Essay Poes Perspective Against the Upper Class - 1652 Words

Poe’s Perspective Literary genius Edgar Allan Poe lived a troubled life. During his forty years of existence, Poe struggled with the deaths of countless family members, including his cousin-wife. These bruising events caused him to develop the mental illness depression. In his short story â€Å"Masque of the Red Death,† the views Poe developed during his tumultuous life are reflected in his writing. The theme of this short story emphasizes the inevitability of death in descriptive details because Edgar Allan Poe has encountered death so many times. He also makes social commentary on materialism and the value of life because he was raised in a wealthy household where he received more allowance than love. Poe’s melancholy overtone in this story†¦show more content†¦He grew up in the aristocratic Virginian society, where he developed qualms regarding materialism. As a schoolboy, Poe yearned for affection and appreciation of his intellect. His adoptive paren ts reciprocated with monetary payment and splendor rather than the emotional upholding that he needed to keep a good mental health. Later, Poe married his cousin Virginia, his sole love, who battled illness for the latter part of her ephemeral life and eventually died of tuberculosis. This left Edgar Allan Poe a wreck, as he turned to drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism. Throughout his entire life, Edgar Allan Poe was burdened by many events that led to his depression and dislike of human nature. As a result of witnessing so many deaths during his lifetime, Poe made it very clear in â€Å"Masque of the Red Death† that death is inevitable, which is the theme of this short story. He saw many of his family members and friends die at young ages, proving to him that death will overcome anybody at anytime. This idea is portrayed in â€Å"Masque of the Red Death† with the motifs of the Red Death, the rooms of Prince Prospero’s castle, and the ebony clock. Firstly, the Red Death kills everyone in the end, showing readers that no one can escape death. Nobody survives at Prince Prospero’s masquerade in the same way no human survives or lives forever in life. The only certainty in life is death. Furthermore, the structure of the rooms in PrinceShow MoreRelatedEssay on Edgar Allen Poe1848 Words   |  8 Pages Edgar Allan Poe; A Man of Secrecy nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 as Edgar Poe. He was the second son to Elizabeth Arnold Poe and David Poe. Both parents were actors, and shortly after Poe’s birth, his father deserted his family around 1810. Edgar became an orphan before the age of three years, when his mother died on December 8, 1811 in Richmond, Virginia at the age of twenty-four years. His father died at the age of twenty-seven years old. After his