Edgar Allan Poe Jr. was born on the 19th January 1809 to actress and actor David Poe Jr. Poe was just three when his parents died. He spent his whole life with Frances Allan, a successful tobacco merchant, shortly before his death. Many people Poe knew were able to betray him throughout his entire life. John Allan was one of them. John Allan served as Poe’s father figure. One would expect a father to support their child and guide them through tough times. John Allan and Poe had a different relationship. Poe attended many great schools and was able in 1825 to attend the University of Virginia. He excelled academically, but was forced out by Allan after less that a year. This was due to bad debts as well as insufficient financial support. Allan was a successful seller, but he refused to support Poe financially. Allan was a constant barrier to Poe’s success and the root of many of his problems. This led to Poe having to deal with his own issues, which caused tension between Allan and Poe.
America faced similar problems right before Poe’s birth. Burr Aaron, a son of a presidential president, was born on 6 February 1756. The leader, or Democratic Republican Party as it was originally called, Burr Aaron was born in 1756 on the 6th of February. “His plan was to create a separate Southwest republic or to seize land on Spanish America. Burr, who was both an American citizen as well as a US government official, decided to betray America to suit his needs. His plan was not successful as James Wilkinson, Burr’s colleague, had already told Jefferson. It is obvious that people can betray their friends and family, regardless of how long they have known them. This was true for both professional and personal relationships. Edgar Allan Poe’s story, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, illustrates a similar situation. “The Tell-Tale Heart” tells the story of a man who claims to be in love with an older man. “Passion was absent. The old man was my best friend. He never hurt me. He had never given me insult”. The narrator was afraid of this man’s “eye of the vulture”. The fear caused the narrator to murder the man he once loved. It is clear that the story was influenced by the life and times of the author. The specific interactions that the narrator had involved betrayal. Poe believed that Allan, his father, had betrayed him many times and refused to provide for or support him. Edgar Allan Poe was alive at the time when Burr betrayed his country to satisfy his selfish needs. This is also evident in Poe’s story, which shows the betrayal and love. The narrator is shown murdering the man he claimed he loved.
All in all, Edgar Allan Poe was influenced by the events and experiences of his life.
