The Life of Edgar Allan Poe

Introduction

Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston Massachusetts On January 19, 1809. Edgar Allan Poe had imaginative way of storytelling, tales of mystery and horror gave birth to the modern detective story. Poe never really knew his parents Elizabeth Arnold Poe, and his father who was a British actress, his name is David Poe, Jr. His father abandoned his family, then he loses his mother from tuberculosis when he was only three years old. After the death of Poe mother he went to live with John and Frances Valentine Allan, John refused to adopt him. He loved sports, Poe went off to college and went broke so he turned to gambling to make more money to help his crisis but ended in more dept. Everything cut off during through his school career, even though his struggle he was loved by other, Poe moved to Boston in 1827. That time he published his first book. After that he went into the Military Academy at West Point, University of Virginia. His stories were influenced by the death of all the people he loved, along with his wife who died of tuberculosis. Poe married his cousin Virginia when she was 13 and he was 24 years of age. Despite his awards and recognition, Poe had financial problems throughout his writing career, Edgar Allan Poe developed a drinking problem after the death of his wife Virginia Edgar Allen Poe life was full of many sorrows and difficulties, which was a result of deaths of close family and many broken loves. Poe father and mother they were both professional actors. His father abandoned his family when Poe was one year old. His mom Eliza struggle violently to support her 3 young children on her own performing dozen of role in theater from Boston to Charlton.

While returning to Richmond Virginia she was struck down with tuberculosis, she was so sick she was coughing up blood while lying on her bed. His mom had that disease but was surrounding by her children. Poe mother as an actress died December 8 when she was 24 years old of tuberculosis when he was 2 years old. So he grew up with foster parents as a young child and their last name was Allan. Poe carry with him a small miniature memory of his mother, he did not have tangible memory of his mother at all, but he had a kind of deep memory of her present but he certainly had a deep experience of being separated from his mother and never to see her again. Poe siblings were separated from each other. They were moved to different foster homes. Edgar was taken by the Allan family. Mrs. Allan was a fan of Poe. She and her husband did not have any children. Mr. Allan did not want to take Poe but Mrs. Allan press her husband to take Poe in. Mr. Allan was a very tough man he was very successful Scott merchant he raised Poe and give him good schooling, education and fine manners.

Mrs. Allan showered Poe with affection and guided him to be confident. Edgar was interested in sports. when Edgar was 15 he swam 6 miles against the current in the James River, in 1826 Edgar was sent off to the University of Virginia at his college a professor was murdered, he started to draw all over the wall and ceiling of his room, friends would come and he would read to them from his story. Poe did not have money for food or clothes. He started to gamble and ended up owing $2000 in debt. He asked his foster father Allan to help him but his foster father ready to disown him and refuse to help him. Poe broke the furniture and burn it to keep himself warm, Poe had to leave the University of Virginia because the person who he owed money was going to sue him. He ran away and join the Army under a different name because he did not want to go to the prison. But if Mr. Allan abandoned him he said that he will double his ambitions and the world shall hear about the son who is unworthy of help. That was the end of Poe and Mr. Allan relationship, after that Poe was on his own young and broke. Then Poe flew to Boston to his home town of his parent listed in the army as the name Perry and he excelled as a soldier at the age of 20. he published two books of poetry. The older woman who he had loved and worshiped, died with that disease. He moved to the house with his eight year old daughter Virginia. Finally he got the loving and supporting home he had wanted for so long. Being denied family was very important to Edgar. He spent half of his life searching for that family which he found his life with Virginia and her mother Maria Clump.

At the moment there was no copywriter law he was starving, if the publisher knew that they would set the term so he would have a hard time selling “The Tell- Tales” and “The Raven”, because publishers though it was too loud they wanted quiet stories, so he was at the mercy of the publisher. He struggled to survive as a writer then, he was summoned to the death bed of John Allan, Poe went to see John in his room John obviously raised up his crutch and threaten Poe. John said his foster son was considered to be so ungrateful, John Allan left Poe out of his will, and he left everything to orphan children and left nothing for Poe. He suffered poverty and every job Edgar got, he got into conflict with his bosses. Edgar was in love with Virginia, she was the only thing that kept him going. Edgar faced terrible crisis after he moved to Richmond.

Maria wrote Poe a letter that she is going to let 12 year old Virginia live with another relative. Poe had his first terrible drinking episode and he crashed into depression. He went down a drinking dish then he lost his job and he realized he could not loose Virginia because he was in love with her. so he wrote a historical letter to Maddie, pleading to Virginia to not to do this, he said he was blinding with tears while writing this letter and was his last thing to hold on life and it is cruel as it has been torn away. He has no desire to live, she knew he loved Virginia passionately, devotedly. Poe wrote another letter to Maria about Virginia and in that letter he said, ”my love, my own sweet sissy, my darling little wifey think well before you break the heart of your cousin Eddie, ’’ I think he was troubled that he married his first cousin but in circumstances like this he thought of her as cousin, sister and wifey.

The next month Poe and Virginia got married, Virginia was not yet 13 but Poe was 26. They were happy always, playing games. Poe was very loving and caring to her but to avoid scandal they have to put it in the system that she was 21 years because it would be trouble. In 1842 Poe secure a meeting with U. S President John Tyler to request a government job. He showed up for the appointment Intoxicated, wearing his clothes inside out The President’s son Robert Tyler came to meet him first and told him to come back in a few days. When he came back he was properly dress and sober, but for some reason he decided to use the opportunity of this meeting not just to secure the President help in getting the position in the custom house but to solicitate magazine subscription from him so he could sink his own self. In 1831 Poe published the story “The Murders in The Rue Morgue”. He created a detective story, some people said he may created the detective movie that he may not go mad. Poe is considered to be the father of the short stories by many.

Over the course of his life, he wrote hundreds of short stories and poems. His writing style is unique and influenced by the tragedies that occurred over the course of his life. Poe child life led him to become one of the greatest authors of this time. Poe found himself without a regular job once again. He tried to start a magazine called The Stylus and failed. In 1843, he published some booklets containing a few of his short stories but they didn't sell well enough. He won a hundred dollars for his story, he also did “The Fall of the House of Usher” Poe served for two years in the army. He attained the rank of Sergeant Major and he then was appointed as a Cadet at the U. S Military Academy in West Point. Poe received very little financial support from Allen. Poe decided to resign from the Academy. He moved to Philadelphia in 1838 where he wrote most of his famous stories.

“The Gold-Bug”, “The Mask of the Red Death”, and “Ligeia” in 1842 his beloved wife became ill with tuberculosis all the problem caused Poe to sink into deep depression. Poe and Mrs. Clemm moved to New York City in 1844 where he continue to work as an editor and critic.
Poe gained his greatest fame as a poet after his poem “The Raven” which was published in 1845. after his journal failed, within a few months, Poe and Mrs. Clemm moved out of New York City to a small cottage in 1846, Virginia died of tuberculosis the following year.

Conclusion

My conclusion is that when his wife Virginia died, he was so stressed out that it became hard for him to overcome the pain of losing. He decided to go on a tour in the South. Edgar Allan Poe finally recovered over the death of his wife Virginia, he started make plans for his future. On his journey back from New York City, Poe decided to stop in Baltimore, where he died of “acute congestion of the brain”. The life of Edgar Poe ended on October 7, 1849 and he was only 40 years old. His last words being: “Lord, help my poor soul. ”