Poe moved to New York city and got a job as editor of a newspaper because of a contest he won with his short story, "The Manuscript Found in a Bottle." After this job, Poe moved on to many others struggling to find magazines and newspapers to publish more of his works (not to mention offer a good salary).

In 1836, he married his 13 year old cousin, Virginia Clemm. She was his true love. Unfortunately, Virginia died in 1847, a few days after Poe's birthday. He was drastically affected by her death and resorted to alcoholism. Virginia's death influenced many of Poe's poems. His own death arrived two years later, and the exact cause of his death is unknown but has inspired myths and legends.

Today, Poe is a lauded poet and considered important to American literature.

My favorite poems/short stores are:

The Bells
Annabel Lee
The Raven
To My Mother
The Tell-Tale Heart (short story)

Written by Scarlett.