Similarities Between Annabel Lee And The Fall Of The House Of Usher

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Death of a Beautiful Woman Edgar Allan Poe uses the death of women as a main topic in many of his stories, including “Annabel Lee” and “The Fall Of The House Of Usher.” Poe’s writing about death is most likely a correlation to the fact that he comes from a childhood where most of the women in his life--his mom, foster mom, first love, and wife--die of tuberculous. In “Annabel Lee” and “The Fall Of The House Of Usher” Poe uses the recurring motif of women dying to reflect his grief. Poe uses his poems and short stories to relieve his heartbreak from the women in his life who pass away, in particular his wife Virginia. Poe’s poem “Annabel Lee” is published two years after Virginia 's death. “Annabel Lee” is a poem about a beautiful young girl …show more content…

Poe’s poem “Annabel Lee” is published two years after Virginia 's death. “Annabel Lee” is a poem about a beautiful young girl who dies, and the narrator describes her death and how much he misses her. Researchers have examined Poe’s work and have come to the conclusion that the main character named Annabel Lee represents Virginia: “His wife Virginia had died in 1847 after suffering a prolonged illness, and many readers have believed that the poem was written in her memory” (Johnson 1). Virginia dies at the young age of twenty-four, but that does not stop Poe’s ongoing love for her even after her death. Similarly, the narrator in the poem explains that their love is stronger than relationships that are older and wiser than theirs, and how the angels in heaven are jealous of their love even after death. From this, one is able to tell they are deeply in love with each other. In stanza 3 of “Annabel Lee” Poe states: “A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling / My beautiful Annabel Lee; / So that her highborn kinsmen came / And bore her away from me, / To shut her up in a sepulchre” (Poe “Annabel Lee”). The reader realizes Annabel Lee has been taken by her family and buried by the sea. The narrator believes it is not her time to leave this world. Edgar Allan Poe’s reason to write “Annabel Lee” is to relieve the grief of his beloved Virginia who also dies too