“Dream Within a

Dream”
Myles Gernale
“Do you think life is just a
dream?”
 Edgar Allan Poe
 Born on January 19, 1809, in Boston,
Massachusetts.
 His parents were David and Elizabeth
Poe.
 Elizabeth separated from her husband
and had taken her three kids with her.
and Elizabeth died of Tuberculosis in
1811 when the poet was two years old.
 John and Frances Allan raised him as a
foster child in Richmond, Virginia.
 When Poe was 6, he went to school in
England for 5 years.
 Poe (17 years old) returned to America
and went to the University of Virginia.
 Although Edgar had done well in school,
 Reason: He was forced to leave the university when Allan refused to
pay Poe’s gambling debts.
 Edgar went to Boston and joined the U.S. Army in 1827. He was 18. He
did reasonably well in the Army and attained the rank of sergeant
major.
 In 1829, Mrs. Allan died and John Allan tried to be friendly towards
Edgar and signed Edgar's application to West Point.
 While waiting to enter West Point, Edgar lived with his grandmother
and his aunt, Mrs. Clemm. Also living there was his brother, Henry,
and young cousin, Virginia.
 In 1830, Edgar Allan entered West Point as a cadet. He didn't stay long
because John Allan refused to send him any money. It is thought that
Edgar purposely broke the rules and ignored his duties so he would be
dismissed.
 In 1831, Edgar Allan Poe went to New York City where he had some of
his poetry published. He submitted stories to a number of magazines
 In 1836, Edgar married his cousin, Virginia. He was 27 and
she was 13.
 He started joining magazine companies as an editor
 But Edgar lost a lot of potential jobs (Salaries).
 Virginia died in 1847 because of (Tuberculosis too!), 10 days
after Edgar's birthday. After losing his wife, Poe collapsed
from stress but gradually returned to health later that year.
 Poe left Philadelphia in July and came to Richmond. He stayed at
the Swan Tavern Hotel but joined "The Sons of Temperance" in an
effort to stop drinking.
 On October 3, Poe was found in the streets of Baltimore near
Gunner's Hall, a tavern, and was taken to the hospital. To make
things confusing he wore another man’s clothes which were
unidentifiable. He lapsed in and out of consciousness but was
never able to explain exactly what happened to him. (Delirium)
 Edgar Allan Poe died in the hospital on Sunday, October 7, 1849.
 Poe’s death was a mystery. No one exactly knows how he died.
One likely case was he died of brain hemorrhage because of the
effects of alcohol (Hence the tavern). Another theories were
either he was robbed or he could have gotten rabbies.
Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow: You are not wrong who deem
That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown away. In a night, or in
a day, In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar

Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand--How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep--while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream?
 Analysis
Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you
now,  The first stanza is the first
Thus much let me avow: You are not wrong who deem
person P.O.V parting, perhaps
That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown
away. In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, of lovers (reflecting Poe's own
Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem tragic love affair with his young
Is but a dream within a dream. wife, who died in 1847, leaving
him distraught)
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand
 Theme - Is loss and to an
Grains of the golden sand--How few! yet how they
extent, confession, a letting go
creep of love and hope and the past.
Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep--while I
weep!
 How we experience the outside
O God! can I not grasp Them with a tighter clasp? world depends on how we're
O God! can I not save One from the pitiless wave? feeling inside.
Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream?
 Finality vs. Mortality
 Analysis
Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you
now,  The second stanza sees the
Thus much let me avow: You are not wrong who deem protagonist on the beach, where it
That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown could be said time and tide wait for
away. In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none,
no man.
Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
 Time is running out.
 The speaker futilely attempting to
I stand amid the roar grasp a handful of sand in his hand
Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand
 Sand – (Humanity) slipping away
Grains of the golden sand--How few! yet how they
creep like “sand.”
Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep--while I  Wave – (Death) Hitting the sand
weep!
destroying humanity
O God! can I not grasp Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save One from the pitiless wave?
 O God” – Expresses the authors
Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream? torment in his soul
 Analysis
Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you
now,
Thus much let me avow: You are not wrong who deem
That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown
away. In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand--How few! yet how they
creep
Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep--while I
weep!
O God! can I not grasp Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream?
 Sand flows away until time has
passed
 "All that we see or seem/Is but a
dream within a dream“
 Is the speaker saying that life has
been unfulfilled but that it doesn't
really matter, for isn't life just a
dream, an illusion?
 Sometimes so wonderful that you
never want to wake up from it.
The more aware you become of
the dream, the more likely you are
waking up breaking the dream.
 Reality vs. Fantasy
 Historical Approach/Psychoanalytic Approach
Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you
now,
Thus much let me avow: You are not wrong who deem
That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has
flown away. In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in
none,
Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand--How few! yet how they
creep
Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep--while I
weep!
O God! can I not grasp Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream?
 The poem was published in 1849 –
This was 2 years after Virginia’s death
 After her death Edgar was extremely
stressed and turned to even more
alcohol to condone
 The partner in the poem represent
Virginia
 After her death Edgar used dying
women as a motif. Other works
include “Annabel Lee”, “The Raven”
and “Ligeia.”
 Elizabeth’s death could also influence
this motif
 This poem was Edgar’s conclusion
that life is just a dream. Life is fragile
THE END