Edgar Allan Poe

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Edgar Allan Poe
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Poes life

• He was born the son of an American actor and
  English actress he was orphaned and adopted he
  attended West Point Military Academy but was
  discharged at the age of 27 he married his
  cousin who was half his age he loved her dearly
  but lost her to tuberculosis he died at the age
  of 40.

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Poes identity

• A critic
• A poet
• A short story writer

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A theory of poetry.

• 1) A poemand this also applies to his
  fictionshould be short enough so that it can be
  read at one sitting.
• 2) The most important purpose of poetry is the
  creation of beauty
• 3) The best manifestation of beauty is associated
  with sadness.

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• 4) The death of a beautiful woman is,
  unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the
  world.
• 5) The immediate object of poetry is pleasure,
  not truth.
• 6) Poe made good use of a number of poetic
  devices to create a good appropriate to the theme
  of his poems.

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His works

• Poems To Helen Annabel Lee The Raven
• Horror short stories The Fall of the House of
  Usher Ligeia The Tales of Grotesque and
  Arabesque
• Detective short stories The Murders in the Rue
  Morgue The Black Cat The Purloined Letter The
  Gold-Bug

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To Helen

• Brief introduction to To Helen
• Word devices used in the poem
• Rhyme scheme
• The theme

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Additional questions

• 1. Why does the poet compare Helens beauty to
  those Nicean barks of yore?
• 2. What have brought the wayfaring speaker home?
• 3. In what form does Helen appear in the final
  stanza? Why does she carry a lamp in her hands?