supernaturalism
melodrama
sensationalism
Horror
http://classiclit.about.com/cs/toppicks/tp/aatp_gothic.htm
Gothic Literature Characteristics
Creative Writing
Emotions Of The Lifeless
I remember that forsaken day like it was yesterday
I never should have walked astray
Instead I was arrogant and attempted to prove my courage and strength
But I never realized my might was too short of length
The night was filled with invisible ghouls shrieking murder into my ears
I took a step outside my house and became overcome with fear
The barren streets were empty with no one in sight or near
I began my journey down the slope into the forbidden path
I was warned of this road and the dangerous monster’s wrath
I brushed these suggestions aside, concluding them as myth
I claimed that I was a warrior and the descendent of Jonathan Smith
“I am Terrence Smith, the greatest there will ever be”
But I soon realized that my courage could not defeat any spirits or banshees
The road was very treacherous and filled with many twists and turns
My heart began to pound and it felt like my eyes would burn
The terrifying forest was filled with many disturbing sights
There were corpses laying everywhere from left to right
The bones of the deceased glowed and shined in the darkness of the night
I began to collapse under my own fear, pressure, weakness and pain
I wanted to turn back but I knew this was no game
The villagers once told me that the forbidden forest had one and only one exit
The only way to leave is through the forbidden forest’s king
And the only way to get through the king is to take a sword and swing
The defeat of the king will set you to your freedom and destiny’s path
But if you fail to complete your task then you will meet the forest’s wrath
I turned back to the twisted road and began my journey once again with a heavy heart
If I was to survive this night I would have to be wise and smart
Or I would end up as the king’s feast in separate parts
As I continued my path for hours I met a number of surprises
I saw many strange beasts roam to the sides of me in disturbing sizes
The path grew more and more twisted and the night became even darker
I thought of all my family and friends, would I become a martyr?
Would I lead my people out of fear and into prosperity and peace?
Or will my remains be fed to these monster’s feasts?
As I reached the kingdom of the forbidden forest king I realized the truth too late.
There was no way out of this forest, this was my final fate.
Edgar Allen Poe Final
ID: 46361834
1
Chris Kim
English-3
5-9-07
Edgar Allen Poe
“Father, I firmly do believe/ know for death who comes for me/From regions of the blest afar/Where there is nothing to deceive/Hath left his iron gates ajar/And rays of truth you cannot see/Are flashing thro’ eternity.” This short poem consists of Edgar Allen Poe’s final words composed on paper before he met his fate. Poe died on October 7, 1849 in The Washington College Hospital of Baltimore very mysteriously. The doctors working at that hospital assumed that Poe died of alcohol poisoning. As time passed however, many doctors and historians began to question the reason of Poe’s death. Edgar Allen Poe’s death could have been the result of several reasons: alcoholism, rabies, murder, disease, and drugs.
Edgar Allen Poe led a very depressed and lonely life that was dependent upon alcohol to survive. His addiction toward alcohol has been traced to as early as his childhood, when he was only a child he was fed bread dipped into gin to alleviate his pain (Allen, Hervey 2). Many of Edgar’s friends claimed that Poe was very different and disturbing when he consumed alcohol . The longest period of time where Edgar stayed sober was 18 months, he then began again because of his stress and depression. Money was the main problem in Poe’s life, the scarcity of money was the primary reason that Edgar drank. He was fired from several jobs because of his tendency to drink late and come to work late (Schapp, Terry 5). Alcohol destroyed Poe’s life and could possibly be the reason that he died.
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When Edgar was treated at the hospital his doctor witnessed many effects from Poe that suggested the contraction of rabies (Burton, John 3). Edgar was very delirious and had to be restrained because of his violent lashing behavior. When he was offered water he seemed terrified of the liquid and drank the water with caution. The fear of water is a sign of rabies, it is also very strange for alcohol patients to suddenly become ill. Poe owned many animals and pets in his house, he could have been bit by one of his animals and had the rabies transmitted. Some of the doctors who treated Poe suggested rabies as the main accomplice to his death (Schapp, Terry 5). Rabies could have possibly been the reason for Poe’s death.
