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Richard Cory Essay

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In Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory,” the narrator depicts a man who appears to have it all: wealth, looks, and charm. The narrator also explains that the entire town admires and aspires to be Richard Cory. However, everything was not as perfect in Richard Cory’s life as it seemed; at the end of the poem, the narrator describes how one summer night Richard Cory took his own life by shooting himself in the head. Because Edwin Arlington Robinson dotes on Richard Cory, the audience is shocked by the end of the poem when Cory takes his own life. Robinson utilizes word choice to elevate Richard Cory to a status above the rest of the town, establish that he has everything, and construct the idea that the townspeople admire and envy …show more content…

For example, the narrator explains that “whenever Richard Cory went down town, / we people on the pavement looked at him” (Robinson 1-2). Robinson’s word choice depicts how Cory’s status is above the rest of the town, and how the townspeople admire and envy him; due to this phrase, the audience is shocked when Cory commits suicide because his life appears to be perfect to the town. To explain, although Cory was miserable, “the townspeople wished they were in his place because of his wealth” (Scheick). Because the town envies Cory and wishes to be him, Robinson is able to shock the audience by the ghastly ending to his poem. Also, due to his word choice of how the townspeople react to Cory, Robinson is able to further shock the audience. To explain, the narrator describes that the townspeople “thought that [Richard Cory] was everything/ to make us wish that we were in his place” (Robinson 11-12). The audience is shocked when Cory takes his own life due to Robinson’s word choice pertaining to how the townspeople admire and envy Richard Cory. Because Robinson utilizes word choice to display Cory’s perceived status above the townspeople and the admiration they felt towards him, the audience is further shocked by Cory’s

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