Gigliotti - Who was Edgar Allan Poe?

Edgar Allan Poe walked briskly down a New York City street one winter day early in 1845. A young boy spotted the famous writer. Soon another boy noticed him, too. And then another. One of the boys took a stick and hit Edgar on his heel. Caw! Caw! the other children shrieked, flapping their arms like birds.

The moody author swung quickly around. Nevermore! he cried, and the frightened children ran awayonly to come back and repeat the scene a few seconds later.

The kids werent being mean. They were having fun, and Edgar was, too. He was enjoying the fame that his poem The Raven had brought him.

The New York Evening Mirror had printed The Raven in January of that year, and it was a big hit for the newspaper. It seemed as if almost everyone had read the poem about a bird who speaks only one mysterious word: nevermore. The poem was sad, and it was scary.

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most important writers in American history. He is most remembered for chilling stories that still terrify readers today, more than 165 years after his death. His work has influenced writers, artists, and even movie directors.

Edgar should have enjoyed the glory that The Raven brought him. And sometimes, like when he played with the children on the street, he did. With Edgar, though, there always seemed to be a dark side to life. When his poems and stories earned praise from critics, he still brooded over not making as much money as he felt he should. When he had a good job at a magazine, he lost it by drinking too much. And when it came to The Raven, Edgar knew one great, big, terrible secret that his readers didnt: His wife was dying. Just like the poet in the poem, he would soon be alone in the world.

Edgar Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 19, 1809. He was the second child of Eliza and David Poe Jr. Edgars brother, William, was two years older. He was usually called by his middle name, Henry. Edgars younger sister, Rosalie, was born only a year later.

Eliza was an actress who had been born in England. Elizas mother, Edgars grandmother, had been an actress, too. David was a law student who gave up his studies after he proposed to Eliza. Soon after, he also began a career on the stage.

America was the land of opportunitybut there werent many opportunities for actors. The United States was only thirty years old when Eliza and David were married in 1806. Most people didnt have extra money or time to spend on entertainment such as going to the theater, so acting didnt pay very well. And the few people who could afford to see plays didnt want to watch the same show night after night. That made it tough on actors. They had to learn many different roles and travel from town to town.

By all accounts, Eliza was an excellent actress. She was best at comedy, but performed hundreds of different roles in her career. She was lively and pretty, and popular with audiences. The critics called her enchanting and pleasing. David was handsome but dull onstage, and quick-tempered off it. Critics called him an embarrassment.

Eliza and David traveled with a group of other actors through much of the eastern United States. One night, they might have performed in a comedy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Several nights later, they might be in a drama in Baltimore, Maryland. They couldnt care for Edgar and Henry on the road, so the boys often were left with Davids mother and father in Baltimore.

David began drinking too much and quarreling with Eliza. Eventually, sometime around Rosalies birth in 1810, David left the acting troupeand his family. He was never heard from again. Edgar was not yet two years old.

Edgar soon was without his mother, as well. In 1811, Elizas acting began to suffer. Audiences didnt know why, but it turned out that she had tuberculosis. People with tuberculosis usually have a bad cough, a fever, and night sweats. In the 1800s, there was no cure.

TUBERCULOSIS

TUBERCULOSIS, ALSO KNOWN AS TB, IS AN INFECTION OF THE LUNGS. IT SPREADS THROUGH THE AIR WHEN INFECTED PEOPLE COUGH OR SNEEZE. THROUGHOUT HISTORY, TUBERCULOSIS WAS A DEADLY DISEASE. MOST PEOPLE NEVER RECOVERED FROM IT.

THE FIRST VACCINE AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS WAS DEVELOPED IN THE EARLY PART OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. BUT IT DID NOT BECOME WIDELY ACCEPTED AS A FORM OF TREATMENT UNTIL THE LATE 1940S. TODAY, TUBERCULOSIS CAN BE PREVENTED AND TREATED.