Edgar Allan Poe And Perfection Wasted By John Updike Analysis

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most notorious poets of all time. He has written some of the most eerie and dark pieces of literature, and his infamous style of writing still haunts readers today, long after his death. When we discuss Edgar Allan Poe, there are a few poems that come to mind such as, “The Raven,” “A Tell Tale Heart,” and “Annabel Lee.” Another famous author, with a much different agenda is John Updike. Although Updike’s age was decades after Poe had long gone, one can easily find similarities in these two renowned authors’ works. Two specific poems that can be used to analyze the differences of these two authors are, “A Dream Within a Dream,” by Edgar Allan Poe and, “Perfection Wasted,” by John Updike. By examining the theme …show more content…
John Updike’s story unfolded at an occasion, and he wrote as if the poem itself were a speech or a eulogy that was given in public. In contrast, Edgar Allan Poe’s “A Dream Within a Dream,” takes place at a gloomy beach. In Updike’s case, he was honoring and commemorating, because funerals are meant to remember and rejoice people, creating an interestingly optimistic feel. Where Poe tells his story, he is not at a place where one would say anything because they had to. Poe creates a more personal feel for his poem, making the setting more intimate because solitary time at the beach most likely means the visitor is reflecting, and wishes to be left alone. It’s a well-known notion that funerals are not for the dead, but the living. Updike plays a comforting role, and his setting implies such, but Poe uses a deeper and more intense place of narration to emphasize the meaning of his …show more content…
A theme is the lesson or moral that can be pulled from any piece of work. In, “Perfection Wasted,” John Updike creates a theme portraying the message, live your life while you have it; whereas, Poe tells the reader that life is nothing but an illusion, nothing special and nothing that lasts. Evidence of such a depressing theme can be found in the words, “O God! can I not save One from the pitiless wave? Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream.” (Poe,) Poe has a more dark and somber outlook on life, creating such a dark theme; however, Updike performs the same kind of manipulation creating a speech that is delivered after death, about someone. This sort of presentation implies that the late friend or loved one took life for granted which can be just as disappointing as not seeing the beauty in