elf a genius in his own demented way. Many of Poe’s writings reflected his life, be it happy or sad. Poe had a very difficult life, different from many others. All the women in his life seemed to die. Many died of Tuberculosis. Those who didn’t die of Tuberculosis still seemed to die. These deaths played a major effect on Poe’s writing style. Men were often the “bad guys” in Poe’s literature, and nearly every story Poe wrote was about death. Many times there were obscure circumstances surrounding the deaths in the stories. That fact, and the fact that his writings intrigue me are the sole factors as to why I chose to write about this amazingly depressing man. Early Life Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January nineteenth, 1809. His actor parents, Betty and David Poe orphaned Edgar at the age of three. John and Francis Allan of Richmond, Virginia took Edgar in. When Edgar grew into his teens, his family moved around a lot. They finally moved to a house that they got from William Galt in 1822 or 1823. Edgar continued his education during this time and when he was fourteen, he attended the academy of Joseph H. Clarke, and after that he studied with William Burke. Edgar’s schooling in Richmond encouraged his gift for the written art, and he was good at Latin and French. When he was sixteen, he wrote one of his earliest surviving poems; “Oh Tempora! Oh Mores!” Edgar wrote enough poems to publish a book, but his teacher persuaded John Allan not to. When Edgar returned from England, he was rather wimpy and pale, but when he got back to Richmond, he started doing well in athletics. He was a good runner, leaper, boxer, and also a very good swimmer. When he was fifteen, he swam six miles up the James River partly against strong tide. Edgar obviously made a good impression on other people. Thomas Ellis, the son of John Allan’s business ...
