Question

The poem "Annabel Lee" should be read as _____.

a literal account of Poe's actions after the death of his wife
a reflection of Poe's sadness over his wife's death; not a literal account of what he did when his wife died
neither of these

Answer 1

The correct answer should be "a reflection of Poe's sadness over his wife's death; not a literal account of what he did when his wife died".

He claimed that death of a beautiful woman is both the most beautiful and the saddest thing in existence and he described his loss in this poem. He did not really sleep next to her dead body as the poem would have you believe.