Every work has a reason behind it. It could be a story told before or an event that happened in real life. It can also be the theme behind the story. For Edgar Allen Poe, it was the themes and events of his life that inspired his stories and poems. Poe was inspired by the deaths he faced throughout his life and the economic hardships he faced. Poe was born in January 1809 in Boston. His parents had both left when he was three. His father abandoned the family and his mother died before him. He was then raised by the Allans. While there the Allans moved around a lot. At one point they even moved to Europe. After the rent could not be paid, the Allans returned to America. When Poe was a teenager he became almost a legend. He excelled in sports, especially swimming. There is even a legend according to which Poe went up the James River, against the current. Starting in 1826 Poe attended the University of Virginia. However, it didn't last long because he couldn't pay for school. This is because he was not supported financially by John Allan, the father of the Allan family. Allan could have helped pay for Poe's college due to an inheritance Allan had obtained, but did not do so due to the fact that he had never officially adopted Poe. After being forced to leave school, Poe returned to Boston and began writing. He published only one pamphlet before joining the army. He served in the Army until he was discharged due to the death of his adoptive mother, Frances Allan. After Frances' death, Poe and Allan disagreed numerous times on many different topics. After Frances' death, Poe entered the United States Military Academy at West Point. Poe was a very promising cadet at the academy... middle of paper... even in the storm. Poe was an intelligent man. He knew what his audience wanted. His audience wanted revenge thrillers. Poe wrote multiple stories that dealt with revenge and thrills, but these works were also influenced by the Gothic writing style. Two of Poe's most famous thriller stories were "A Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Black Cat". Poe gives the audience emotion in these stories because of the way he uses details. Poe uses details to excite the audience. The way he describes the heartbeat sound or the screeching sound is what really gets the audience excited. Poe is a perfect example of how an author's life influences his work. All the problems he went through in his life, from his parents to his wife, from financial problems to his alcohol problem, can be seen in his works. Not only did his life influence what he wrote, but his awareness influenced what he wrote.