“Alone”

Edgar Allan Poe

From childhood’s hour I have not been

As others were—I have not seen
As others saw—I could not bring
My passions from a common spring—
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow—I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone—
And all I lov’d—I lov’d alone—
Then—in my childhood—in the dawn
Of a most stormy life—was drawn
From ev’ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still—
From the torrent, or the fountain—
From the red cliff of the mountain—
From the sun that ’round me roll’d
In its autumn tint of gold—
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass’d me flying by—
From the thunder, and the storm—
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view—

What literature would you imagine if hear the name, Edgar Allan Poe? Dark,
murder, death, and horror that is typically how we describe the works of Edgar Allan
Poe the master of Macabre, Pioneer of Science Fiction, and Father of Detective Story.
His poem “Alone” reflected the explanation of his creative style in writing.
The poem Alone mirrors the life and views of Edgar Allan Poe different from the
others. First, let us examine the life of Edgar Allan Poe. He was born on January 19,
1809, in Boston Massachusetts but within three years both of his parents died, and
he was taken by tobacco merchant John Allan (godfather). In 1826 he was sent to the
University of Virginia, excelled in class but accumulated debts due to gambling, and
later forced to drop out of school. He returned home and found out that his fiancée
Elmira Royster had become engaged to another man. Broken and alone, Poe went to
his father’s home in Baltimore and stayed in his aunt Maria Clemm where he also met
his wife Virginia whom he married at the age of 13. During this time his earnings as a
writer did not support their needs, as a result, he moved to New York and there his
writings started to be fully recognized like in 1845 when he published one of his well-
named story “The Raven”.
Edgar Allan Poe is known for being a drinker and womanizer. In 1847 his wife
died due to tuberculosis, he was devasted and stop writing for several months. In
1849 he returned to Richmond and reconnected with his fiancée Elmira Royster who
is now a widow. They intended to get married but during his travel to Philadelphia,
Poe stopped by to Baltimore and disappeared for five days. Later, he was found in the
bar room in the public house. He was brought to Washington College Hospital where
he spent the last days of his life. Poe died on October 7, 1849, at the age of forty where
his exact death is a mystery some scholars say it was due to drinking or heart failure.
Poe wrote the poem “Alone” in 1829 at the age of 21 but it was published in
1875, 26 years after his death. Based on the observation of his life it was written
during the time he was struggling with money, pain from the death of his foster
mother and broken-hearted to Elmira. We can all agree that this writing is his most
self-revealing one. He felt more being an outcast in this world.
This poem depicted the difficult childhood that Poe had from losing his parent
at a young age, broken and no support from others. It perceived how he does not fit in
the society due to the differences in opinion, principles, and views in life.
In the 1st and 2nd line of the poem, Poe explains why he considered himself
different from the other, from his childhood experience and the ways see things
differently.
The 3rd and 4th lines, Poe explains having the same drive for his passion and
goal but the passion he wants for himself is way different from the other.
The 5th-7th lines explain the world he is into where he feels pain, joy, and love
only Poe understands because he perceives things differently.
The 8th -12th lines depicted the loneliness of Poe questioning himself why he
perceived things fully different from the other. It always brings back from his
childhood to present how and why he views life differently.
The 13th – 22nd lines answered why he perceives things differently from other
people it is because of his experience in life, his emotional experience changes his
definition and understanding of things around him which explain his peculiarities in
his style of writing.
 From the historical background of Edgar Allan Poe, we generate the meaning of
the poem based on his life experiences, it states that Poe sees the world through a
darker lens, emotional life and his adversary make it harder for him to relate things as
other sees and this leads to being alone often.