Marking Edgar Allan Poe's Birthday

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Marking Edgar Allan Poe's Birthday A6 APG News January 14, 2021 Marking Edgar Allan Poe’s Birthday By RACHEL PONDER, APG News During the first month of the year, the Baltimore community commemorates the birthday of Edgar Allan Poe, considered one of the most important and influential Ameri- can writers of the 19th century. Although Poe was born in Boston on Jan. 19, 1809, Baltimore was where he met his wife and started his literary career after win- ning a short story contest sponsored by the Baltimore Saturday Visiter. The macabre author of “The Raven” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” lived in several other East Coast cities, but Baltimore is significant because this is where he spent his last days and where he is laid to rest. Poe Toaster From around 1949 to 2009 a mysterious masked “Poe Toaster” dressed in an all-black Pixabay illustration outfit with a white scarf and big hat would Illustration of Edgar Allan Poe, a visit the grave of Poe on his birthday, usu- legendary author who had ties to ally between midnight and 6 a.m. In 2015, Baltimore. the Maryland Historical Society revived the tradition by selecting a new Poe Toaster and museum dedicated to “preserving Poe’s legacy hosting a public celebration near the date of in Baltimore and beyond” is open for private his birthday in 2016. tours on a limited basis. The museum also This year, the Facebook group “Edgar offers virtual tours led by a museum docent. Allan Poe: Evermore” will be hosting a live “Each virtual session is led by a live Courtesy photo virtual party on Saturday, Jan. 23, starting at guide who will share the history of Edgar The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, in Baltimore, is listed in the U.S. noon. The creator of the group, Jeff Jerome, Allan Poe’s life in Baltimore, explore the National Register of Historic Places and as a U.S. National Historic Landmark used to wait every year in a small crowd to poet’s mysterious death in the city in 1849, in 1972. spot the Poe Toaster. and learn about the poems and short stories Poe wrote while residing at Poe House,” the and Awards to commemorate the author’s tion, visit https://www.poeinbaltimore.org/ Edgar Allan Poe House and website states. “Each live session has limited death. poe-house/. This website includes an inter- Museum seats to encourage interactive discussion and active map with information about Poe in Baltimore is also the home of the Edgar personalize the session for the group.” For More Information Baltimore. Allan Poe House and Museum, listed in the The tour is offered on a pay-what-you-can Poe’s grave is located in the Westmin- Sources: https://baltimore.org; https:// U.S. National Register of Historic Places and basis, and proceeds benefit the museum. ster cemetery at 515 West Fayette Street. en.wikipedia.org; https://www.smithsonian- as a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1972. In October, the museum also hosts an The Edgar Allan Poe house is located at mag.com; https://www.poeinbaltimore.org/ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual International Edgar Allan Poe Festival 203 North Amity Street. For more informa- poe-house/ VACCINE Continued from Page A1 protection. “The first shot of the vaccine provides adequate protection to more than 80% of the people who get it, and that lasts for many months,” he said. “How long exactly we do not know. We know when we give the sec- ond shot, a booster, that [number] goes up to 96%, which is why we give two shots.” Frank said side effects could include pain or swelling around the injection site or con- stitutional symptoms like fever or muscle fatigue. “Usually those symptoms, if they occur, will go away within 24 hours,” he said. “And they do not occur in many people, more com- monly after the second shot than the first shot.” Frank said in very rare cases, people have reported a severe allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis. “The actual risk is probably about 11 in a million of developing a severe anaphylactic reaction, that is pretty small,” he said. “And in most cases where we have seen a severe allergic reaction, it’s been in people who have had allergic reactions to vaccines and other medications before. Not just a simple hay fever or allergy puts you at risk, but sig- nificant reactions to other medications and vaccines.” Photo by Rachel Ponder, APG News First Vaccine Recipients From left, Chief of Preventative Medicine and Public Health Emergency Officer Dr. W. Thomas Frank, from Kirk U.S. Army Security guard Joseph Butler III was Health Clinic, answers a question about the COVID-19 vaccine raised by Capt. Dawn Fischer during a vaccination clinic selected to be the first person to receive held in the APG North (Aberdeen) recreation center Jan. 7. the vaccine. He is known in the commu- nity for his cheerful personality and warm COVID-19], they would love to have this “I am relieved that they have a vaccine “We have fought a devastating enemy