POEQUEST Devon St.Denis 4° 10/25/11

EDGAR ALLAN POE Born on :1/19/1809 Died on: 10/7/1849

5 SHORT STORIES AND 5 POEMS 5 STORIES ""The Angel of the Odd“ ""Berenice“ ""The Cask of Amontillado“ ""A Descent Into The Maelström" 5 POEMS  "Annabel Lee”  "The City in the Sea”  "A Dream Within A Dream”  "The Raven”  "Spirits of the Dead"

A BIOGRAPHY ON E.A. POE Poe was born on January 19,1809. Poe’s father died within two years after birth. Poe was further hurt when he was orphaned at the tender age of two years old, after his mother died. His mother, Elizabeth, died in the year He then moved in with family members in Richmond, Virginia. After a number of years, He decides to join the army in 1830, but was kicked out of the program after two years.

CONT. BIO Poe marries his 13 year-old cousin and lives with her for several years before she is killed from tuberculosis. During those times, he puplishes his most famous poem: The Raven. He only makes $14 from it (roughly $500 in our time). Poe has a long line of failed relationships from the time of her death to the time he meets one of his childhood loves, Sarah Royster Shelton. But, while he is going to get family from another state, he is sidetracked and dies at a hospital of unknown causes. He was found outside of a tavern during voting season on 10/7/1849.

MY THEORY ON POE’S DEATH I think Poe was killed by thugs hired by diplomats to earn more votes. This would explain the state he was in, and why he had different clothes on. He was also found by a tavern/voting establishment at poll time. His old heart would not have been able to withstand much physical abuse.

MY FAVORITE STORY DESCRIPTION “The Cask of Amontillado” There are two main characters in this story: Fortunato and Montresor. The beginning starts w/ Montresor talking about how Fortunato insulted him and how he is going to get revenge. We then go back to the carnival season when the events happened. Montresor walks up to Fortunato and talks to him about a cask of amontillado that he claims to have, and is taking it to another wine connoisseur, Luchresi, to test it, since they are rare, even in the regular time. Fortunato takes this as an insult and starts to talk trash about Luchresi and offers to test it for him. Montresor acts like he does not want him to, so, of course, Fortunato wants to go all the more.

FINISH PARAGRAPHS Fortunato and Montresor go to the Montresor’s vaults where the cask supposedly lay. As they go further down, a cough Fortunato has begins to worsen as there is more niter (aka nitre) a white substance commonly found in damp caves. They reach the end cave, where there is a big pile of bones. Montresor ties Fortunato up in chains and attaches them to rings in the wall. Montresor walls up the alcove where Fortunato lays. As he nears the top of the wall, Fortunato acts like it is all a big joke on his expense. Montresor finishes the wall. The End

CONCLUSION Poe helped to create a larger interest into horror stories and is often thought of as the father of modern horror stories. I did not make much of a connection to his stories b/c I have not lost anyone close to me that I remember well. I cannot relate to his life, either, b/c I don’t have a drinking problem, I have not lost so many loved ones, and I am not dead yet. I loved his stories, as they were all related to death and are usually very detailed, and I love the details. His stories also give light to some of his inner demons that he vented through his writings, like some people use punching bags or games, but more wordy.

WORKS CITED Giordano, Robert. “Poestories.com-A Biography of Edgar Allen Poe”. (27 June 2005). (19 October 2011).. Merriman, C.D. “Edgar Allen Poe”. (XX XXX 2006). (15 October 2011).. The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore. “The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe”. (12 December 2011). (19 October 2011).. “The Masque of the Red Death” (XX XXX 2002). (19 October 2011).. Shmoop editorial team. “The Masque of the Red Death Symbolism, Imagery & Allegory.” Shmoop.com. (11 November 2008). Shmoop University, Inc. (19 October 2011)..