Monday, June 29, 2009
Edgar Allan Poe, a man who had a sad past and yet a wonderful writer. His entire life was faced with many deaths, starting at a young age. His parents died when he was young and was taken in by others to raise. He was the 1st welll known american writer to earn a living through writing alone and he ended up having a financially difficult life and career. His works represent an escape from the real, unromantic life where miseries become beautiful things.
Idealism was embraced by American romantic writers. They were optimists. They believed firmly in man's good nature. Edgar Allan Poe produced many literary writes on romanticism through poems and short stories. He tends to escape from reality. One of his ways was to write. In his poem 'A Dream Within A Dream' he gives the effect that life is a dream; unrealistic, hopeless and illogical. He brings upon the difference where we can wake up from our dreams but not our lives. An example of such a verse would be 'Oh! That my young life were a lasting dream! My spirit not awakening, till the beam; Of an eternity should bring th morrow; Yes! tho' that long dream were of hopeless sorrow; 'T were better than the cold reality; Of waking life to him whose heart must be; And hath been still, upon the lovely Earth; A chaos of deep passion from his birth.' In poems such as 'To My Mother' and 'Annabel Lee', he writes about the women he loved and adored. In his poem, Annabel Lee's parallel in real life was Annie Richmond, who was a married woman who Edgar Allan Poe fell in love with. His poems shows the idealism of her and their forbidden love. The verse 'I was a child and she was a child, in this kingdom by the sea. But we lloved with a love that was more than love- I and my Annabel Lee. With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven coveted her and me.' Another theme he brings out through his works was death. Death appeared to be the best escape from this miserable world. Edgar Allan Poe ever attempted sucide after the death of his wife. He didn't die and continued writing to die at the age at 40. The reason of his death is unknown. His themes of dream, love and death uses much emotion, imagination and idealization to achieve a romantic effect.
His poems and works brings out many emotions regardless of the theme he is trying to bring out. The use of language in his works are able to bring out the desired effect. His works had a great effect upon American litreature. No other poet has lives through the oddities in the life of Edward Allan Poe, his drug and alcohol addiction, his weird mentality, his love and devotion for his wife whom he married when she was thirteen and his mysterious death. Edgar Allan Poe is truly a great writer.
