Edgar Allan Poe His life & Legacy (pgs 1-55)

Summary
This biography is about a famous poet named Edgar Allan Poe and the way he grew up and the reasons why he wanted to become a poet. Poe was born in the year of 1809 in Boston, MA and during the time he was born his parents were going through a financial problems, were the Poe family had to find a way to get money with their new baby Edgar. After David Poe (Edgar's father) could not get the money he demanded for from his cousin George Poe, he had no choice but to leave five week old Edgar in Baltimore with his mother and father. Soon that did not last long because David's parents returned him back in six months but this time to a nursemaid who cared for Edgar and his sister Rosalie. This nurse would give Edgar alcohol just to put him to sleep and here is where Edgar's alcoholism began just as he was a baby. Edgar's father had died in 1811, and they say he was to be just like his father. His mother who was a famous actress had taken care of Edgar and Rosalie but had died of tuberculosis at the age of twenty-four and that was last of seeing his parents. Later Edgar becomes an orphan and is taken in by John Allan his foster father even though John Allan had not adopted Edgar the Allan's decided to put Allan in the middle and is why is name is Edgar Allan Poe. The Allans spoiled Edgar they treated like a young prince send him to the best schools where he found his love for literature, and spoke French very well, everyone describe Edgar as a very attractive boy who had his fun times it was ironic to find out he was very quiet and look sad all the time. Edgar had fell in love with one of his friends mother her name was Jane Stanard the reason was she would show him affection but when she had died he would visit her grave, Edgar wrote a poem about her by changing her name to "Helen." At seventeen Edgar went to University of Virginia where he had change and participated in more sports, in his time in college he read a lot poems and written his own and his friends love them. Poe had gotten into fights in school, which lead to him drinking and gambling, Edgar's foster father had money and since Edgar was the only son he had, Edgar had the big chance of getting the inheritance. Edgar had fell in love again to a girl named Elmira Royster they were both in love but since Edgar was doing bad things in school which got Allan mad this was pushing Edgar not be able to get the inheritance and when Elmira's father found that out he would hide all the letters Edgar send her and had her marry someone else. At this point Edgar was mad and sad to find out she was engaged so he join the army which also mad Allan mad , during Edgar time in the army he wrote many poems of the things he saw.

Quotation
This is one of the poems John Allan Edgar's foster father wrote, " From childhood's hour I have not been As others were-I have not seen As others saw-I could not bring My passions from a common spring- From the same source I have not taken My sorrow-I could not awaken My heart to joy at the same tone- And all lov'd-I lov'd alone " (Meyers 16).


Reaction
This quote was a poem by John Allan, I think this quote is important to the story because at this time was when Edgar was younger in school and was very unsociable kid who did not have that many friends he was a bit of a loner. I believe that John Allan wrote this for Edgar because he was always alone as a child so it is trying to say that as Edgar was a child he was doing things on his own and while other children were doing things. Also that Edgar had to do things on his own especially when he had to love himself instead of being loved. This is a important to the story because it shows how John Allan see Edgar, this is what he believes Edgar feels but Edgar could not feel like that, it is base on how a parent views their child because they are very limited they only know what they see. For the Allans they found it very strange for Edgar to be so isolated from everyone. In this poem its says that all the others get to do these things while in this case Edgar is doing things alone. I think that the reason why Edgar acted so lonely was because both his parents died and he never really got to know his parents all he knew was their names and the jobs they had, and that can be a lot for a child to take in.