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What Is The Theme Of Death In The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe Essay

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Essay: Edgar Allen Poe
Edgar Allen Poe’s life was a series of small victories followed by disappointments and failures. According to Wikipedia, Poe was born on January 19, 1809, orphaned by the age of two, and raised by Mr. and Mrs. John Allan. He was educated abroad until the age of 11 when his adopted family returned to Richmond, Virginia. By the age of 19 Poe had disowned his adopted family and joined the U.S. Army. He did well in the military and even received and appointment to West Point. However, after a short time there he deliberately got himself kicked out. He goes onto publish a number of works that were well received and continued to publish until his sudden and unexplained death in 1849. Throughout his life Poe entered into situations with the best intentions to succeed, …show more content…

Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
In The Black Cat, Poe describes a man that is about to be put to death for the murder of his wife. Again Poe introduces the main character as a well-mannered gentleman that gives into his vices and feels guilty for it.
--when I had slept off the fumes of the night's debauch--I experienced a sentiment half of horror, half of remorse, for the crime of which I had been guilty; but it was, at best, a feeble and equivocal feeling, and the soul remained untouched.
While the narrator regrets his actions he doesn’t really feel bad about them, though he feels he should. This is the real guilt that results in an intense self-hate that leads to narrator maiming and killing those close to him. Poe’s writings are vivid and well cadenced. It is easy to see why he is liked. His writings speak to us and acknowledges that as much as we want to succeed in life, sometimes we are the cause of our own failures. As long as we remain human, we will read and appreciate

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