greetings at the installation security gate. opportunity,” he said. for this, I figured the pros outweigh the and we are going to get through this,” he Throughout the Facebook broadcast, many He said he appreciates the APG com- cons,” she said. “I hesitated to come get it, said. people left comments, thanking him for munity and remarked that his co-workers but I figured I had too much to lose.” “Perseverance is going to be key mov- setting the example. served as his support system when his wife Paramedic supervisor Mike Slayman, ing into 2021, as we continue this fight. “Officer Butler is one of the many passed away from cancer in 2019. who was third to receive the vaccine, said Receiving the vaccine will not only pro- heroes that you see that help start our day “This is my family here,” he said. the Fire and Emergency Services section tect yourself, but this community and our off with a smile as you enter our installa- “After my wife died everybody gave me has implemented several safety measures nation.” Bibles, cards and stuff like that, without during the COVID-19 pandemic, includ- tion gates,” Druell said. On Dec. 18, 2020, the U.S. Food and that support system I probably wouldn’t ing screening employees for symptoms of Before receiving the vaccine, Butler Drug Administration issued an emergency have made it. So I understand, when some- COVID-19 and taking their temperatures use authorization for the Moderna said he “trusts science” and “everyone one loses a loved one, it is serious.” every 12 hours during a 48-hour shift. COVID-19 vaccine to be distributed in the needs to step up and get vaccinated to stop Paraphrasing President John F. Kenne- “I feel fantastic, I am glad we finally U.S. for use in individuals 18 and older. At the pandemic.” dy, Butler said, “it’s not what the coun- get the chance to get these shots out,” he this time, taking the vaccine is voluntary “I am excited and I am thinking of the try can do for you, it’s what you can do for said. “The systems that we have in place for military personnel. 350,000 people who passed away [from your country.” have really protected our workforce. This DOD employees who received the vac- “Our country is depending on us to step is just another tool we have to try to keep cination during the clinic will receive the More Photos on Flickr up to the plate and get vaccinated,” he said. our people safe.” booster shot on Feb. 4. For more infor- For more photos of the “We have to step up to the plate and make Druell closed the broadcast by asking mation about the COVID-19 vaccinations, vaccine distribution, visit a difference.” Team APG to remain vigilant in the fight visit https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/cov- flickr.com/photos/usagapg/ Police officer Cpl. Latrina Brown, who against COVID-19, by wearing masks, id-19/index.html. albums/72157717839090036 was second to receive the vaccine, admit- maintaining physical distancing and To watch the Facebook broadcast, visit ted she felt some apprehension. increasing sanitization. https://m.facebook.com/APGMd/. Tell them you saw it in APG News.
Recommended publications
  • Fame After Life: the Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe's Death
    http://dx.doi.org/10.7592/FEJF2016.65.mollegaard FAME AFTER LIFE: THE MYSTERY OF EDGAR ALLAN POE’S DEATH Kirsten Møllegaard Abstract: Although contemporary legends often deal with the trials and anx- ieties of everyday life, a considerable body of folk narratives deals with famous historical people and the mysteries, rumors, and anecdotes ascribed to them. American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was a trend-setting author of gothic horror and dark mysteries. His short, difficult life and strange death have fueled both academic and folkloristic narratives. Where the academic narratives often analyze his fiction biographically as reflections of his life such as his -im poverishment, alcoholism, and frustrated ambition, the folk narratives typically focus on his death at the age of forty. By straddling literary and popular fame, Poe-lore occupies a dynamic Spielraum in contemporary folklore because his haunted life and mysterious death, similar to the literary conventions for the gothic in literature, collapse ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture. The folklore of famous people is intimately – perhaps even mysteriously – tied to the perception of individual identity and the social experience of city crowds, strangers, and alienation. In Poe’s case, the intertwining of his fiction with his real-life struggles has made Poe scholarship the most biographically centered of any American writer, past or present, and produced Poe not only as a towering legend in American literature, but also as a legendary figure in the popular imagination. Keywords: biography, contemporary legends, death, Edgar Allan Poe, fame, gothic literature, Poe Toaster http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol65/mollegaard.pdf Kirsten Møllegaard The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague.
