Mr. Edgar Allan Poe, an american writer, editor and literary critic, exemplifies the value of individualism in American culture and literature. Poe was known as unique from the start. He was born to actors. He was deserted by his father and his mother passed away. A wealthy family unofficially adopted him, and sent him to college. He dropped out of college because of an unhealthy gambling problem. He then joined the military for a short period of time, and dropped out of west point. Poe was the first american to support himself being a writer. His writing was new and innovative. He wrote perturbing, grisly, repugnant stories and poems. He established the fields of detective fiction and science fiction.
