Symbolism In Edwin Arlington Robinson's '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

The tone of the poem changes as the poem progresses. The poem begins with energetic language like “full of heroic tales” and “by a mere swing to his shoulder”. The composer also uses hyperboles like “My father began as a god” and “lifted me to heaven”. The use of this positive language indicates to the responder that the composer is longing for those days – he is nostalgic. It also highlights the perspective of a typical child. The language used in the middle of the poem is highly critical of his father: “A foolish small old man”. This highlights the perspective of a typical teenager and signifies that they have generally conflicting views. The language used in the last section of the poem is more loving and emotional than the rest: “...revealing virtues such as honesty, generosity, integrity”. This draws attention to a mature adult’s perspective.

Secondly, the speaker of the poem can be described as underprivileged, and this is shown throughout the entire poem. For example, line 1 of the poem it states "some are teethed on a silver spoon” and line 5 it states "some are swaddled in silk and down”. This shows that the speaker is not the same as the person who is teethed on a silver spoon or cared for very carefully. This inclusion also shows that the speaker was not born into a wealthy family and so the speaker must fight for what they need pertaining to themselves and the family.

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

"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.

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.

Richard Cory poems are a traditional type of poetry found all throughout different time periods. The poems range from the original to song variations, all contributing their own perspectives on what Richard Cory symbolized, and each takes their own distinct form. Richard Cory poetry usual contains the distinct ending of Richard Cory taking his own life, but each poem adds its own variations to this repetitive theme. Throughout the poems, there are also many similar themes, which portray a consistent theme of the American Dream and how it transforms. Many symbolic issues that deal with this dream are related to wealth, which is the most prominent reoccurring theme in the two poems. Whereas Robinson's "Richard Cory" focuses on symbolic

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

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.

In the poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, he had portrayed his main character, Richard Cory, as a very fine gentleman who was perfect in every way possible. The speaker of the poem is only known to be of lower social and economic status when the speaker had mentioned Cory going "down" town, the speaker mentioned that "We people on the pavement looked at him," indicating that the speaker is a part of a subordinate community and when the speaker says "So on we worked, and waited for the light, And went without the meat, and cursed the bread," the speaker reveals that the community that s/he lives in is struggling and is desperate for help. Although, the only reason the speaker and his/her community is important

and that he believes them. The poem also translates into how living in the city is toilsome and that the city is unrelenting. On the other hand it shows how the city can be prosperous and happy with the city’s disadvantages. in the second half of the poem it’s telling how nomatter what is wrong with the city, the people are still proud of who they are.

It isn’t just the words in the poem, but sometimes even how the words are arranged, and the way they sound when paired together. The way a poem sounds to a reader out-loud might not seem a clue to the inner workings of a poem but can unveil a secret meaning all together. The rhyme scheme in this poem is simplistic as well as telling. In Robinson’s Richard Cory there is an alternating pattern, while it isn’t ‘A B A B’ the entire way, it does have a sense of purposeful rhythm. There is however, one misstep in the rhyme scheme, a hiccup so to speak. The only lines that don’t rhyme are lines five and seven ending with, “Arrayed” and “Said”, these lines being early in the sixteen-line poem shows that there is an early setback in the character’s life. Another mark on the pristine appearance of Richard Cory. This alternate rhyme set up means that while everything looks and seems perfect and there is a fault, a fault so large that is shows through his outer shell. Something that will ultimately add to the accumulation of Cory’s