The Life and Legacy of Edgar Allan Poe: A Journey Through Tragedy and Triumph

1. EDGAR ALLEN POE • born in Boston on January 19, 1809 • parents were David and Elizabeth Poe • mother died in 1811 when Edgar was 2 • had two siblings – Henry and Rosalie • brother, Henry went to live with his grand-parents • sister was taken by another family • Edgar was adopted by Mr. & Mrs. John Allan • when he was six years old, he went to school in England for 5 years • At the age of 17, he attended the University of Virginia in 1826 • His father, John Allan was wealthy, but only gave him a third of what he needed • Because of heavily drinking , he quickly became in debt and dropped out of school • Joined the U. S. Army in 1827 when he was 18 • While in the army, he maintained the rank of sergeant major • Mrs. Allan died in 1829, and in 1830 , Edgar entered West Point as a cadet * His * His

2. he didn’t stay at West Point that long, and moved to New York in 1831 • he sent a letter to John Allan asking for help but no answer came • John Allan died in 1834, and did not mention Edgar in his will • in 1835, he finally got a job as an editor of a newspaper • in 1836, he married his cousin, Virginia – he was 27 and she was 13 • between 1836 to 1845, Edgar had many publishing jobs but was still poor • his wife, Virginia’s health was fading away and he was deeply distressed • She died in 1847, 10 days after his birthday • He died on Sunday, October 7, 1849 in a Baltimore hospital • Some of his writings: • The Tell-Tale Heart • The Black Cat • The Raven • Annabel Lee • To Helen • Lenore • he