    [Show full text]
  • Edgar Allan Poe - the Raven
    Edgar Allan Poe - The Raven Assignment 13, Suspense Unit Picked and researched by Shawn Urban Friday, December 13, 2002 Table of Contents (click to jump to sections) History of Poe 2 The Raven 4 The End of the Raven 8 Poe’s Mysterious Visitor 11 Quick Write 12 Other Versions 12 Edgar Allan Poe - The Raven Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, Jan. 19, 1809, and died Oct. 7, 1849 in Baltimore, Maryland. His parents both died in 1811 before he was 3 years old. He was raised and named by John Allan, a prosperous merchant in Richmond, Virginia. In 1826 Poe entered the University of Virginia but within a year he ran up large gambling debts that Allan refused to pay. Allan prevented his return to the university and broke off Poe's engagement to Sarah Elmira Royster, Poe's university sweetheart. Poe joined the army after this but was court-martialled for neglect of duty. He took up residence with his widowed aunt, Maria Clemm, and her daughter, Virginia, and turned to fiction as a way to support himself. He married Virginia, who at the time was not yet 14 years old. By this time, he had already written and printed (at his own expense) his first book of verses written in the manner of Byron. He wrote other volumes, each at his own expense or at the expense of friends. He became a highly respected and controversial editor and critic. He praised young Dickens and a few other unknown contemporaries but devoted most of his attention to devastating reviews of popular contemporary authors.
    [Show full text]
  • Edgar Allan Poe Webquest
    Edgar Allan Poe Webquest The Edgar Allan Poe webquest questions can be answered at the following sites 1. The Edgar Allan Poe Museum Website: The main purpose of the site is to promote the museum. Fans of Poe, however, can find biographical information, a family tree of Poe, theories about his death, selected works, educational resources, and an online store. The site makes certain all information is credible and accurate. 2. The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore Website: It's full of useful biographical information, studies of his writings, and copies of his short stories and poems. The site's main goal is to promote the Poe Society of Baltimore. 3. Poestories.com: This is the Edgar Allan Poe of Edgar Allan Poe websites. In addition to biographical information, his complete short stories and poems, and a timeline of his writing, Poestories.com contains a photo gallery, quotes, summaries, wordlists, guestbook, links, and a forum. It is the most thorough of all Poe websites. 4. The Knowing Poe Website: This is the most fun for students. Lots of video and interactives. Edgar Allen Poe Website Questions 1. Provide the following biographical information: birthdate; birthplace; death date. 2. Poe died in what city? 3. What tragic childhood events influenced his writing? 4. Why did Poe leave the University of Virginia? 5. There are 13 theories on what caused Poe's death. List five of them. 6. According to the Edgar Allen Poe Museum, what state did Poe call home? 7. What does the Poe Society of Baltimore think about this claim? 8.
    [Show full text]
  • The Use of Metaphor in Edgar Allan Poe's Short Story the Black
    THE USE OF METAPHOR IN EDGAR ALLAN POE’S SHORT STORY THE BLACK CAT Faizal Risdianto Islamic State Institute of Salatiga Abstract This study is aimed to elaborate the uniqueness of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story entitled The Black Cat. This research is a (qualitative) bibliographical study. The object of the study is the use of metaphor in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Black Cat. There are 21 sentences chosen to represent all the metaphorical sentences of Edgar Allan Poe being the object of the study. Having analyzed the data by the perspective of George Lakoff and Johnson’s conceptual metaphor, the researcher can draw a conclusion that Edgar Allan Poe has succesfully used effective and creative metaphorical expressions in depicting the psychological ambnormality of the main character in his short story. His remarkable metaphorical expression shows his distictive position as one of the greatest American man of letters. Keywords: Metaphor, Source Domain, Target Domain, and Short story. Introduction expression in literary works such as short One of interesting problems in story helps us, the readers to be (Become language study is the use of metaphor in all More) realistic, mature, wise and humane. It walks of life. One of its mysteries is the public helps having deeper understanding of human confusion in encountering metaphorical sentiments, human interests and values, etc. It expression that says something that is brings us closer to other human beings of the different to what it really means. Hawkes says same or different nationalities, cultures, ―Language which doesn‘t mean what it human values, etc.
