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The Life of Edgar Allan Poe
By Lena Hedayat, Staff Writer
“With me, poetry has not been a purpose, but a passion.” Edgar Allan
Poe was born on January 18, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. As he was
growing up, he was educated in Virginia and England. He was the
second of three children, and older brother, William Henry Leonard
Poe, and a younger sister, Rosalie Poe. His skills in poetry were
released in his teenage years. David Poe. Jr. and Elizabeth Arnold,
Poe’s parents, were both tourning actors and died when he was only
three years old. He was then adopted by his godfather, John Allan.
Although he became famous during his life, Poe was never actually
out of poverty. His poetry never quite made enough money. On May 26,
1827 Poe enlisted himself in the United States Army as a private by
the name Edgar A. Perry. He served at Fort Independence in Boston
Harbor. During his life, Poe took an interest in cryptography, and
created methods of cryptography which were useful during World War I
for deciphering German codes. Many of his writings were created with
dark passion, as Poe had a tragic begining with the death of his
parents. He expresses the beauty of a darker and more mysterious
life. “I like the way he writes, the language he uses. I just like
how it’s a psychological thriller, “says Blake Kibby, a junior.
Several of his works have inspired
movies and shows. For instance, the movie, The Mummy Lives, was
inspired by Poe’s poem, Some Words With A Mummy. Another work of
Poe’s, a short story entitled, “The Cask of Amontillado” was made
into an animated brickfilm by a Canadian animator. Several other of
Poe’s poems such as “The Raven” and even some of his other
hair-raising tales such as “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The
Tell-Tale Heart” have been “borrowed” bt many other famous writers
today. Poe’s many works have held a great influence on people’s
lives today. His creepy stories will keep you awake the rest of the
night.
Throughout his entire life, Poe was
always awed by the stars, and the way in which they worked. He had
never been good in mathematics and astronomy, but in a poem titled
“Eureka”, Poe wrote of his belief that the universe began as a small
particle, but the unity was never lost within the diffusion of
space. His theory was relatively the same as the Big Bang theory
which was invented by scientists later on. Supposedly Poe died on
October 3, 1849 at the age of 40 from alcoholism, but more recent
discovers prove that it might have been rabies. Poe suffered greatly
before he died, but was never coherent enough to explain how he came
about his situation. Poe had just been found on the streets, with
someone else’s clothes on, and in a very bad way. In his obituary he
was written up as a drunk, drug-loving person. Many people grieved
his death, but his memoir written by Griswald, was etched into the
minds of many people, except for those who knew him well, and
denounced it. Edgar Allen Poe changed and affected many with his
words, and ideas. “I thought it was really good; it really opened my
eyes to who he really was. I really enjoyed some of this poetry,”
says Tracy Aster, a junior. It was tragic for his life to be ended
on such a harsh note. Poe was a man who, despite the depressing
matters thoughout his life, made the most of his talents, though
dark and dreary, and made an impact on the human race. There is no
other like Edgar Allan Poe.
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