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.