According to Elizabeth Oakes Smith, Poe was the victim of a murder by a group of gangsters (Burton, John 3). In Edgar’s time the tavern’s voting systems were ruled by gang members who would threaten people to vote for certain people. These gangsters would engage in a process called “cooping” which involves drugging the victim, stripping the victim, and beating up the victim. However, they never intended to kill and person. It was also heard that a woman sent a man to assassinate Edgar and Poe was severely beaten up (Eagle, Jeremy 4). They beat him up because they were the brothers of one of Poe’s girl friends. Edgar Allen Poe could have truly been beaten to death.
Some people believe Poe died because he was becoming very ill and very sick. It was noted that Poe sent letters to Maria, complaining about his pain (Allen, Hervey 2). There was a scar on the left shoulder of Poe, which drew a lot of attention for himself. Poe also stated that his heart was burdened with pain physically and beneath his body. Many doctors were skeptical of the chance that Poe would live, one even said that he
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would die with a nervous break down (Burton, John 3). Another nurse stated that Poe was suffering from brain fever.
Edgar Allen Poe’s death has also been linked toward his excessive and abusive use of Opium. Drugs began to take an effect in Poe’s life when he started to hallucinate and see strange and peculiar stuff (Schapp, Terry 5). He also had an alcohol problem which complemented his alcohol problem. One of the reasons he started to abuse drugs was because his wife was going through consumption. Poe decided that Opium could help him overcome the problems that he faced everyday. However his addiction soon backfired when his wife left him because of his frightening stage when he was on the opium (Burton, John 3). His addiction finally landed him in a hospital where he mysteriously died.
Edgar Allen Poe’s death is one of the greatest mysteries to this present day from the past. Not only do we have several possibilities but we also have very little evidence which leaves us perplexed about the truth. We may never know the truth of what happened to Edgar Allen Poe, the cause is still a mystery today and could be in the future.
MLA Bibliography
Chris Kim
English 3
MLA Bibliography
Wilson, James S. Poe’s Life. Poe Museum. Interland. 24 Apr. 2007
http://www.poemuseum.org/poes_life/index.html.
Allen, Hervey. Poe Index. Biography of Edgar Allen Poe. Gibson Grafx. 24 Apr. 2007 http://www.pambytes.com/poe/bio.html.
Burton, John. General Topics of Edgar Allen Poe. E.a. Poe Society. JAS. 25 Apr, 2007 http://www.eapoe.org/geninfo/poegen.htm
Eagle, Jeremy. Edgar Allen Poe. Literature Network. Amazon. 25 Apr. 2007
http://www.online-literature.com/poe/
Schapp, Terry. Poe the Person. Knowing Poe. Star Schools. 25 Apr. 2007
http://www.knowingpoe.thinkport.org/person/
Edgar Allen Poe led a life of depression because of the result of his alcoholism, loneliness, and drug abuse. All the pain that he felt in his life reflected upon his work, which is the reason for his dark and terrifying stories.
“The Tell Tale Heart” is anouther Edgar Allen Poe masterpiece. This short story was published in January, 1843 but was later republished years later. In “The Tell Tale Heart” the narrator becomes so paranoid that he begins to hallucinate and believes that he must kill the old man. His emotions and guilt overpower his state of mind and rebuke him in the end.
“The Fall Of The House Of Usher” was first published in September, 1839. Today it is one of Poe’s most famous short stories, in “The Fall Of The House Of Usher” the narrator encounters the estate of his childhood friend. He later learns that the house has become corrupted with evil and darkness.
I chose to do Edgar Allen Poe for my project because his style of writing intrigued me. Edgar’s dark and gothic style of writing was very interesting and disturbing at times. This enticed me very much, another aspect that interested me was his mysterious death. Overall I enjoyed doing this project very much because I learned much more about literature through Edgar Allen Poe’s life.
