Monday, February 3, 2014

Edgar Allan Poe

     Although he only lived for forty years, Edgar Allan Poe was a very interesting man. At the time, he was the only person to attempt to focus his career only on writing. This fact shows that Poe was very dedicated to writing, and he enjoyed this profession.  Another interesting fact is Edgar Allan Poe is a highly controversial person. His birth certificate cannot be found, and his burial date is unknown. Many of his descendats have different stoires about where he was born and when he was buried, causing confusion when it comes to writing his biography. Another fact is that Poe was only offered $15 for "The Raven" when it was first published. Although $15 could buy much more in the 1800's than it can now, it's still a small amount of money to pay for such a great poem. The fourth fact is that Poes' s unofficial foster dad left him absolutely nothing after he died, even though he was very wealthy. His foster dad could have done this because he was dtill upset at Poe for being kicked out of West Point, or simply because Poe wasnt legally his child. Finally,  Edgar Allan Poe was a very active person when he was younger, and swam six miles in the James River against the current. Although Poe had several struggles during his life, his impressive literary works have continued to be acknowledged around the world.

" Edgar Allan Poe." 2012. FamousAuthors.org 3 February, http://www.famousauthors.org/edgar-allan-poe 

"Edgar Allan Poe's Problematic Biography ." (2013): n. page. Web. 3 Feb. 2014. <http://www.eapoe.org/geninfo/poebiog.htm>.

"Museum of Edgar Allan Poe." (2013): n. page. Web. 3 Feb. 2014. <http://www.poemuseum.org/students-fact-or-fiction.php

Silverman, Kenneth. Poe, Edgar Allan. n. page. Web. 3 Feb. 2014. <http://www.anb.org/articles/16/16-01302.html>.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Salem Witch Trials - June Bug Epidemic

 Many cases of mass hysteria have been reported since the Salem Witch Trials, and all share common characteristics. One example is the June Bug Epidemic in 1962: a disease that broke out in a United States textile factory. The Salem Witch Trials compare to the June Bug Epidemic in the way that they both include ill people. During the Salem Witch Trials, John Proctor says the children "...were startled and took sick..." after they were spotted in the woods, and during the June Bug Epidemic, people vomited and became nauseous, dizzy, and numb after they were bit by the bug (Miller 68). The people of Salem convinced themselves their lies were real when Abigail announces she "...saw Sarah Good with the Devil..." , "...saw Goody Osburn with the Devil..." , and "...saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil" (Miller 48). This convinced almost everyone that witches were real because someone said they "saw" a friend with the devil. The victims of the June Bug Epidemic convinced themselves their lies were real when their "illness" was so bad that they had to go to the hospital. Why both of these people convinced themselves their lies were real, is truly unknown. Mostly, they did it for the attention, but to think that they took it so far as to people being hanged in Salem, and people being hospitalized during the June Bug Epidemic seems astonishing. People are subject to mass hysteria because they are uneducated, they want to be the center of attention, or they are simply bored and want to cause trouble.



 
Sources: Frater, Jamie. "Top 10 Bizarre Cases of Mass Hysteria." (2009): n. page. Print. <http://listverse.com/2009/03/16/top-10-bizarre-cases-of-mass-hysteria/>.