Annabel Lee Group

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jany
jany
Student
High School - 11th Grade

Why did Edgar Allan Poe write Annabel Lee?

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Posted by jany on Monday November 9, 2009 at 1:23 AM and tagged with annabel lee, edgar allan poe, literature, poetry.

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  1. chicagorilke23

    eNotes Editor

    Many scholars and readers have speculated that Edgar Allan Poe wrote Annabel Lee about his wife Virginia. She had passed on two years before the poem was written in 1849. This may explain why Poe gave copies to various people and a magazine at the time, almost as a way to make sure that the poem would be published. Then again, Poe may have just written Annabel Lee as a continuation of his commonly used theme of death to a beautiful woman. Some people speculate that this theme is mirrored by the death of Poe's mother, step mother and his young wife Virginia.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/annabel-lee

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    Posted by chicagorilke23 on Monday November 9, 2009 at 2:08 AM

  2. parkerlee
    parkerlee Teacher

    eNotes Editor

    On a broader scope, the poem also deals with social injustice and the denial of basic rights to certain underprivileged people. The abolition of slavery in the South was still a few years away, so some critics consider this a statement against racism as well as a personal statement of loss. Check out the following references, which give more information concerning this aspect.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/annabel-lee/essays-criticism
    http://www.enotes.com/annabel-lee/historical-context
    http://www.enotes.com/annabel-lee/themes

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    Posted by parkerlee on Monday November 9, 2009 at 10:57 AM