Edgar Allen Poe is considered to be one of the best when it comes to Early American Literature. He is most famous for the short stories and poems that he had written. The question posed here is why did Edgar Allen Poe write poems and short stories that are filled with horror and the presence of Death. Many believe that it was his addiction to alcohol and the events that he had to endure during his lifetime. Events such as the death of his mother and abandonment of his father at an early age could vary well be the answer to this question. Such events could be horrifying for anyone but the fact that the effects are showing through his works and those influences could be the reason that he is one of the most popular writers in American Literature. Edgar's addiction to alcohol was his flaw that turned out to be fatal. His need for alcohol was so strong it caused the loss of one of the women he so dearly loved. Poe has been accused of using the drug opium, but in reality it was his narrators (www.eapoe.org, 1997). This is commonly confused or misinterpreted that Edgar himself used the drug to the point where he became addicted.

Poe is known as the father of the American short story an

The horror abysmal darkness, and absolute helplessness befalling the victims are described with vivid accuracy in tales such as The Fall of the House of Usher, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Premature Burial. In "The Fall of the House of Usher," the narrator visits his insane friend, Roderick Usher. Usher's house is huge and gloomy. His twin sister, Madeline, gets sick and dies. The narrator and Usher place her in a tomb in the basement of Usher's house. What they do not realize is that she is still barely alive. Usher keeps on hearing sounds over the next couple of days. The seventh day after Madeline's death, a bad storm appears. The narrator and Usher open the door of the narrator's room and Madeline falls on Usher . They both die. The narrator then leaves the house. As he rides away, the house collapses to the floor.

The most influential person in Edgar's life may vary well have been himself. This is supported by the strong willed person that Poe was believed to have been. Many critiques may disagree with that statement because of the fact that he was a dependent on alcohol that he consumed during his life. What it essentially comes down to is that Poe was a human being with a background that was unique to his time period. Weather or not that this had a dramatic influence on Poe's writings is a question that has no strongly supported answer.

Edgar Allen Poe was a raging alcoholic and was not able to rid his terrible habit, not even for the woman who he so dearly wanted to marry. Because of this addiction when his proposal was turned downed only a short while after it was accepted by Sarah Whittman. Many could say that alcohol eventually lead to Edgar's demise although his life was not full of drunken periods it was still enough to destroy his life. The Poe family could be thought of having an alcohol problem. This is because Edgar's brother and his biological father were both known to have drinking problems. This is most common among alcoholic is to have a parent who had a problem with alcohol. Alcohol could not considered to be an influence for Edgar because his writings were so elaborately constructed. This is the only reason that it was not considered to be an influence in his writings.

with seven rooms. Each room is decorated in a single color. The last room is decorated in red. Within this room stands a huge clock that strikes the hour with a heavy clang. The rooms are very crowded for the ball. At the stroke of midnight, a guest is seen in a costume of the red death itself and this frightens the other guests. The Prince is angered at what he believes to be a practical joke. He orders the stranger seized and hanged from the battlements. Prince Prospero follows the stranger into the red chamber. It is there that Prince Prospero falls dead at the feet of the stranger. The others capture the unknown person in the costume. To their horror they find there is no living form in the costume. One by one they die until no one else remains.

When his mother died, Poe was adopted by John Allan who was convinced to do so by his wife Frances Allen. At the age of five Edgar began his formal education under Elizabeth Fisher. He then graduated and moved on to the school of Mr. William Ewing for a brief period of time.(eapoe.org,1997)

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Approximate Word count = 2908
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)