    [Show full text]
  • ^Monthlyi Gettysburg, Pa
    TEftMS: SI .25 per annum in advance. PENNSYLVANIA (OLLEGE -^MONTHLYI GETTYSBURG, PA. s VOL. XII. No. 4. CONTENTS : EDITORIAL NOTES 117 ALUMNI PERSONALS 136 Commencement Schedule—Senior Honors and LITERARY NOTICES 142 Assignments—Dr. Stanley's Lectures—Editors and Managers Elected—-Commencement Rates PERIODICALS AND PAMPHLETS 145 at Springs Hotel—Brua Memorial Chapel—Cat­ GENERAL COLLEGE NEWS 147 alogue for i887-'88—Progress of the New Build­ ing. OBITUARY RESOLUTIONS 148 WHAT ALUMNI AND FRIENDS SAY.. 122 TOWN NOTES 149 ON THE D EATH OF ALTEN SCHMELL I 24 COLLEGE LOCALS 150 THE GLORY OF HUMAN LIFE 125 '88 HONORED 154 POE'S POETRY 129 OUR "LAST CHAPTER" 155 THE NEW PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE, DUES RECEIVED 156 GETTYSBURG 135 3^MAY, 1888.^^0 —«*wWS*/i& ^£)# GETTYSBURG: J. E. WIBLE, STEAM PRINTER, CARLISLE STREET (SECOND SQUARE). 1888. CHAMBERSBURG.ST. GETTYSBURG. PA. -AJULOS ECKERT, DEALER IN HATS, CAPS, BOOTS, SHOES, AND GENTS' NOTIONS, GETTYSBURG, PENN'A. J. 8.QM£=>. 00S& <£•l4Vt& ®aAu6te gfyvadly §>voo4vd/ §)i penngjivfinia College BjonlflJ. P. M. BIKIJE, Editor. ASSOCIATE EDITORS:, ' | BUSINESS MANAGERS : G D. STAHLEY, Alumni Association. P. M. BIKLE, Chairman. ROBERT G. BANNEN, Philo. Society. JOHN F. SE1BERT, Phrena. Society. DAVID S. HOOVER, Phrena. Society. I U. S. G. RUPP, Philo. Society. TERMS : $1.25 per annum in advance; single copies to subscribers 15 cents, to others 20 cents. Address all communications to the Editor or to COLLEGE MONTHLY, Gettysburg, Pa. VOL. XII. GETTYSBURG, PA., MAY, 1888. No. 4. EDITORIAL NOTES. SCHEDULE.—The following is the order of exercises for J/ Commencement Week: June 24. Baccalaureate Discourse by A.
    [Show full text]
  • The Faith, Innovation, & Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849
    The Faith, Innovation, & Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849}--Revised Fall 2018 Reading Packet Session 2: Oct 22, 6:30-8 p.m. repeated Oct. 23, 9:30-11 a.m. “Even in the grave, all is not lost.’ --Poe, Pit & the Pendulum [Poe Portrait and Signature. The portrait is based on a daguerreotype taken just before Poe’s death (1849). The signature comes from am 1844 Poe letter now in the Huntington Library (California).] 2ND Session Readings 0. Overview 2nd Poe Session…………………………………………………………………1 1. Poe: England and Middle Years………………………………………………………1-2 2. Poe, first American Literary Critic………………………………………………….2-3 3. Rossetti, Blessed Damozel: Selections & Comment………………………….3-6 4. Poe, The Bells: the Poem, Definitions, Comment……………………………6-8 5. Rachmaninoff, The Bells (Op. 53)……………………………………………….....8-9 6. Readings & Selection on, Poe’s Poem Al Aaraaf …………………………..9-12 7. Poe Poem, Ianthe in Heaven………………………………………………………….12 8. Poe & his angry Biographer Rufus Griswold…………………………………12-13 Reading 0. Session 2 Overview. In this session, we continue our exploration of the “Poe we know” and the Poe we don’t know.” The readings begin with an account of Poe’s life from 1815 (his childhood in England) through 1836 (his departure from West Point). We then turn to Blessed Damozel, a sequel to The Raven written by English poet Daniel Gabriel Rossetti right after he read The Raven. The Rossetti poem focuses on the celestial Lenore’s lament for her grieving mortal lover. We will also explore 3 poems by Poe: The Bells and its impact on Russian composer Rachmaninoff; Al Aaraaf inspired by the Holy Quran and a Supernova; and the love poem To Ianthe in Heaven.
