Why so Serious Poe?

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Bennett Heimple English and Literature Shawna Van and Matt Stilwell 17 October, 2012 Why So Serious… Poe? Edgar Alan Poe has always been a twisted and enthralling human being, and it is quite obvious through his numerous short stories and narrative poems. In each of his pieces you can find the common dark romanticism genre. Poe was great at what he does, catching the attention of many readers interested in his abnormal tales. He has been considered as one of the greatest short story writers of all time and nearly twelve of his works have been recognized as being flawless in the literary sense. Poe grew up as a foster child, having a rough life, which has definitely played a role in his writing style. In his poem “The Raven,” Poe uses his Gothic writing style to write one of his most beautiful pieces, so how has Poe used symbolism, imagery, and to tone to support his reoccurring theme of sadness and death? Understanding Poe’s past would help know why he wrote the thrillers and suspense narratives that people seemed to fancy for. Poe was born on January 19, 1809 to two young actors. At the age of three his father had vanished and his mother shortly after passed on due to tuberculosis (Edgar Allen Poe 364). After being abandoned by his father and forced to be away from his mother, Poe was starting his life off lonely. He was soon taken in by John and Fanny Allan as a foster child. Growing up with the Allan’s was tough for Edgar, always feeling like an outsider and never being able to get close to his foster mother due to the fact she was always sick (Qrisse par. 9). He attended a year of school at Virginia University, but had to quit school due to his gambling debt and no funds for school from John. After John Allen and Edgar went their separate ways, Edgar started to pursue his poems being published after he had moved to Boston, working for a small newspaper. He

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