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Literary Techniques In Edgar Allan Poe's Life

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A plethora of writers have left their marks on the literary world. Many of them developed a unique writing style, but one of them stands out over the rest. This peculiar man was one of the first to put a new and more sinister approach to his writing. His stories have become synonymous with evil, death, mystery, and revenge. Edgar Allan Poe, a world renowned author, was a rather misunderstood man with many obstacles in his life such as alcoholism, opium abuse, and his wife’s premature death.
Poe was born January 19, 1809, in Boston Massachusetts ( “Edgar Allan Poe”). Poe’s early life was very traumatizing. When Poe was a year old, his father ran out on him and the new mother of three, sadly only a year later his mother died of tuberculosis …show more content…
Preferring poetry over profits, Poe reportedly wrote poems on the back of some business papers. Edgar and Frances seemed to form a bond, but he had a more difficult relationship with John Allan. So, Money was also an issue between Poe and John Allan (“Edgar Allan Poe”).
Poe went to the University of Virginia in 1826, where he excelled in his classes (Schoell 24). However he didn’t receive enough funds from Allan to cover all of his costs. Poe turned to gambling to cover the difference, but ended up in debt (Schoell 25). He returned home only to face another personal setback. While in Virginia, Poe and Allan briefly made peace with each other, and Allan helped Poe get an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point (Schoell 34).
Poe excelled in his studies at West Point, but he was kicked out after a year for his poor handling of his duties (Schoell 37). During his time at West Point, Poe had fought with his foster father, who had remarried without telling him (Schoell 37). Some have speculated that Poe intentionally sought to be expelled to spite Allan, who eventually cut ties with Poe. However, in 1827, around the time he published his first book, Poe joined the U.S. Army (Schoell

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