Edgar Allan Poe, (1809-1849), lived a sad and deeply troubled life. After losing his mother at the age of three, he was orphaned by Frances, a close friend of his mother's, and John Allan. After John Allan became involved in extramarital affairs while Frances lay dying of Tuberculosis, Edgar and John became estranged. John sent Edgar to the new and very rough University of Virginia with barely enough money to even get there. He struggled to make ends meet and took to gambling. After acquiring the equivalent of $25,000 in gambling debts, which John would not cover, Edgar joined the Army as Edgar Parry, to avoid debtor's prison, and later attended West Point for a short duration.
             It was with his Aunt Maria Clemm and cousin Virginia that Edgar was finally able to find the warm and supportive home he so desperately needed. After leaving, a letter from Maria informed him that Virginia was to be sent to live with a relative. Upon reading this letter, Edgar, 27, became frantic and wrote a letter pleading with Maria to not do so, because he desperately loved Maria, 13. Contrary to popular belief, his life with Virginia was a happy one. Virginia lived for five years after contracting Tuberculosis, the same death to take the Frances and his mother. It was in these five years that Edgar became insane. Virginia would get better then worse then better. It drove Edgar mad to not be able to earn enough money to keep her well fed, warm, or to even keep a roof over her head. His most famous poem, The Raven, earned only $14. After Virginia's death, he would be seen wandering out to her grave in the middle of the night, crying himself to sleep.
             In his fortieth year, he courted many different women, writing almost the exact same letters to each. He earnestly believed that a woman would help his exit from the world; without one, he was lost and alone. On October 3, 1849 Edgar was found delirious on a Baltimore Street. ...