Edgar Allan Poe was a man considered by many to be the personification of Death. He is considered a true American genius whose works have captured and frightened the minds of millions of people. However, Poe differed greatly from other acclaimed authors of his time. He had a unique writing style that completely altered the reality surrounding his readers. Instead of touching their hearts with lovable fictional characters, he found a way of expressing himself that no other author had at the time. Poe's combination of zany genius and difficult past experiences led him to become one of the greatest writers of all time. Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to parents who were itinerant actors (Edgar Allan Poe). His father David Poe Jr. died or disappeared in 1810, and his mother Elizabeth Hopkins Poe died in 1811, leaving Edgar and two other brothers to fend for themselves. Edgar was taken to the home of a tobacco merchant from Richmond, Virginia, named John Allan, while the others were cared for by several foster parents (Allen). Poe began his education in Richmond and quickly developed his writing and reading skills. At the age of five Poe could easily recite passages of English poetry. Already at a young age Poe showed a natural talent for writing. One of his teachers in Richmond said: “While other boys wrote simple mechanical verse, Poe wrote real poetry; the boy was a born poet” (Allen). When Mr. Allan's business took him to Britain, Poe did not give up and continued to prosper in his studies. He grew up in England between 1815 and 1820, where he attended the Manor School in Stoke Newington (Wilson). Six years later, in 1826, Poe returned to America and attended the University of... middle of paper... the raven was just an animal, but after reading it a few more times I began to conclude that the character became more irritated with the raven it was clear that the raven represented something more than just a bird. For me the raven was an aspect of himself, an aspect he couldn't face. In this case, since this poem was written after his wife's death, I think the "never again" is the raven reminding him that she will never exist again. Since I enjoyed this poem so much, I wouldn't mind reading another of Poe's works, although it might take me a while to decipher all the hidden meanings. This true masterpiece was written by one of the greatest authors in American history and I would recommend everyone to read at least one of his works, if not all, to experience the reality of the stories that changed my mind forever..