Critical Analysis Of Richard Cory

The speaker of the poem recounts that Richard Cory was a “gentleman from sole to crown, clean favored, and imperially slim” and that he was “richer than a king”. The words “crown”, “imperially”, and “king” hints that people viewed Richard Cory as a man of high status and royalty. Even though he was a man who was unlike any other, “he was always human when

In “Richard Cory” People look at him with awe and envy. His very presence turns people’s heads and they are happy to see him. He gave off an aura that is almost intimidating to those around him, “he glittered when he walked” (Robinson “Richard Cory” line 8) not scary intimidating but it made them scared to talk to him. Richard has all that he needs but he still isolates himself from everyone. It is unknown what made him so unhappy other that just isolation from everyone. Because of all of this, one night he “went home and put a bullet through his head” (Robinson “Richard Cory” line 12). In the poem “Not Waving but Drowning”, he is a man amongst people. Who is a happy guy who “always loves larking” (Smith line 5). He seems to always be happy but not a person paid very close attention to him. He has a false happiness about him. He is really all alone and we do not notice that he is “Not Waving but Drowning”. Both Richard and the “dead man” (Smith line 1) are examples of imposed isolation. They are bot chosen by isolation and it costs them both their lives.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” is a saying that most people have heard since they were young, but this saying can also be applied to people just as well. One cannot judge another just by looks, and if one does, the assumptions made are most likely wrong. In Robinson’s “Richard Cory,” Richard Cory is envied by the poor because he is rich and has everything he could possibly want, or at least that what they think. To the common people he seems to be happy and kind, and everything in his life must be perfect. But the common people only envy Richard Cory because of their assumptions. By the end of the poem the people learn that his life must have not have been all that it seemed to be because he ended up committing suicide. Even when someone has everything in life, like power and wealth, and they seem happy, they might not be happy with their life because if they already have everything, there’s nothing to live for or to work for. It shows that people can’t be judged by what they look like or what they show you just to be polite. This poem shows that a person’s personality and character cannot be judged just by what they look like, and most assumptions made of a person shouldn’t be based on first impressions because they don’t do people justice to who

Richard Cory written by Edwin Robinson was taken from the point of view of the townspeople around him. They make him out to be this rich, happy, and admirable man. “In fine, we thought that he was everything. To make us wish that we were in his place.” To everyone in the town, he seemed like a great guy; someone everyone wanted to be. They distanced themselves from him though, put him on a pedestal. The town says

“Richard Cory” written by Edwin Arlington Robinson is about a man who appears to be admirable on the exterior but no one is familiar with his interior, which is suffering badly. The narrator talks Richard Cory up by stating, he was "richer than a king,"(line 9) "admirably schooled,"(line 10) "we thought that he was everything to make us wish that we were in his place."(lines 11-12) Until an abrupt ending to the poem, "one calm summer night, went home and put a bullet through his head."(lines 15-16) This poem makes one think about true happiness and what it entails. From the outside one may appear to have everything but happiness does not come from wealth, it comes from within ones self and the narrator didn't take the time to really get to

The poem had been made up of three stanzas describe the subject and the fourth stanza which give the reader a shock with Cory’s act of suicide. The poem contain the use of rich languages. The narrator doesn’t used rhythmical devices, no simile, no symbolism, and no metaphor but contains rich words with character. “Went down town” indicate a different neighborhood, he seems to live in a wealthy neighborhood. The main characteristic of this poem is the differences between the wealthy and the less-well-off. There is a distinction that shows the comparison between “Us” and “Him”. “We people on the pavement looked at him” shows clearly the comparison between the lower class and the upper class. This poem shows a sensory experience rather than vivid image that you can visualize. I think this poem is trying to show is that money is not everything, you may be wealthy but you are lonely and sad or even sick. Richard Cory seems that he doesn’t show his emotions and at the some point he couldn’t hold it and decided to end his life. What we can take from this poem is that appearance is deceiving but looking at the picture closely we can find much more than we think. It rhythm flows, it shows the human characteristic and express all this while being literal without any metaphor or

"Richard Cory" by Edwin Arlington Robinson, and "Warren Prior" by Alden Nowlan are both poems which discuss the unhappiness people tend to hide about themselves. In these poems, irony is used to show how each persona is deeply unsatisfied with the circumstances they face although appearing different to their peers. To begin with, "Richard Cory" is about a man named Richard Cory who is notorious for being wealthy and seemingly has the type of lifestyle others would envy. However, what was seen on the surface was deceiving, because at the end of the poem we learn that Cory commits suicide. Likewise, "Warren Prior" is about a male who grew up on a farm where his parents worked extremely hard in order to be able to afford an education for their

While reading the poems “Richard Cory” and “Ezra Farmer”, it is almost immediately evident which poem is an original and which is a parody. Both poems are clearly about men that are popular among those he meets, but once the reader looks beneath the surface, they notice how the diction plays an important role in relaying the theme to the audience it is presented to. In the poem “Richard Cory” written by Edwin Arlington Robinson, the theme being portrayed is that people are not always as how they seem.

