Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe is a very important figure in American literature, and is famous for his gothic and sometimes disturbing stories. Much of his inspiration from stories of this kind may have come from his childhood and his life in general, where he experienced many traumatic events, such as the death of his parents, foster mother, and other family members.

After Poe's parents died he was adopted by the Allans, who were a wealthier family. After Mrs. Allan died, however, Mr. Allan did not have the best relationship with Poe. He sent Poe to university without enough money, and even left Poe out of his will when he died. These experiences, as well as Poe's poverty later in life may have influenced him to follow the romantic literary trend of rebelling against the aristocracy and traditions and aspects connected to it.

Poe spent a lot of time alone during his life, and also a lot of time in bad living conditions because he was very poor. This may have influenced his writing by influencing the settings and the moods of some of his pieces.

Poe witnessed a lot of deaths in his lifetime, which also may have influenced the morbid nature of his stories. In addition to the deaths of his mother and other family members, Poe also experienced the death of his very dear wife, Virginia Clemm. He also experienced other less-than-satisfactory marriages, which may contribute to the overall dismal mood of his writing.

What is an American?

Around the world, there is a common stereotype of Americans as fat, lazy, stupid and uncultured. Sometimes it may make us ashamed of our country, especially when people say and do things that reinforce the stereotype. But in a country where we have fought against stereotypes for so long, why let our nation be confined by just that? In the spirit of American liberty and opportunity, I prefer to discuss the positive aspects of our nation instead.

Take American culture, for one. Among all of the world's rich and beautiful cultures, American culture is arguably the most beautiful, because it takes all different kinds of people and cultures and combines them into one. Simply by driving through Chicago, you could see a Chinese dim sum restaurant, an Indian sari shop, a Greek orthodox church, and a mexican mural all in the same area. America has always been a thriving center of immigration, and though we may take it for granted, it is more than you can say for most other countries.

I think what it means to be American is largely interpretive because of the many different types of people that are considered to be part of our culture. Each person who lives in our country re-defines the term "American," and becomes another star in the swirling galaxy of our ever-changing culture.