Edgar Allan Poe and How His Works & Poems Influenced My Writing and My Life

Edgar Allan Poe and his influence on my writing  & My Life

Edgar Allan Poe is viewed as one of the darker poets in history but to me when people say that I just say to myself well the truth is always mostly dark in nature so that’s how I view his poetry….Truth.  I Have only been writing for about a week and a half now and it certainly shows….im under no kind of impression that I am even qualified to speak about such a brilliant and unique Hero to the Literary and Artistic community’s but I wanted to express my gratitude and joy of his material and reflect on how he has influenced me and my life.

I First learned of Poe when I was recovering from my first ever heart-break  and I believe my timing of discovering his work was perfect for the way I was feeling for the first time in my life and it amplified my interest not only about him but about poetry and writing. Having the world fall apart around me was a mind numbing experience that every one of us goes through at least a few times in our lives. I Began to heal once I read Alone:

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 I loved, I loved alone.

Then- in my childhood, in the dawn

Of a most stormy life- was drawn

 From every depth of good and ill

 The mystery which binds me still:

 From the torrent, or the fountain,

 From the red cliff of the mountain,

 From the sun that round me rolled

 In its autumn tint of gold,

 From the lightning in the sky

 As it passed me flying by,

 From the thunder and the storm,

 And the cloud that took the form

 (When the rest of Heaven was blue)

 Of a demon in my view.

 Edgar Allan Poe

After reading this Poem I changed as a person and I also got over my first ever heart-break. Anything that has the power to change someone or anything that has the power to heal a shattered heart is priceless and precious and that’s the only way I know how to explain my feelings for this poem. If someone offered me a billion dollars in exchange to destroy the first heart-break I experienced I would swiftly deny it because I would have never of discovered Edgar Allan Poe and his masterfully written material.  The reason I started to do book reviews and why i became a book critic was the outcome of being inspired by Poe and his unique style of being a Literary critic.  Poe and his works influenced literature in the United States and around the world but I like to think those of us who appreciate his work are among a diverse and hefty group of artistic like-minded individuals who may have uniquely different traits and personality’s but we share one thing in common and that is our love for the written and spoken word of truth, pain, and emotion and it is exclusively ours forever more.  Poe was considered the inventor of the detective fiction Genre which I have started to crave recently after reading the hour of peril. The hour of peril is not fiction but it’s what got me interested in the detective fiction genre. If you have not seen my book review on The Hour of Peril By Daniel Stashower here is the Link:

http://shanesbookblog.com/2013/03/24/27/

Poe is also credited with being one of the first American Poets and authors to implement short story’s in their portfolio of works. Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19 1809.  Soon after his birth his father abandoned him and his mother and tragically his mother died soon after and Poe was taken in By John and Frances Allan of Richmond Virginia ( I was born there BTW) however they never truly adopted him.

Poe experienced a rather large amount of pain and suffering in his Life…..not only did his father abandon him and then his mother tragically died soon after but he also Lost his wife ( Who strangely was his cousin ) to tuberculosis two years after the publication of “The Raven” in 1845. Heart break and mental anguish was something Poe was very accustom to and it shows in his poetry and short story’s.  Pain is a very strong creative tool believe it or not which I discovered early on during my first trial run with ” Love” , Think about it…songs are often made during times of heart ace and utter turmoil and the ones that become big always seem to have a tragic story behind them of some kind. I Have come across people who don’t really understand Poes works or me frankly, and they are incapable of appreciating them and I attribute that to them not having enough life experiences yet and having not undergone true mental and physical agony, grief, and affliction.

My Favorite Poems By Poe:  -Alone-   -The Raven-  -Dream Land-  and -The Sleeper-

Here are the Links to these poems:

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/alone-5/   – Alone

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-raven-14/   -The Raven

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/dreamland/   -Dream Land

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-sleeper-8/   -The Sleeper

I Have wrote a couple of poems this past month but I just don’t have enough confidence yet to publish them publicly in fear of them being arduous and distasteful and possible even toxic to the eyes of whoever absorbs them so I will hold off on posting any of that content. In My short Life so far of 22 years I have been subject to some pretty disheartening things and have been a witness to monstrous experiences and have swallowed my fair share of Torment. I often wonder if maybe this is why Poes work stands out amongst my expanding Literary Pallet and I wonder if it’s why I feel such a strong connection to his Poems and why they register truth and understanding as my eyes swirl and fixate on every Sublime and angelic line I appreciate them more each time I read them and they will forever be kept in my spirits chained and padded lock box even after death comes calling me and the ground consumes me.

Let me know how Poe has influenced you and your life or your unique writing style and if you would be so kind to offer some feedback on what your particular opinion on how my Blog is coming along as of now, I would greatly appreciate it!