Edgar Allan Poe's contributions to American literature have become increasingly more prominent as the years have passed. As short fiction has become a more accepted genre in literary circles, Poe's theories are studied with more passion. Although he lives a rather melancholy existence, Poe does experience moments of joy, and desires to capture beauty through poetical form. Indeed, what he leaves behind for the literary world is his gifted genius, revealed through his poetry. Poe sought to incorporate his own life experiences in poetry as an escape from the enigma that shrouds everyday of his life. Being a witness to numerous deaths, a common theme of women dying runs rampant throughout "Annabel Lee,  The Raven,  and "The Sleeper  to show how quickly man can lose everything and is unable to retrieve his loses. The darkness that seems to constantly surround Poe's life began as an infant. Poe was born January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts, the second son of David and Eliza Poe. Just before Poe's third birthday, he, along with his siblings were orphaned. His mother died of tuberculosis and his father had abandoned his wife and children. Edgar was taken in by John Allan and Frances Keeling Valentine Allan, and he moved to Richmond to join his new foster family. However, his foster father, John Allan, was always abusive towards him. To relieve tension, "Poe enlisted in the Army just to get away from him  (Edgar n.pag.). The two of them fought constantly, and Poe looks up to his foster mother for comfort in a such a terrible situation. At the age of twenty, France died and Poe lost his ˜childhood hero' and felt lonely. Hoping to bring happiness to his life, Poe married his much younger cousin in 1836, but the exact opposite seems to happen. In 1847, his Virginia died of tuberculosis. With so many deaths surrounding Poe's life, most of his poems are "short lyric pieces--meditations on death of beautiful women  (Jordan n.pag.). Since personal tragedy was a recurring theme in Edgar Allan Poe's life, his work reflects the darkness instilled by continu