The+Happiest+Day+by+Edgar+Allan+Poe

Write an essay discussing the following points:
 * 1) Thoroughly show how the work of literature fits the definition of Romanticism.
 * 2) Show how the writer’s life affected his/her work.
 * 3) Show how the work compares in style, character, theme, etc. to other works by the author __and__ to your other assigned work.

The Happiest Day by Edgar Allan Poe was really a great poem. I think that it can be hard to understand at first, but after you read it a lot you realized just what he was talking about. I first thought about what I thought about when I think about the happiest days. I think about everything just going perfectly and simple, but I think that Edgar had a different thing in mind whenever he was talking about his happiest day. I think that this story really showed me a lot of romanticism. I also think that Edgar was affected by every work that he did, and every story or poem you read of his you can always tell how in to the story he is and how much it means to him. Poe has always been a writer that really gets into his writings.

According to Blooms Literary Reference Online, "romanticism is defined as a literary, philosophical, and artistic style or theory that emphasizes nature as a guiding, elevated force, recognizes the central significance of individual experience, and—as a departure from the more stylized poetry and subject matter of the Augustan period—uses simple diction focused on rural and idyllic country life" (Imbarrato). Romanticism poems emphasize the mundane and realistic. In The Happiest Day, Poe said "The happiest day - the happiest hour, My sear'd and blighted heart hath known, The highest hope of pride and power, I feel hath flown (About.com). I think that this has a lot to do with romanticism. Romanticism was based on nature and having a potential. In reading this poem, I could tell that Poe was talking a lot about nature and how he wanted to reach his full potential and have power and pride. The main focus of this poem was power and pride. Romanticism writers tend to talk a lot about nature and how deal with it, and they also talk a lot about potential, power, and will. I also think that The Happiest Day had a lot to do with Edgar's imagination. The happiest day - the happiest hour, Mine eyes shall see - have ever seen, The brightest glance of pride and power, I feel - have been" (About.com) Edgar was wanting so bad for a day to come that he had not yet seen where he was powerful and full of pride. He knew he wanted to see that day, but he did not think that day would ever come. I think that this poem was every bit of romanticism.

Edgar's life was totally brought into all of his works. I think that all of his stories and poems were based on his own life. Edgar did not have the easiest life, and while reading his biography I actually thought that he did not have a great life. I think that he was living in a hard time. He was kind of a sad writer to me, the stories and poems that I have read by him were always different, but that is what people liked about him. In Poe's writing days, "he was hired at many different newspaper companies as the editor, but he would lose a lot of jobs when they all fell through" (Poestories). Edgar had been through a lot though before he was an editor. "Edgar Allan had no money, no job skills, and had been shunned by John Allan. Edgar went to Boston and joined the U.S. Army in 1827. He was 18. He did reasonably well in the Army and attained the rank of sergeant major" (Poestories). Edgar had a lot happen in his life that made him an even stronger person. I think that the deaths he went through affected his life a lot to, and he was known to write with dark romanticism. "John Allan died in 1834 and did not mention Edgar in his will, which really upset Edgar because they had gotten really close" (Poestories). This is just an example of one of the deaths he had to go through. He went through a lot of things that made him lose confidence at times, but he was still able to write poems and short stories that made him famous everywhere. I think that Edgar's life really showed through in this poem. He waited for the day that he would be on top of the world. He did not necessarily believe that this day would ever be there, but he wanted the day so bad.

I think that most of Edgar's short stories and poems were all similar in many ways. He was very big on nature and how it affects us. In most of his writings, he wanted to be one with nature and let it take its course. We read stories in class that lead us to believe that he was a very big believer in romanticism. Also, all of the writings of his are a lot about reaching our full potential, how we are here for a reason, and being one with nature. I think that he was always very thankful for life to and knew that we were all put here for a reason. Some of Poe's writings also had dark romanticism examples in them too. He was known to talk about death every once in awhile. "But were that hope of pride and power, Now offer'd with the pain, Even then I felt - that brightest hour, I would not live again" (About.com). This was an example of when death was brought up in The Happiest Day. He was saying here when he would feel the happiest day would be the day that he was not here anymore.

The Happiest Day was quite a poem. I think that it is not that much of a well known poem, but one that if everyone would read it, they might actually enjoy it. Poe was an amazing writer during the Romanticism time period, and every one of his stories and poems still affect us today. He is one of the most well known authors. I have always loved how he brought his own life into most of his stories, so that people would be more interested in them. I htink that Poe always wrote with truth, and he wrote about the things in his life that meant the most to him. He does not have one work that is not good, they are all similar in so many ways and they would all really teach us a lot.

//Works Cited://

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Happiest Day”. //About.com//. Web. 7 Dec 2010. []

Imbarrato, Susan Clair, and Carol Berkin. "Romanticism." //Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Settlement to the New Republic, 1608–1815//, vol. 1, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. //Bloom's Literary Reference Online//. Facts On File, Inc. [] EAmL0272&SingleRecord=True (accessed December 9, 2010) code format="cite" Giordano, Robert. "A short biography of Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)." Poestories.com Web. 27 June 2005. 9 December 2010  code