Critical+Analysis

Gianluca Russo 4-1-2012 Salamone Critical Analysis __Alone by Edgar Allan Poe__  Edgar Allan Poe grew up as an orphan, moving to different parts of the world for schooling. He never had real friends from the time he was two until the end of his life. But this experience of friendlessness is what inspired Poe the most to write some of what would become his most wonderful pieces of literature in the 21st century. Among these poems and short stories, is a poem called //Alone// published about 30 years after Poe’s death. This poem is about Edgar Allan Poe’s childhood and how it was very different from that of everyone else. But Poe is saying more than he had a bad childhood in this poem. In Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, //Alone,// he is stating that he was always different from other children, Poe had no one to share his sorrow with, and that his view of life was completely different from other children because he viewed it in a different way.  The poem begins, “From childhood’s hour- I have not been, As others were- I have not seen.”This quote is first saying that since the beginning of Poe’s childhood he was different from other children. He wasn’t similar to them. The poem is then saying how Poe didnt view what was happening around him the same way others were which made him different from everyone else. Poe then goes on to write, “As others saw- I could not bring my passions from a common spring-.” This quote is saying once again that Poe was different in the way he saw things. The next part of the quote is saying how Poe didn’t have the same passions or wants than other children. by saying “I could not bring my passions,” the poem is saying that Poe just couldn’t feel or be like others. He may have possibly tried to be similar but he just couldn’t bring the same feelings that others had. By using the word “Common”, we see how he is comparing himself to “Common” children, and showing us how he is different. These two quotes show how Edgar Allan Poe was very peculiar as a child.  Poe is also trying to say in this poem that he had no one to share the ups and downs of his life with. He writes, “My heart to joy at the same tone-.” This quote from the poem is showing us how Poe never felt different whether in a happy situation or a bad one. This is a result of him not being able express his feeling with anyone. And because of this he felt alone. Another quote from the poem is, “All I lov’d- I lov’d alone.” This second quote from the poem is showing that Poe had no one to share what he loved with. He loved alone and with no one else. Poe may have felt this way when he got married or when his literature was beginning to be published. All of his family had died, he didn’t have any friends and soon enough his newlywed wife had also died. So when these good things happened in his life, he had no one to share them with. This caused Poe to feel like his life was full of sorrow, is also stated in the poem. These quotes have shown the reader that Poe didn’t have anyone to share his life with.  The last point Poe is trying to make is that he viewed life very differently than other people. Poe writes, “The mystery that blinds me still.” This quote is showing how Poe thought that something was blocking his view from life. This blindness was making him see the world in a different way than others. Poe then goes on to write about some beautiful natural occurrences such as lightning and the colors of autumn. The poem is finished by this last line, “Of a demon in my view.” When this sentence is applied to the other quote, we see how Edgar Allan Poe knew what made him blind from all the good and beautiful things in the world. He describes this as a demon. This demonic creature was preventing him from seeing everything differently. Everything that ever happened was always bad to Poe because of this demon. So these two quotes prove the point how Edgar Allan Poe saw the world in a different and peculiar way.  In Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, //Alone,// he is stating that he was always different from other children, Poe had no one to share his sorrow with, and that his view of life was completely different from other children because something was blocking his view. From the text of them poem we can see how these points that Poe was trying to make really are true. Edgar Allan Poe was different from other children because of his peculiar childhood. It might have been an easier life for him if he didn’t have a demon in his view.