Wikipedia Trail: From Poe to Assassination

1.  Poor Edger Allen Poe, he is one of the most influential writers in american literature. He was orphaned by age 2 and died by age 40. He was one of the first writers in america to earn his income thought writing alone, this caused significant financial stress as copy-write laws were not yet enforced. Though he was mostly known for his Gothic literature, he also wrote romances, since fiction, satires, and comedic pieces. His works have influenced millions of people across the world, especially those in cryptography, and has become a cultural icon. He claimed that one of his poems was written according to "The Philosophy of Composition," which leads to the next link.

2.  The Philosophy of Composition is an essay written by Edger Allen Poe wherein he outlines how a writer should write. He emphasis length, mood, and a logical method as the most important tools/rules for a writer to follow. For Poe, it was all about short and sweet, thematic sense, and planning rather then spontaneity. These are topics that he stresses repeatedly in his essay. Upon reflecting most literary critics doubt that Poe actually used this method when constructing his poem "The Raven" as he claimed.

3.  From here I was lead to one of  Poe's publishers, George Rex Graham. At the age of 26, Graham had become the co-owner of the Saturday Evening Post, by 28 he owned Burton's Gentleman Magazine and had become increasing successful. Graham was known for hiring freelance writers, such as Edger Allen Poe, who was hired as a writer and editor in 1841,  Rufus Wilmot Griswold, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Graham was the publisher who released "The Philosophy of Composition," although he had previously refused to publish "The Raven." After Poe's death, Graham was the strongest opponent against his character assassination from Griswold, a rival of Poe.

4. Character assassination  "a deliberate and sustained process that aims to destroy the credibility and reputation of a person." Usually done by means of rumors, false accusations and manipulations to make the target be rejected by either family, society, or the work community. It is pretty much like bulling, except on a much larger scale, and the effects can be a whole lot worse. The biggest difference is that character assassination is 1) always deliberate, 2) extremely public, and 3) the twisting of public perception, which negates truth. Take Nixon for example, wonderful president, did a lot for our country , but all people remember him for is Watergate. Or think about Martin Luther, by the catholic church during reformation.

Nevermore by mynameistran
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