He encountered many problems including drugs, alcohol, depression and literary rivals. These problems could be the main reason why Poe's works are very dark and depressing. One of his rivals was Henry Longfellow. He was often a target of Poe, but was defended by his colleagues. This rivalry went so far as to become known as the “Longfellow War.” Not only defended by his friends, Longfellow's work also supported his side. However, Poe predicted the ruin of Longfellow's career, as it later came true (Stern, 7). In addition to these rivalry issues, Poe also encountered problems with depression. Poe's depression may have been caused by the combination of all his literary rivalry, drug and alcohol abuse, and so much more. In many of his poems and short stories, the reader can easily identify a dark tone almost every time. For example, in his poem The Raven, the word "Nevermore" is repeated excessively and is very symbolic because it gives off such a perfect effect on the reader that Poe aimed to achieve, a mystical yet dark tone. "'Prophet!' I said, 'wicked thing!' – prophet again, whether bird or devil!'” This is another repeated phrase that gives off a dark tone that is very appealing to the effect it is trying to bring and create a burden for the reader (The Crow, 1) This dark and depressing tone is evident in his pieces most likely due to his own depression “After Virginia's death from tuberculosis