    [Show full text]
  • Listening Guide-Episode 2 Edgar Allan Poe and “The Raven” 1
    Listening Guide-Episode 2 Edgar Allan Poe and “The Raven” 1. Halloween for all the spooky movies is supposed to be a time of fun and playing around and giving ____________ to children and making _______________ with people you live around. 2. Poe’s career lasted over ____________ years. 3. His greatest success really came in __________, that is going to be only four years before he dies, with the publication of his most famous poem “The Raven.” 4. It has this incredibly fun refrain; it’s full of rhyme; it’s got alliteration; there’s a ______________. It can be emotional when you recite it out loud. 5. Because they were so poor, they were all living in this not-very-nice unheated room in New York, if you can imagine. Virginia had been sick with ______________________. 6. All of his stories are in the _____________ ______________. He’s not talking about himself; they are not autobiographical. 7. Poe left Richmond, Virginia where Sarah lived in July after agreeing to marry him. He was on his way back to ____________ where he was supposed to edit a volume of poetry. 8. No one had seen him since the morning of September 27th, and Dr. Snodgrass found Poe semi-conscious and dressed in __________________ people said weren’t his own. 9. On the _____________________ of October 7th, Poe breathed a prayer, and he said, “Lord, Help my poor soul.” 10. He is credited, after all, with being one of the original creators of the ________________ story. 11. His fame and __________________ would finally change after his death.
    [Show full text]
  • Poe As Magazinist
    University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2011 Poe as Magazinist Kay Ellen McKamy University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the American Literature Commons Scholar Commons Citation McKamy, Kay Ellen, "Poe as Magazinist" (2011). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3242 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Poe as Magazinist by Kay E. McKamy A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of English College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Co-Major Professor: Rosalie Murphy Baum, Ph.D. Co-Major Professor: Regina Hewitt, Ph.D. Lawrence Broer, Ph.D. Elaine Smith, Ph.D. Date of Approval: March 31, 2011 Keywords: short stories, American literature, George R. Graham, early American magazines, Graham‘s Magazine Copyright ©2011, Kay E. McKamy Acknowledgments The idea for this dissertation came from a discussion of early-American magazines in a graduate course with Dr. Rosalie Murphy Baum at the University of South Florida. The dissertation would not have been possible without the professionalism, knowledge, advice, and encouragement of Dr. Baum. Her combination of prodding and praise is exactly what non-traditional students like me need: without her insistence, I would have quit long ago.
    [Show full text]
  • Edgar Allan Poe 1 Edgar Allan Poe
    Edgar Allan Poe 1 Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe 1848 "Ultima Thule" daguerreotype of Poe Born Edgar Poe January 19, 1809 Boston, Massachusetts, United States Died October 7, 1849 (aged 40) Baltimore, Maryland, United States Nationality American Spouse(s) Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe Signature Edgar Allan Poe (born Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction.[1] He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.[] He was born as Edgar Poe in Boston, Massachusetts; he was orphaned at a young age when his mother died shortly after his father abandoned the family. Poe was taken in by John and Frances Allan, of Richmond, Virginia, but they never formally adopted him. He attended the University of Virginia for one semester but left due to lack of money. After enlisting in the Army and later failing as an officer's cadet at West Point, Poe parted ways with the Allans. His publishing career began humbly, with an anonymous collection of poems, Tamerlane and Other Poems (1827), credited only to "a Bostonian". Poe switched his focus to prose and spent the next several years working for literary journals and periodicals, becoming known for his own style of literary criticism.
