EDGAR ALLAN POE
January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849
Romance
A Valentine
LIFE
OF
EDGAR ALLEN POE
His father left his family early on and his mother passed away when he was only three. He was separated from his siblings so
he went to live with John and Frances Allan, a successful tobacco merchant and his wife in Richmond, Virginia. His father left
his family early on and his mother passed away when he was only three. He was separated from his siblings so he went to
live with John and Frances Allan, a successful tobacco merchant and his wife in Richmond, Virginia. When he returned home,
his neighbor and fiancée Elmira Royster had become engaged to someone else. Heartbroken and frustrated, he left the
Allans. He published his first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems, in 1827, and he joined the army around this time. He
wanted to go to West Point, a military academy, and won a spot there in 1830. Before going to West Point, he published a
second collection, Al Aaraaf, Tamberlane, and Minor Poems in 1829. He excelled his studies but was kicked out after a year
for his poor handling of his duties. After leaving the academy, he spent full time in his writing. He moved around in search
of opportunity. From 1831 to 1835, he stayed in Baltimore with his aunt Maria Clemn and her daughter Virginia. His young
cousin, Virginia became a literary inspiration and his love interest. They married in 1836. Poe then went to work for a
magazine called Southern Literary Messenger in 1835. He published some of his own works in the magazine, including two
parts of his only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym. In the late 1830s, he published Tales of the Grosteque and
Arabesque, a collection of stories. It contained several of his most spine-tingling tales, including “The Fall of the House of
Usher,” “Ligeia” and “William Wilson.” Poe launched the new genre of detective fiction with 1841’s “The Murders in the Rue
Morgue.” He won a literary prize in 1843 for “The Gold Bug.” He became a literary sensation in 1845 with the publication of
the poem “The Raven.” Poe was overcome with grief after the death of his beloved Virginia in 1847. He suffered from poor
health and struggled financially. On October 3, Poe was found in Baltimore in great distress. He was taken to Washington
College Hospital where he died on October 7. His last words were “Lord, help my poor soul.”
Romance
Romance, who loves to nod and sing,
With drowsy head and folded wing,
Among the green leaves as they shake
Far down within some shadowy lake,
To me a painted paroquet
Hath been- a most familiar birdTaught me my alphabet to sayTo lisp my very earliest word
While in the wild wood I did lie,
A child- with a most knowing eye.
Of late, eternal Condor years
So shake the very Heaven on high
With tumult as they thunder by,
I have no time for idle cares
Through gazing on the unquiet sky.
And when an hour with calmer wings
Its down upon my spirit flingsThat little time with lyre and rhyme
To while away- forbidden things!
My heart would feel to be a crime
Unless it trembled with the strings.
Edgar Allan Poe
Literary Analysis of A Romance
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'Romance' is a poem by American writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe. Poe is widely recognized as being one of the most
important writers in the history of the horror genre.
'Romance' is a poem of two verses, though it is sometimes printed with no verses at all. The first verse consists of ten
lines, and the second verse is made up of eleven lines. The first verse relates to childhood, whereas the second verse
focuses on the adult life of the subject in the poem.
Secrets of Childhood
Poe's poem 'Romance' is rich in imagery, and the first four lines give some hint of Poe's horror leanings. But, more than
anything else, 'Romance' develops into a poem that is a reflective look at life. In the first verse, Poe gives the reader an
insight into childhood. The reader is told that the subject in the poem was taught the alphabet by a "painted
paroquet". The poet also reveals that, as a small child, the subject in the poem had a lisp.
The intriguing final two lines of the first verse suggest that the child is becoming an adult: "While in the wild wood I did
lie, / A child - with a most knowing eye." This could be interpreted as being a witness to a romantic liaison, or
experiencing one for the first time.
Later Years
In the second verse of the poem, the child has become an adult and seems unhappy and even embittered, as
underlined by: "I have no time for idle cares / Through gazing on the unquiet sky." The haunting "late, eternal Condor
years" also infers that the second verse is more about a person nearer to the end of their life than to the beginning.
More beautiful imagery surfaces in 'Romance' when Poe writes of the "lyre and rhyme / To while away - forbidden
things!" The final two lines, though, are the most beautiful of all, as Edgar Allan Poe states that his heart has no option
but to tremble "with the strings".
The poem begins with two rhyming couplets, but the rhyme schemes are varied throughout. Rhyming couplets are
used again in 'Romance', and Poe also uses hyphens to accentuate descriptions in the poem. There is a contrast of
beautiful imagery and realism, and it was a poem written while Poe was a very young man. This poem reflects the
tumultuous feelings often experienced at that age.
A Valentine
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For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,
Brightly expressive as the twins of Leda,
Shall find her own sweet name, that nestling lies
Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.
Search narrowly the lines!- they hold a treasure
Divine- a talisman- an amulet
That must be worn at heart. Search well the measureThe words- the syllables! Do not forget
The trivialest point, or you may lose your labor
And yet there is in this no Gordian knot
Which one might not undo without a sabre,
If one could merely comprehend the plot.
Enwritten upon the leaf where now are peering
Eyes scintillating soul, there lie perdus
Three eloquent words oft uttered in the hearing
Of poets, by poets- as the name is a poet's, too,
Its letters, although naturally lying
Like the knight Pinto- Mendez FerdinandoStill form a synonym for Truth- Cease trying!
You will not read the riddle, though you do the best you can do.
