Outline: Edgar Allan Poe's Writing and Substance Abuse

Outline for Edgar Allan Poe Research Paper

I. Thesis: Edgar Allan Poe’s notorious drug and alcohol abuse combined with his dysfunctional and habitually unsupportive family play a large role in the development in the development of Poe’s unique writing styles and topics. a. Early age alcohol was commonplace Source 5 b. At later age small amount made him incapacitated Source 3 c. Used Alcohol as a Crutch Source 2 d. Kept him from achieving dreams Source 5 e. Couldn’t hold jobs Source 5 f. Separated him from everyone Source2 II. Alcohol and drug use kept Poe from achieving his dreams a. Wanted a magazine of his own Source 5 b. Got sick for weeks after a binge Source 5 c. Tried to go sober many times Source 5 d. Others Around him later in life attempted to intervene Source 5 e. Would Binge until he ran out of money or passed out Source 5 III. Due to the dysfunction of his family Poe was burdened with the constant availability of alcohol. a. From the start Poe didn’t know his real parents Source 6 b. He was the wine server at parties Source 5 c. As an adolescent not many saw signs of alcoholism source 1 d. Very fit throughout his teens and twenties Source 1 e. Got into the Military Academy Source 1 f. He was often on bad terms with his foster father Source 4 IV. Poe’s unique style of writing was greatly affected by his Rock star like behavior. a. His stories contained very gothic and deeply disturbed meanings and plots b. Though he would never admit it many think that Poe required drugs and alcohol to create his many ideas and stories. c. Dark stories derived from hallucinogenic effects of his opiates d. The often central theme of his poetry is loneliness or depression caused perhaps by the death of his beloved wife or the fact that he never got to know his parents and that he and his foster father were rarely on good terms V. Most of Poe’s stories end with a death or a Murder or overall misfortune for the protagonist or other characters in his stories a. Main character often resembles himself ex Roderick Usher b. Wrote mainly thriller stories or murder mysteries c. In Freudian terms Poe’s own misfortune and unsuccessfulness in early life may have led to the harsh and depressing stories he wrote d. He suffered from depression and attempted suicide VI. Conclusion a. Poe was different from the great minds of our time but he was a great mind despite his unfortunate upbringings and dreary but delightfully entrancing work