It is ironic how the people of down-town portrayed Richard Cory. They presumed, “he was everything/ To make us wish that we were in his place.” (Line 11-12). This great example of alliteration helps explain the fact he was viewed as the luckiest guy around. His life ended suddenly from a gun trigger pulled by himself. The way Cory’s death is described is situationally ironic. “One calm summer night” (15) is the day Cory chose to end his life. There is nothing calm about a suicide, and summer nights are generally known to be the best times of the year. The people of down town “worked, and waited for the light,” (13) waiting for their lives to get better. This great use of metaphor and alliteration helps convey the idea the people supposed they were enduring difficult times when in fact, Cory was dying from the inside out. They believed, “he glittered when he walked.” (8) and viewed him as if he were a sunshine hovering below the sun, when in reality, inside he felt like a cloudy storm. Happiness does not have a price tag and the people of down-town now understand that.

Robinson gives a physical description of Richard Cory as "Clean favored, and imperially slim." While this seems to be physical, many symbolic issues of wealth are expressed through this line. Cory is once again given a description of royalty by being called "imperially slim" and by also being "clean favored" he seems he may be above all else or at least that aura was personified. In Simon's poem, rather than royal traits, Cory is given characteristics of being "everything a man could want: power, grace, and style." These traits move from a regal standpoint, to one usually associated with famous, sophisticated people. This repositioning of the American Dream is apparent after evaluating the way wealth transformed the way the public viewed Richard Cory.

Poet, Edwin Arlington Robinson, created an impressive poem which was written in 1897. Robison wrote the poem “Richard Cory” as a narrative about a gentleman who is wealthy, well educated and admired by many people in his town. Although Robinson begins the poem positive, describing the admiration for the gentleman, he ends the poem with his death. This poem is one of Robinson’s most famous poems that he had created. Robinson was an American poet who attended Harvard and now is remembered for his dramatic short poems. Robinson’s attitude in “Richard Cory” was seen through his diction, imagery, ethos, etc. Robinson incorporates many details that contribute to the tragic irony at the end.

The second main poetic device used by Robinson is irony. The apparent irony in the poem is the fact that Richard Cory killed himself. As I have discussed before, Richard Cory was this guy who had all of the things anyone could ask for. He had good-looks, money, intelligence, and was, for the most part, liked by everyone. The irony comes when the reader realizes that the majority of people would be unbelievably happy with this life. It is extremely appalling and ironic that Richard Cory could kill himself with this seemingly perfect life. The second piece of irony stems from the first. It is not necessarily the fact that

In Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poems, “Richard Cory” and “Miniver Cheevy” the main characters are portrayed as outcasts. Both are shunned from society neither having any real friends. Though these characters have some similarities, the way in which Robinson portrays them is very different. Richard Cory is admired by his peers, where as, Miniver Cheevy is opposite; people look down on him. One man appearing to have everything takes his own life, while the other appearing to have nothing accepts his misery.

For good reason, I believe Robinson wants the reader to reflect that when Richard Cory died, he was probably a very lonely and sad man. A supporting fact of this would be the lack of relationships in any form throughout the poem. With no lover, no family, and no friends, it could be assumed as one factor in the decision making to end his life. It can also be assumed Richard Cory appears to keep all of his emotions hidden from the rest of the world through his everyday routine. (Richard Cory - Analysis) I connect this as Richard Cory was living a lie every day he was hiding his humanly need for relationships. “Whenever Richard Cory went down town” (Robinson, Richard Cory) more than likely the only form of socializing he had. He was alone and unhappy and was going down town greeting the townspeople. This why Richard Cory “went home and put a bullet through his head” (Robinson, Richard Cory) he could no longer live a lie and committed suicide. “I shall have more to say when I am dead” (Robinson, Inspiring Quotes ), Robinson was trying to connect that companionship is essential to all people. Robinson was trying to ensure that although money can make a person happy, they may grow tired of it over time. When you become very used to one thing over time, it may begin to matter less and less. (Richard Cory -