Poes Place in the World essays

Poes Place in the World essays In human nature there exists a morbid desire to explore the darker realms of life. As sensitive creatures we make every effort to deny our curiosity in the matters that frighten us. Edgar Allan Poe was a master of his craft, gifted with the talent of introducing each reader to his or her own subconscious fears. Poe was the first writer in American literature who introduced horror, death and mystery into poetry. A look into Poes childhood might shed some light on where his fascination with death came from. Edgar Allan Poe was born in 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts to drifting actor parents. His father abandoned his wife and three children, soon after Poe was born, leaving her to support the family as best as she could. The family traveled for a few years, looking for a comfortable place to settle down, until the end of 1811, when Poes mother became ill and passed away. The children were sent off into foster homes and Poe was placed into a residence of a well-off, yet unsupportiv e merchant named John Allan (Johnson 1). John Allan was emotionally detached from Poe, refusing to legally adopt him. All these events that occurred when Poe was very young would trigger feelings that came out in his writing and his lifestyle. Even though Poe was condemned to be a drunk, he delivered America emotional and spiritual literary poetry. Bombed by critics accusing Poe of being an alcoholic, in actuality Poe only drank during times of desperation and emotional need. During his early years as a writer, Poe developed an intolerance for alcohol and apparently never liked it at all. According to Poes classmates at the University of Virginia, Poe would usually be satisfied with one or two drinks. His reputation as a drunk started when he was working on the Messenger in Richmond, Virginia. There, Poe was easily sidetracked as he would meet friends at a local bar and often not come home until the early hou...