My English teacher, Mr. Antuono, is a great fan of Poe's work. We began studying him today in class. Both he and I were wondering if Poe took his adopted parents' last name and began to use it as his middle name. It would be very possible, I think, because of the fact that they are both spelled the same. Could you please send the anwer A.S.P. URGENT!!!!!!!

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2000

Answers

Jennifer,

Actually, Poe was never legally adopted by John and Frances Allan of Richmond, Virginia. They took Edgar into their home and raised him as a foster child. He was born Edgar Poe on January 19,1809 in Boston, Mass. to Elizabeth Arnold Poe and David Poe, Jr. Edgar's parents were stage actors in a traveling troupe that performed plays all over New England and parts of the South.

Edgar began using the name Allan while in England with his foster parents and was generally referred to as Eddie. He was exceptionally close to his foster mother, Frances and while he often called John Allan "Pa", in his later teen years, he and John Allan's relationship became strained and ultimately, after Frances died, their relationship was severed by John Allan.

Best Regards,

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2000

your a fag

-- Anonymous, February 01, 2001

Shut up you lezbo

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2002

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-- Anonymous, February 08, 2002

i love u

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2002

do you know anything about AnnabelLee!

You a dike! thanx!

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2002

As I token of my esteem I am going to give a hate letter to each of the agressors that have put you down. It is part of my dark nature. David 18yrs

-- Anonymous, October 16, 2002

u r all fags an i wanna say that cheerleaderz suk big an r so butt so blow me if u think other wise ~~~~gothrok~~~~

-- Anonymous, October 16, 2002

jennifer i will say this i am a big fan of edger allan poe and so is my english reading teacher and i will do u a big favor and i will ask all the teachers at my school and at the high school and find out as much as i can

-- Anonymous, January 07, 2003

Looking at the response from some of these people i wonder how they could even spell POE....Fag's and Lezbo's? How about people who read the great works of true writers...LaQuitara

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2003

I truly hate school and hate evreything to do with Edgar Allan Poe and i think that you are all fucken assholes and i want you to know you all suck BIG ASS!!!!

-- Anonymous, May 20, 2003

I just want to say that I really do truly love all of Edger Allan Poes stories,they just want to make me read everyday. oh yeah I wish I would of been alive then to meet him!!

-- Anonymous, May 20, 2003

i am totally amazed at the lack of respect SHOWN TO one of the Greatest American Writer and poets that EVER LIVED on this page...and the childish behavior demontrated here...this has to be frequented by many high school kids...or grade school kids....EDGAR ALLAN POE WAS WAY AHEAD OF HIS TIME...DID YOU KNOW HIS SHORT STORY "MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE " WAS ONE OF THE FIRST DETECTIVE STORIES EVER WRITTEN....HE HAD A GOTHIC STYLE...THAT I HAVE NEVER SEEN MATCHED BY ANY OTHER NORTH AMERICAN WRITER...UNFORTUNATELY HE LIVED A LIFE OF TRAGIDY... AND SCANDLE .ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE EVENTUALLY CONTIBUTED TO HIS ILLNESS AND FINAL DEATH...HE IS THE EPITIMY OF THE TORCHERED ARTIST...NEVER REALLY RECOGNIZED TILL LONG AFTER HIS DEATH......HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THE GROUP "the allan parsons project"IN THE LATE 70'S ALLAN PARSON PUT OUT AN ALBUM CALLED TALES OF IMAGINATION AND MYSTERY,,EDGAR ALLAN POE....IT IS A MIX OF SOME VERY COOL PROGRESIVE ROCK WITH A CLASSICAL FLAVOUR...EXCELLENT....EDGER ALLAN POE IS A PART OF YOUR HERITAGE...DON'T YOU CARE ABOUT HERITAGE...NATIONAL PRIDE.....HAVE YOU FORGOTEN WHAT HAPPENED TO AMERICA AND THE WORLD ON 9/11/03?.....WHEN IT COMES TO ALL THINGS AMERICAN...BE PROUD !!!!

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2003

edger is the main man of this world and know one can change what he had done billy 16yrs

-- Anonymous, October 23, 2003

My name is william but i go by billy. i respect edger allan poe. iam a really big fan of his, and i love all of his poems. edger allan poe was a really great man from what i read. i also lived right up the road from whair he was buried i wrote this because i really respect edger allan poe. give me an email if you are a really big fan.thank you iam 16yrs old

-- Anonymous, October 24, 2003

Edgar Allan poe lived a pathetic life not because of all the tragedies but because of the way he reacted to them. when something bad happens, you can react in one of two ways: you can choose to be a martyr, or you can choose to be proactive. It is proven that bad things are attracted to people that live by them. When a person is proactive, they are happier, healthier, and more knowledgeable. When a person chooses to be a martyr after something happens, they spiral down a never-ending hole of hatred and unhappiness. some drink, some murder, some commit suicide. Edgar allan poe was one of those people. he took his bad experiences and tore his happiness apart because of it. he wrote on his feelings - his hatred, his fear, his sadness. If he wonders why no one liked his work, it is because it had no good in it. it is about pure unadulterated evil. An example of a person with just as much, if not more, tragedy in his life is Robert Frost. he also had many members of his family die from tuberculosis. he led his life as though tragedy never happened. he did not ignore it, however. he dealt with it by finding the happier side of life. poe did not use that ability. he chose to live in the dark, alone and cold.

-the pope scott manning

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2003

look i can spell somthing......blah blah blah............................................ANARCHY!!!!!!!!!! i read but not Edgar =) love me hate me i dont care

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2004

i think edger allan poe is a legendary mastermind he wrote some of the mosst suspensfull stuff ive ever read he actully makes things seem so real and not fake like other people do and i love his work my favorite is always going to be Black Cats thats it

-- Anonymous, September 03, 2004

edgar s middle (snnoooooooooooooooor snooooooooooooor) what what hapend oh can we fuck now!!!!!!!???

-- Anonymous, October 26, 2004

Et on dit que les americains sont les plus intelligents? Une petite poignée alors car ils m'ont démontré le contraire par les réponses de certains.

-- Anonymous, October 28, 2004

I think that Edger was an excent writter and that his childhood did contribute to his writing and his death and to all you stupid fucks out there who write guy shit...why do you do that did your momma not teach you how to write or are just flat out stupid I'm tired of you dumb fucks who go to these sites and write stupid shit stop it's a waste of my time and anyone else that wants to acually read and better from these sites

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2004

Yes Poe did take his godfather's(adopted parent's) John and France's Allan last name.

-- Anonymous, December 13, 2004

Edgar Allan Poe wrote Annabell lee for his wife that aslo happened to be his 13 year old cousin that died due to a burst blood vessel. He is stating when she died that not even death could stop him from loving her. He felt like the gods in the heavins were joulous of their love for one another. who ever said that Poe was not a leiterary genius needs to pull there head out of their ass and read his subjects. I am glad that i finally found a web site were you can express your self for the immortal genius known to the world as EDGAR ALLAN POE.

-- Anonymous, February 23, 2005

of course he did my parents are both poe experts and they say that he did. he is a very interesting man.

-- Anonymous, March 04, 2005