1. Edgar Allan Poe
His view on death as portrayed in his
writings.
Gabrielle Swygert
Owens
English 1102
2. Overview
• Surrounded by death throughout his life
• Death without motive
– “The Tell-Tale Heart”
– “The Black Cat”
• Death of a loved one
– “Annabel Lee”
– “Ligeia”
• Inevitable Death
– “The Masque of the Red Death”
• Death in relevance with Poe’s life
– “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”
– “To My Mother”
3. Death followed Poe
• Birth mother and father died in 1811
• Brother dies at age 27
• Adoptive mother died a few years after his
brother
• Wife dies in 1847
4. Not all deaths are motivated by hate
or revenge
• The Tell-Tale Heart
– Paranoia
– Guilt
• The Black Cat
– Anxiety
– Paranoia
5. One day all our loved ones will be
gone…
• Annabel Lee
– Her memory remained
– His passion for her withstood the test of death
• Ligeia
– Her spirit perservered even though death had
come for her… or did she?
6. Death will come no matter what
• The Masque of the Red Death
– Wealth will not save your soul
– We can not escape death
– Death is blind to social and economical status
– Death is inevitable
7. Death of the women in Poe’s life
• The Murders of the Rue Morgue
– Two women involved in the murders represent his
wife and aunt
– The death of the women has relevance with the
death of his adoptive mother, Francis
8. To My Mother
• Poe wrote a poem for his mother in law
• He believed she was up in heaven watching
over him
• He believed she helped death take his wife
• He expresses his love and mourning of her
early death.
