recognition, and what criticism he did receive was negative. Poe became tired of military life, and, with Allan’s help, was discharged from the army and sent to West Point Academy in1830. At West Point, Poe again found himself with inadequate funds. Poe had originally been a very good student, but after a letter to Allan, Poe decided to have himself expelled. In January of 1831, Poe was court-martialed for “gross neglect of duties” (Unger 411). After trying a wide variety of schemes to support himself, he moved in with aunt in Baltimore. Since Poe had not gained status by writing poetry, he turned to short story writing (Regan N.P.) In 1836, Poe married his younger cousin, Virginia Clemm. This period was an intense production of stories for Poe. He wrote many stories and reviews as well as a drama in verse. In 1840, Poe published Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, which was received very well by critics but sold rather slow. “The Raven” was published in 1845 and became a sensation overnight. Even though Poe pocketed only a few dollars from its production, the poem was printed and reprinted all over the country. During these years, Poe had many dreams. These dreams turned into a reality. Most people assume that Poe got his ideas from opium and alcohol. However, this is not the case. Poe took his dreams and put them on paper. These became some of his best works. His nightmares became the stories that most people remember. He would spend night after night in complete terror and not really know how to deal with it. Finally, he wrote them down. Poe also gained insight and inspiration from the waking dreams—the moments when a person isn’t fully himself. The waking dreams are the times when the frontal consciousness goes into a sleep-like state and the subconscious is free to roam.“From his subconscious, Poe evoked half-dreams of a unique significance. They opened h...