Literary Analysis of A Valentine
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This is a lyrical poem, written in the form of acrostic. Other than a poem, “A Valentine” is actually a riddle that Poe made to reveal his secret
lover. Edgar Allen Poe composed “A Valentine” to express his affection for a woman, but he’s too afraid to directly tell her because she’s
already married. The subject matter is about Poe’s challenge for the readers, to solve the riddle within this poem. Through the puzzle that the
writer gives out to the reader, he also blends in the implication for his lover’s beauty. Poe’s love for this woman is a secret affair. He can only
express it in discreet, through the meaning of this poem, because it is wrongful to be infatuated with a married woman. The theme of this poem
is about a woman’s magnificence to a man when he’s falling in love, and the mysteriousness of this secret love they’re having. Poe wrote this
poem under his personal context of being in love, in a secret love affair. The historical context of “A Valentine” is in the 1846, so it is evident
that the language used is formal. The tone applied for this poem is very romantic, when refer to the woman and stimulating, in terms of the
mystery for the reader. The writing purpose of Poe is to stimulate the readers with an interesting puzzle about his lover. The regular rhyme
scheme of this poem is ABAB CDCD, but sometimes the pattern change unexpectedly due to the appearance of an odd line with no rhyme.
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The riddle is the dominant feature of this poem, that’s the main factor that makes this poem so ingenious. Not only does it express the romantic
words of the writer, Edgar Allen Poe also composed a hidden riddle within “A Valentine”. If you take the first letter from the first line, the
second letter from the second line, the third letter from the third line, and so on until the end, the riddle of this poem will be revealed. The
name of the woman who Poe is crazed about exists in every line throughout the whole poem, Frances Sargent Osgood. She was another great
poetess who shares her secret affair with Poe through poems.
An array of literary devices is used in “A Valentine”. Simile can be found in the first two lines:“For her this rhyme…twins of Leda”. This
comparison illustrates this woman’s gorgeousness, almost as beautiful as a girl named Leda, a character from “Leda and the Swan”. The writer
wants to notify the readers that through “Shall find her own sweet name, that nestling lies”, the name of his lover can be found within the
huddling lines “lies” of this poem. “A Valentine” contains a lot of metaphors. The line “Search narrowly the lines!- they hold a treasure” has
one. This is a hint from the writer for the readers to find his beloved’s name in this poem, implying her name being the treasure. The line “And
yet there is in this no Gordian knot” contains another metaphor. It is used to imply an intractable problem, solved by a bold stroke. So it
literally means there is no hard problem in solving a riddle of this poem.“Of poets, by poets- as the name is a poet’s, too”. The repetition of the
word “poet” gives a hint to the readers that this woman, which is the solution to the riddle, is also a poet. Another simile, merged with
personification can be found in “Its letters, although naturally lying. Like the knight Pinto- Mendez Ferdinando” The effect of this skilful
combination of literary devices is to give the letters which represents the answer of this riddle more power, as mighty as the knight Pinto. It is
also evident to notify that his choice of vocabulary and language style is very impressive throughout the whole poem, “Eyes scintillating soul”,
“Gordian knot”, “Cease trying”…
This is one of the profound love poems of the great Edgar Allen Poe. It is certainly a masterpiece that can still remain its prolonged existence.
Not only is this piece romantic and beautiful in the illustration of Poe’s lover, but it’s also clever in the hidden riddle that the writer challenges is
the readers. Poe’s purpose stated very clear through the descriptions: to reveal his secret love with Frances Sargent Osgood. He has used his
own unique writing style and many literary devices to transfer perfectly the significance of this love, acrostic poem.
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do.
Comparison
Both the “Romance” and “A Valentine” were works
of Edgar Allan Poe that expressed the theme of
love.
Both of these poems are allusions to his past loves
throughout his life.
The two poems basically symbolize the same thing
but from two different views, in “Romance” it is a
broader view of romance in his life however “A
Valentine” is focused on one women.
Definition
By Damon Chen
Infinite in mystery is the answer to life
you don't have the time to do everything
but you shouldn't sit and do nothing
could you become the dew that quenches the land?
and create an everlasting image
Or will you endure torment
to find the end of your journey
living in a universe that abhors you and I
Broken Glass
By Benjamin Wong
All we are is broken glass
Thrown to the floor we were never meant to last
And all we are are empty shells
Try to pick us up you're gonna cut yourself
We fought to rule the world
Not knowing just how fragile we really were
Like it was the first day of the rest of our lives
Then the bricks began to fall
And we can see the cracks along the wall
We didn't know it couldn't go on forever
The Traveler
Searching for something none will ever know,
Throughout his life he will travel,
For something he may never know,
Throughout his travels from all he learns,
from all his experiences,
it still may not be enough,
The Traveler travels for the mystery of himself,
For one day he may find out,
Who the traveler is.
By Shonel Rahim
Hero by Quinn Tassin
Not all heroes are super
They do not all wear capes
They are not invincible
They can be scraped
Heroes are those
Who do what they can
To strive to become
A better man
Heroes don’t fly
Or have super strength
They don’t run like a train
Or jump a mile’s length
Heroes are those
Who fight for what they know
And no matter the price
Never say no
WORKS CITED
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""Edgar Allan Poe Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 05
June 2013.
http://www.biography.com/people/edgar-allan-poe9443160
"Louie's Blog." Louies Blog. N.p., 4 Dec. 2009. Web. 07 June 2013. <
<http://louieduy.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/a-valentine-of-edgar-allenpoe-analysis/>
Poe, Edgar Allan. "A Valentine." N.p., 31 Dec. 2002. Web. 7 June 2013. <
<http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-valentine/>
Rance, Paul. "Poetry Analysis: Romance, by Edgar Allan Poe." Helium. Helium, 23
Nov. 2011. Web. 07 <
June 2013.
<http://www.helium.com/items/2259276-poetry-analysis-romance-byedgar-allan-<
poe>.