STORIES
Poets
DONATE

Edgar Allan Poe

by Jake from Wallingford


Edgar Allan lived from January 19, 1809, when he was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to October 7, 1849, where he died in Baltimore. He's helped me, well not really helped but, he's inspired me to let out my feelings in the form of poetry, not in my actions. For example, if I'm mad, I will not go and take it out on someone else, I would write a poem about what the person did to me or I would write a song about that person's actions. A lot of people just thought he was crazy, but he was helping people even though he didn't really know it, so he didn't really help me because he tried to help me, but because I look up to him and think he's my hero. His actions weren't important to a lot of people but they were important to me. He involuntarily helped me express my feelings without hurting anyone else.


Edgar Allan Poe wasn't really a hero to a lot of people, but he was my personal hero. So, I'm going to focus on his poetry, particularly his poem "Romance. "This poem changed how I look at a girl, not how pretty they are but how they have feelings and are on the inside. It's changed how I act, all in all as well, and I feel that I'm now headed in the right direction. It also makes you think a lot harder than you would normally want to. Most Americans want to be told what's right and what's wrong, but this poem is however you interpret it to be. It could be a love poem, or maybe it could be some random poem he wrote, it's whatever you think it is. It didn't really impact many lives; only the people who see the good in things can truly be impacted by poetry. Edgar once said "That man is not truly brave who is afraid either to seem or to be, when it suits him, a coward." That's told me to show how I feel and don't try to bottle it all up and seem brave, because truly inside you are a coward.

Another one of the poems that Edgar wrote was "Alone" and in this poem I interpret to be a story of how he grew up invisible to other people, not physically but mentally. What I mean by this is that people didn't pay attention to him, because they thought he was nothing, a spec of dust on an old antique dresser. Then it tells of how he didn't let that bother him as he grew older. He became more aware of this and wrote some poetry that he may not know has changed my life. In elementary school I wasn't the best student I was smart, but not really smart, and I'm still learning, but I'm not that smart. Yet, I still do my best and write poetry and songs. I can express my feelings in poetry, not in my school work. This also doesn't impact a lot of people's minds. You must be open minded and willing to think hard about something to let poetry guide you in the right direction. Edgar Allan Poe once said "To vilify a great man is the readiest way in which a little man can himself attain greatness." In my mind this means you have to want greatness, even if you don't think you can achieve it.

A lot of people would not have thought that Edgar Allan Poe was a hero because most of them thought he was crazy, but they don't like to think. That's why what I see in Edgar is a man who knows how to express his feelings in a way only true poets can. They didn't really try to stop him from being my hero or anyone's hero for that matter, because most people thought he was crazy and tried to make him feel bad about himself, just because they thought he was wrong. But, Edgar didn't let that stop him, he kept writing poetry, and he just shook them off and kept on moving and eventually became famous.

If there was a problem in the 21st century, he would say step back and think it through. Edgar has used his thought to solve many of his problems. For example, instead of telling everyone his feelings where he would be criticized and scolded, but instead he wrote poetry which in the century soon to come would become famous all across America. Also he would work slow at it and finish his thoughts instead of rushing through them. For example he never left his poems unfinished or left out details that could alter the whole poem. That is why Edgar Allan Poe is my hero.

Page created on 12/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 12/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.