Edgar Allan Poe

Poe's literature has a charismatic darkness about it. The twisted plots, and supernatural occurrences attract readers.  One excerpt from any one of Poe's stories will get the reader questioning the sanity of the author. Though there are many gruesome accounts of death in his stories, Poe never killed anyone...or at least as far as we know. Poe's own cause of death is unknown, but some potential theories include suicide. Aside from the more mysterious side of Poe, I would like to unveil a cuddly side which few know about.

Poe loved his cat Catterina.

The first thing that comes to mind is, "It's probably a black cat." Contrary to popular belief, many people have reason to believe that Catterina was actually a tortoise shell kitten. In an excerpt from one of his stories, he writes, "Pluto - this was the cat's name - was my favorite pet and playmate. I alone fed him, and he attended me wherever I went about the house. It was even with difficulty that I could prevent him from following me throught the streets." The excerpt was taken from Poe's "The Black Cat".

So the next time you read something gruesome written by Poe, just remember he has a fuzzy side. 

What is an American?

The nationality of a person tells of the country a person is born and raised in. The ethnicity of a person tells of cultural background. My definition of nationality and ethnicity overlap each other in the case of America. While the word American describes a nation, it can also describe a culture. In the case of America, some groups of people, such as first generation immigrants, might feel more connected to their ancestral country rather than the country they are immigrating to. These groups of people when asked, "What are you," respond, "I am French, Italian, Mexican, Australian, etc." Others are eager to become part of a new culture and leave their old one behind. They smile proudly as they proclaim, "I am American." In my opinion, what makes you who you are is a combination of the nation you are born and raised in, and your ancestral/cultural background. If your ancestral/cultural background is a combination of European countries, and you are the third or fourth generation to be born and raised in America, you should technically refer to yourself as Euro-American. In the end, what you call yourself should be determined by which culture you feel most connected to. If you feel connected to a singular culture, you might say you are either Mexican or American. If you keep a close connection to your Mexican culture and are immersed in the American culture at the same time, you might split the title and say you are Mexican-American. If you live in America, it is hard to say that you aren't American, because the American culture is so easy to become attached to.