Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe may have been the most depressing poet of all times, but he was merely talking about what he knew best.   As humans we are all drawn together by an imminent death; one that no one can escape.   With death so impending many poets feel the need to include this theme in their literary works of art.   Poe was an extraordinary writer who didn’t conform to the way others wrote; he was said to also be the inventor of the detective-fiction genre.   America has given birth to many great poets; none of them may have been as intriguing and mysterious as Edgar Allan Poe.   He was not only considered a poet, but also a writer, editor, and literary critic.  
Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, into a world where much was going on around him.   Overseas, Napoleon was at war with Austria and Bavaria and Sweden had declared its own independence.   In the states the buzz was about the patent of the steamboat.   The steamboat also made its first open ocean voyage during this year.   Many more historical events were to take place during Poe’s lifetime and would have served as great topics to base writings on.   Like many other poets, Poe got his inspiration for his writing from his own personal experiences.   His life was full of disappointment and misery and this comes through in his writing.
Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts to a young couple of actors.   Shortly after birth, Poe’s father mysteriously disappeared, however it is thought that he died in 1810.   One year later, his mother died which left young Edgar and his two siblings alone.   He was taken in by John Allan, a wealthy merchant, in Richmond, Virginia.   Poe lived with the Allan family until he was old enough to go to boarding school.   Thus he received his middle name and from thence forth was known as Edgar Allan Poe.   While still a young boy in Richmond, one of his teachers said, “While the other boys wrote mere mechanical verses, Poe wrote genuine poetry; the...