Background on Poem. Wrote poem while wife, Virginia, was dying of TB. Imagined the desperation and loneliness he might feel after her death. Speaker questions the existence of the afterlife Wonders if he and Lenore will ever be reunited. Style and Structure. Wanted to create a poem with a deliberate dark mood. Considered using an owl or a parrot in place of a raven. Uses dashes or other interrupters in sentences to suggest hurried/excited speech.