Edgar Allen Poe is an influential force in the literary world. Poe is known for his horrific, depressing, and dark writing style commonly seen in the way he presents his work. Many of Poe's poems hide unlikely plot twists and are mysterious, depressing, and often based on human psychology. Readers often question Poe's sanity and question the meaning of his intricate and complex poems. To understand Poe's mindset and why he presented and wrote his poetry in such a specific way, it is necessary to understand Poe himself, his lifestyle, and what motivated his dark writing. Poe's writings present readers with a number of situations that require careful analysis of the writings in order to discover some of the common themes Poe writes about, such as death, love, and (how) the human mind works under pressure. Edgar Allan Poe was a descendant of versatile people. “Edgar Poe's ancestors were farmers and craftsmen on the one hand, actors on the other; and the paternal branch of the family had some claim to military distinction (Meyers, 1).” Poe's father and mother were both successful people until Edgar's father began to face criticism and favoritism due to which he abandoned his family. “David Poe made his last appearance on the stage in October 1809; by July 1811, when Edgar was two and a half years old, he had abandoned his wife and children and disappeared forever... David, after many mediocre performances and harsh reviews, was despondent, frustrated, and professionally jealous (Meyers 5.)” Briefly after that his father had left the family, his mother fell ill and died. “The abandonment of her husband, the tiring demands of her profession... the exclusive responsibility of her young children, her life of hardship and p...... middle of paper ...... has inflamed her his poems and made him a great poet. Works Cited Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. Norton's introduction to literature. New York: W. W. Norton, 2011. Print.Britton, Wesley. "Edgar Allan Poe and John Milton: 'The Ode to the Nativity' as..." Anq 11.2 (1998):29. Academic research completed. Network. April 27, 2014. “Edgar Allen Poe: The Bells.” Edgar Allen Poe: The Bells. Np, nd Web. April 26, 2014. Fawver, Kurt. "Girls and Psychic Demons: Nabokov's Lolita as a Vampire Story." Notes and Questions58.1 (2011): 133-138. Academic research completed. Network. April 27, 2014.Graham, Jorie. "The Raven.." by Edgar Allan Poe Paris Review 42.154 (2000): 236-241. AcademicSearch Complete. Web. April 27, 2014. Meyers, Jeffrey. Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy. New York: Cooper Square, 2000. Print.Poe, Edgar Allan. "Annabel Lee Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 2014.