Edgar Allan Poe and Reflections of His Life.

Essay by JodyUSMCCollege, UndergraduateA, April 2003

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This paper is about Edgar Allan Poe and how his life and interests are reflected in his writings.

Poe and Reflections of His Life

Edgar Allan Poe was similar to many writers throughout history in that he often reflected his own life experiences and strange interests in his many writings and stories. By taking a brief look at his life and then several of his stories, the connection between his stories and his own life can be easily made. Through two of his poems, "Alone" and "Annabel Lee" we can clearly see the attachment to and loss of several key women in his life and the emptiness that this left in his life. Next, taking a look at Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" we get a glimpse of Poe's outside relationships and thoughts of revenge towards at least two in particular. Finally, by looking into "The Black Cat", we can see Poe's almost lifelong battle with alcoholism and addiction.

The French critic Charles Baudelaire says "All of Poe's tales are, in a sense, biographical, and we find the man in his work. The characters and incidents are the framework and trappings of his memory." (qtd. In Alexander 103)

In the two poems "Alone" and "Annabel Lee" we can see the loneliness, longing and emptiness he feels. In "Alone" we can clearly see how Poe describes his own loneliness. "My sorrow; I could not awaken My heart to joy at the same tone; And all I lov'd, I lov'd alone. " (Poe 812) Poe's own admission of his sorrow and pain at the loss of his love is clear. In "Annabel Lee" we are able to get an idea of his love and longing for his wife Virginia, when he says "But our love it was stronger by far...