Lindsey Graham

No, go without me.

You can't be serious.

If you don't put the poetry down and start doing your duties, you're going to be court-martialed.

They'll throw you out of the academy.

Ho shrugs and crosses out a sentence in his notebook.

He's completely immersed in his writing, and it dawns on you that he has no intention of remaining at West Point.

Being kicked out is exactly what he wants.

He's willingly jeopardizing his future for reasons you fail to understand.

In January 1831, Poe began skipping his classes and failing to report for roll calls and guard duty.

He was court-martialed on charges of gross neglect of duty and disobedience of orders.

After refusing to defend himself, he was found guilty of all charges and dismissed from service.

Foster father John Allen was furious when he heard the news, declaring that Poe possessed the blackest heart and deepest ingratitude and that he was destitute of honor and principles.

But Poe didn't mind being discharged.

He was determined to achieve his literary ambitions and find financial independence.

He set off for Baltimore, where he moved into the shabby home of his Aunt Maria Clem, the widowed sister of his biological father.

After being rejected by his foster father, he became close to Maria and her nine-year-old daughter, Virginia.

And there in Baltimore, Poe shifted his focus from poetry to prose.

He submitted several short stories to a newspaper competition.

He failed to win the cash prize, but the newspaper published five of his stories throughout 1832.

Poe's writing hit the public as short stories were emerging as a distinct art form.