Richard Cory, By Edwin Arlington Robinson

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

“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 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

In Fahrenheit 451 Guy Montag is living in a “perfect” society, thinking he is absolutely happy, but further discovers deep inside him that this was untrue and the doubts he has become the root of his unhappiness. As the story progresses the reader begins to see that Montag is not a happy person and instead he is deeply troubled. Likewise, in the poem “Richard Cory”, Richard Cory is shown to the readers as a man who is living an opulent lifestyle, living richer than a king while his less-fortunate neighbors sit and long for his privilege. The people living in his town assume he is ultimately happy due to his wealth, though it is shown in the last stanza that he committed suicide. The reader infers that Richard Cory was actually not happy and was instead just painted over as happy by his people. Both men lived a life of false happiness before finally realizing that they were both unhappy and it also understood that happiness is not just a feeling that resides on the surface of a person but runs

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

Initially, Robinson uses literary elements and descriptions to portray Richard Cory as a perfect individual. For instance, the author describes the main character as “richer than a king” (Robinson 9). Due to the low probability of an upper class American obtaining as much wealth as the ruler of an entire country, this statement can be considered a hyperbole. Although this is not a true statement, it aids readers in understanding the immense wealth that Cory has developed throughout his life. In addition to wealth, Robinson uses various allusions and descriptions to explain Cory’s physique. The main character is said to be not only “clean favored and imperially slim,” but also “a gentleman from sole to crown” (Robinson 3). This indicates that he is not only handsome, but also well respected. Lastly, the author describes Cory’s personality through examples of dialogue. For instance,

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.

In 1897, Edwin Arlington Robinson composed the poem Richard Cory. The important message of the poem was beneficial to readers centuries ago and is equally as valuable today. Robinson does a great job of utilizing various literary devices to convey this knowledge and enhance the pleasure of the reading. The superficial appearance of an individual does not define their reality.

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.

Edwin Robinson creates his poem with an impressive diction that allows us to truly understand the importance of the gentleman “Richard Cory”. Robinson includes “We people on the pavement looked at him, he was a gentleman from sole to crown, clean favored, and imperially slim…” (Robinson, Lines 2-4). He includes words such as pavement instead of stating sidewalk, clean favored instead of good looking, and slim instead of thin. He creates these changes because he wants to seem genuinely intelligent and add elegance to the admiration of the man. He also states, “And admirably schooled in every grace” (Robinson, Line 10). Robinson states how the gentleman is extremely educated and has manners, which makes sense why he is so admired. Robinson includes this diction because in a way he was portraying himself into that man. Due to Robinson’s diction the audience is able to analyze the real reasoning behind it all. He incorporates this diction because the gentleman is admirable and possibly Robinson wants to be admired as well.

The poem “Richard Cory” is a description and story of a man named Richard Cory, of course. The speaker of the poem is an impoverished, blue-collar

For Richard Cory, the saying money can’t buy happiness, could not be more appropriate. He is, according to the people of the town, the man with everything. Everyone wished they could be more like him, “he had everything to make us

Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson represents a life we all strive to achieve. The narrator describes Cory as, “Richer than a King”, “gentleman from sole to crown”. Richard Cory not only possess the wealth, his characteristic of being a gentleman makes him even more admirable. The narrator also views Richard Cory’s life as exemplary and states, “In, fine we thought that he was everything to make us wish that we were in his place”. However, as the poem comes to an end Cory commits suicide showcasing the irony that wealth does not bring happiness as so many of us often believe it will. This story relates to the American dream because we constantly strive to achieve a better life with a career, jobs, good finance and happiness. To

“No matter what we are, and what we sing, Time finds a withered leaf in every laurel” (Robinson). “Richard Cory” written by Edwin Arlington Robinson, tells a simple yet thought provoking story of a charming man who everyone envied, because he seemed to have his life completely well put together. In the poem, the people of the town seemed to be unhappy and resent what they thought was a humdrum life. But it was Richard Cory who was the one truly not happy, the moral of the poem is: appreciate your current status because money certainly does not buy happiness. Even the richest, most good looking people in the world have problems. Just because a person looks like