Parents(Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins, and David Poe) died before he was three years old.
When he was five years old, he traveled to England with his foster parents. After arguing
with his foster father about his debts from gambling, he enlisted in the US army and
served two years. When he was twenty seven, he married his cousin, Virginia Clemm,
who was thirteen years old. In 1847, Virginia died of tuberculosis, and Poe began to start
to drink. Poe died on October seventh, 1849. His exact cause of death is still not known
for sure. (“Edgar Allen Poe”)
Poe mainly wrote in the genre of sci-fi and horror. From a very early age, he had a
certain fascination with writing poetry and stories. His family members, and his wife,
Virginia, are the people that mainly inspired him with his writings. Edgar Allan Poe has
written around 1,831 poems, and one completed book over his lifetime. Some of Poe’s
most famous pieces include “The Raven”, “The Tell Tale Heart”, “Alone”, and “The
Oblong Box”. He directed his works mainly toward anybody who was interested in
horror tales. (“Edgar Allan Poe”)
Poe was indeed a great writer, but there are a lot of criticisms about him and his
work. His own father (John Allan) said “His talents are of an order that can never
prove a comfort to their professor”. The Richmond Complier says “Mr. Poe is too
fond of the wild, unnatural and horrible!” A positive criticism is by the Citizen Soldier
that’s says “Poe was born a poet, his mind is stamped with the impress of a genius. He is
perhaps the most original writer that ever existed in America”. Graham's Magazine writes
“Mr. Poe has that indescribable something which men have agreed to call genius. No
man could ever tell us precisely what it is, and yet there is none who is not inevitably
aware of its presence and its power. . . . It is not for us to assign him his definite rank
among contemporary authors, but we may be allowed to say that we know of none who
has displayed more varied and striking abilities.” (“Bits and Pieces-II”)
In conclusion, Edgar Allan Poe was a very talented writer. He is a famous writer,
and has written many pieces of throughout over his lifetime. He was known for his
ability to write poetry, and short stories.
Scott Nacko, Pd. 3. 1-13-08
