Literary Analysis Of Richard Cory, By Edwin Arlington Robinson

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“Richard Cory” is a narrative poem written in 1897 by Edwin Arlington Robinson. It’s about a man who had everything anyone could ask for regarding materials, takes his life out of the blue. Growing up, Robinson was a gloomy kid. He was considered a disappointment by his mother since she wanted a daughter rather than another son. At a young age, he began to question why he was born. It seems as if Robinson reflected some parts of his life into the poem. Because the United States was economically suffering from the depression of the Panic of 1893, Robinson took inspiration and included the poverty and wealth that was occurring during that time. Robinson’s complex attitude is demonstrated through his diction, puzzling tone, and point of view. Robinson utilizes compound and dignified terms to describe the aspects of Richard Cory and his life. For one, he selected the name “Richard Cory” due to the royal meaning behind the name. Richard is associated with king names while Cory refers to the “chosen He relates himself to Cory because although Robinson had what he needed, he unfailingly questioned his existence. He views Richard Cory as an amazing man due to being educated and presenting himself well. The speaker states, “We people on the pavement looked at him” meaning he was one of the townspeople in the crowd who admired Richard Cory. Robinson also states “In fine, we thought that he was everything To make us wish that we were in his place,” which causes the reader to assume the speaker had a good image of Richard Cory, he perceived him as an extraordinary person to the point the townspeople wanted to live his luxurious life. The point of view being used plays a vast role in the poem since it allows the readers to comprehend who the speaker was and his opinions on Richard Cory. The descriptions the speaker used are not biased since he is one of the people in the

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