    [Show full text]
  • The Tell-Tale Artist Poe at 200 by BROOKE ALLEN Natural Gas Ugh Years
    TED’SHURRAH LAST ANDREW FERGUSON SEPTEMBER 28, 2009 • $4.95 The Tell-Tale Artist Poe at 200 BY BROOKE ALLEN natural gas ugh years. 100 America has eno ing. to last morepply than is grow And su Thanks to new advanced technologies our supplies have doubled in the past fi ve years and are expected to double again in the next fi ve. That gives us more than 100 years of safe, secure, domestic energy. It’s America’s way forward. America’s clean energy alternative. ©2009 Ammerica’sa Natural Gas Alliance %JTDPWFSNPSFBU/FX/BUVSBM(BT0SH Copyright © 2000-2008 Digitalvision/Inmagine. Chaos Made Clear It has been called the third great revolution of 20th-century phys- Chaos ics, after relativity and quantum theory. But how can something Taught by Professor Steven Strogatz, Cornell University called chaos theory help you understand an orderly world? What practical things might it be good for? What, in fact, is Lecture Titles chaos theory? Chaos takes you to the heart of chaos theory as 1. The Chaos Revolution 12. Experimental Tests of the it is understood today. Your guide is Cornell University Profes- 2. The Clockwork Universe New Theory sor Steven Strogatz, author of Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos, 3. From Clockwork to Chaos 13. Fractals—The Geometry the most widely used chaos theory textbook in America. In 24 4. Chaos Found and Lost Again of Chaos thought-provoking lectures, he introduces you to a fascinating 5. The Return of Chaos 14. The Properties of Fractals discipline that has more to do with your everyday life than you 6.
    [Show full text]
  • Poe Fans Call an End to 'Toaster' Tradition
    Poe fans call an end to 'Toaster' tradition By SARAH BRUMFIELD | Associated Press – 15 hrs ago Figure 1: An undated portrait of mystery writer Edgar Allan Poe. BALTIMORE (AP) — Edgar Allan Poe fans waited long past a midnight dreary, but it appears annual visits to the writer's grave in Baltimore by a mysterious figure called the "Poe Toaster" shall occur nevermore. Poe House and Museum Curator Jeff Jerome said early Thursday that die-hard fans waited hours past when the tribute bearer normally arrives. But the "Poe Toaster" was a no-show for a third year in a row, leaving another unanswered question in a mystery worthy of the writer's legacy. Poe fans had said they would hold one last vigil this year before calling an end to the tradition. "It's over with," Jerome said wearily. "It will probably hit me later, but I'm too tired now to feel anything else." It is thought that the tributes of an anonymous man wearing black clothes with a white scarf and a wide-brimmed hat, who leaves three roses and a half-empty bottle of cognac at Poe's original grave on the writer's birthday, date to at least the 1940s. Late Wednesday, a crowd gathered outside the gates of the burial ground surrounding Westminster Hall to watch for the mysterious visitor, yet only three impersonators appeared, Jerome said. The gothic master's tales of the macabre still connect with readers more than 200 years after his birth, including his most famous poem, "The Raven," and short stories such as "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Pit and the Pendulum." Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is considered the first modern detective story.
    [Show full text]
  • It's About Time They Gave the Man a Decent Burial: Funeral As Stage Play
    It’s About Time They Gave the Man a Decent Burial: Funeral as Stage Play By Paul A. Karpuk In July 2009, while in Washington D.C. for a long weekend, I took advantage of my chance proximity to Baltimore to visit the Poe House and Museum there. Though a native of Baltimore and teacher of courses on Poe, I had never been to the museum nor been fully aware of it until a colleague gave me literature from there. As a matter of professional obligation, I could not neglect the opportunity, and together with my son David, went there on a Saturday afternoon, the one time it was going to be open during my four-day sojourn in the area. At the time we visited the museum, it was being run by one part-time curator, with summer hours of operation restricted to Wednesday through Saturday, 12:00 to 3:30.1 The house is in west Baltimore, at 203 N. Amity St., slightly north of the intersection of that street with Lexington, at the south end of the short block bordered on its north end by Saratoga (Fig. 1). We had considerable difficulty finding it, and, in pursuit of the tiny blue signs directing us to the Poe House, zigzagged through a maze of residential streets in a dilapidated neighborhood which looked positively dangerous, past run-down brick row housing, overgrown lots, and corner grocery stores sprayed with graffiti. Without the signs, we would never have found the place, and drove past it the first time without seeing it.
    [Show full text]