Edgar Allen Poe Collage

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Edgar Allan Poe's struggle with substance abuse

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Alcohol played a significant and rather unfortunate part in the life of Edgar Allan Poe. Riddled with misfortune, Poe was often in a state of emotional turmoil. From the deaths of his young wife to being shunned by his father, Poe’s life is almost as dark and ill-fated as his stories (which is likely because he portrayed himself in his writing). To deal with the endless tragedies, Poe was said to have fallen into both alcohol and drug abuse. His first experience with alcohol is estimated to be around the age of 17; during this period of his life, he began accumulating large debts from gambling. One of his peers said: "He would always seize the tempting glass, generally unmixed with sugar or water - in fact, perfectly straight - and without the least apparent pleasure, swallow the contents, never pausing until the last drop had passed his lips.”. After his father heard of his behavior, he was sent to the military. But the downward spiral into alcoholism had already begun....
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My favorite rendition of the poem "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe

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For this post, I was instructed to find my favourite version of the poem "Annabel Lee". After watching a few recitals and visual interpretations I discerned that my preferred version was the following video: There were a few reasons why I felt this recitation has successfully captured the essence of Poe's dark romantic poem. Firstly, I thought the soft and smooth sound of the speaker's voice complemented the poems narration of the ocean excellently. The soothing yet melancholic nature of her voice builds the eerie atmosphere. The second aspect that I appreciated was the pace that the speaker chooses. She maintained a uniform pace throughout the beginning and middle of the poem that reflected a storytelling-like narration. Towards the end of the recitation, the speaker makes the decision to increase the length of the pauses. By doing so the narrative effortlessly changes to that of an emotional mourning lover.  Another element of this video that contributed to the a...
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Superstition in Colombia

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For today’s blog post I will be exploring superstition and ritual in Colombian culture. Presently, our class is analyzing the novella “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” by the legendary Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. The novella is set in a small Colombian town called Sucre. In this town, superstition and ritual hold a meaningful role in the life of its inhabitants. The cultural diversity of African slaves, Spanish con querors, Arabic immigrants, and indigenous tribe makes Colombia home to a vibrant culture of myths, legends, and superstition. Let’s look at some examples of these superstitions.  Among the most common superstitions in Colombia is “the curse of the black butterfly”. This superstition states that if a large butterfly that is either black or brown enters one’s home, then a family member will soon pass away. In Colombia this butterfly is called the “Mariposa Negra”; however, the scientific name for the butterfly is “Ascalapha Odorata”. Althou...
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