Richard Cory Diction

857 Words2 Pages

Edwin Arlington Robinson was a Pulitzer Prize winning poet born in 1800’s. In Edwin Robinson’s poem, “Richard Cory,” we learn of a man who appears to have the perfect life, and is envied by everyone of the community. All of the people see Richard’s seemingly perfect life, and that makes them think he has a great life, just by viewing his appearance. This all changes when one night, Cory lets his demons get to him, and commits suicide. With the use of literary devices such as irony, juxtaposition, and diction, readers are able further understand the theme of the poem, being, you never know someone’s personal struggle that they may be facing just by observing their appearance. To begin with, the device of irony helps us as readers understand …show more content…

These uses of diction are what help to create the mood of the poem, being, that Cory has it all in life, without a care in the world. Edwin Robinson uses words like: “Crown”(3). The usage of this word creates the image of a king like figure, as kings are known to wear crowns to symbolize their wealth. Also, a crown is commonly associated with having great power, and most people with power do not have any personal struggle, due to their ability to have anything they want. Furthermore, Richard is described using a variety of words and phrases with a positive connotative feeling such as: “Arrayed” (5). This word helps to compose the thought of how he is displayed out into the community, and in this case, Cory is shown as a man with a perfect life. The word “arrayed,” has a positive connotation, making us as readers believe he has a great life. Last, Edwin R. uses the word “Glittered” (8), to create the image of how Richard Cory is. This word further helps give readers the idea that Richard must live in a perfect world, and has his money and power to keep him happy. In reality, all of theses words may portray Cory as perfect, yet he too shows to struggle with his own hardships, yet he does not show it towards the eye of the people. As his portrayal gives townspeople a platform to judge his life on, Cory himself does not actually believe in these judgments, but

Show More
Related

  • The Devastating Suicide in Bone

    1165 Words  | 3 Pages

    Robinson, Edward Arlington. "Richard Cory." The Pocket Book of Modern Verse. New York: Washington Square Press, 1954. 153.

    Read More

  • Isolation In Minister's Black Veil And Not Waving But Drowning

    685 Words  | 2 Pages

    Richard Cory is a glittering fellow and puts in the effort to interact with his peers, but they look up to him as a king or a man of higher status than them. Though he is rich and educated, he yearns for interaction. The poem shows that they adore him as a God-type figure instead of a mundane individual: “In fine, we thought he was everything/ To make us wish we were in his place” (Robinson 11-12). It seems as if isolation by ignoring the character is the same with the man in “Not Waving but Drowning,”. The man is metaphorically drowning, and he is desperately calling out for help from afar, but everyone is taking the situation the wrong way. The crowd watching him “drown” believes he is doing just fine stating: “Poor chap, he always loved larking/And now he’s dead” (Smith 5-6). They do not reach out to him to find out his true feelings because he appears just fine on the inside, but he is really alone and

    Read More

  • The Poet With His Face In His Hands By Mary Oliver Analysis

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    In her poem entitled “The Poet with His Face in His Hands,” Mary Oliver utilizes the voice of her work’s speaker to dismiss and belittle those poets who focus on their own misery in their writings. Although the poem models itself a scolding, Oliver wrote the work as a poem with the purpose of delivering an argument against the usage of depressing, personal subject matters for poetry. Oliver’s intention is to dissuade her fellow poets from promoting misery and personal mistakes in their works, and she accomplishes this task through her speaker’s diction and tone, the imagery, setting, and mood created within the content of the poem itself, and the incorporation of such persuasive structures as enjambment and juxtaposition to bolster the poem’s

    Read More

  • Richard Cory, by Edwin Arlington Robinson

    352 Words  | 1 Pages

    Paraphrase: A man named Richard Cory appeared to have it all: looks, a suave persona and a respectable social status. These qualities were respected and admired by the townspeople, even envied to a small degree. Despite his apparent perfect life, Richard Cory shot and killed himself.

    Read More

  • Edwin Arlington Robinson's "Miniver Cheevy"

    234 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Edwin Arlington Robinson's poem, the character, Miniver Cheevy, is a self-pitying dreamer who blames the world for his social status and poverty. The name Miniver Cheevy means to be an underachiever, minute accomplisher, and takes little action for his future. All of these weak characteristics hold true for the protagonist in the poem "Miniver Cheevy." One must express sympathy for a man "with reasons" to have "wept that he was ever born", but once it is understood that Miniver escapes the world of reality into his dreams induced by alcohol, the reader has a hard time still being compassionate for him.

    Read More

  • Shelley's Use Of Abuse Of Power In Ozymandias

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    The use of diction throughout the poem aids the author in displaying the idea that

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast We Wear The Mask And Richard Cory

    696 Words  | 2 Pages

    The irony in the poem portrays the theme that looks can be very deceiving. Richard Cory was the perfect man, or so it seemed. No one saw what was going on underneath his perfect disguise. In the beginning of the poem we learn that Richard Cory is perfect and rich. Through his suicide, we learn that even Cory, a perfect man, was not as content as he seemed to others. The common people had a distorted view of Cory. They thought Cory was happy because he was wealthy and came across as perfect when in reality, he had faults and suffered. His appearance was deceiving as he hid his suffering with a mask- his looks, his riches, and the way he kept himself. Since he appeared to be of a higher class and richer than the common people, it would seem as though he would have no problems. Arlington emphasized how Corey had everything with his use of repetitiveness using “And” at the beginning of each line describing Cory’s characteristics. The common people judged Richard Cory based on what they saw, assuming he had the perfect life with everything he had, rather than who he was as a person. In “Cory”, there is no mention of Cory’s life on a personal level. The moral of this is not to judge a person by their looks, but rather who they really are because who they really are can be

    Read More

  • How Does Steinbeck Use Diction In Of Mice And Men

    539 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Steinbeck’s work, Of Mice and Men, he artfully uses diction to portray Slim, leaving the reader with a vision of a towering strong wise man. Steinbeck uses a variety of diction, some to show Slim’s personality, while others to show the respect he is given and the way he prefers to work. These types of diction create the perfect painting of Slim.

    Read More

  • Kenneth Fearing’s Dirge

    1633 Words  | 4 Pages

    ..., the content and form has self-deconstructed, resulting in a meaningless reduction/manifestation of repetition. The primary focus of the poem on the death and memory of a man has been sacrificed, leaving only the skeletal membrane of any sort of focus in the poem. The “Dirge” which initially was meant to reflect on the life of the individual has been completely abstracted. The “Dirge” the reader is left with at the end of the poem is one meant for anyone and no one. Just as the internal contradictions in Kenneth Fearing’s poem have eliminated the substantial significance of each isolated concern, the reader is left without not only a resolution, but any particular tangible meaning at all. The form and content of this poem have quite effectively established a powerful modernist statement, ironically contingent on the absence and not the presence of meaning in life.

    Read More

  • Richard Cory: Comparing Paul Simon and Edwin Robinson

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both "Richard Cory" poems by Paul Simon and Edwin Robinson reflect the idea of the American Dream, but both in distinct ways. The two poems are different in the ways that societal views have changed through time based on wealth. The image society portrays the American Dream is depicted in the poems by the conversion from royalty to fame. This change of the American Dream is shown through many symbols, but wealth best illustrates how times have changed from the Cory of Robinson's poem, to that of the poem by Paul Simon.

    Read More

  • Comparing Richard Cory and Miniver Cheevy

    662 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Imagery In Richard Cory

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    We are able to gather the image of an extremely polished male who is not only a man but a gentleman. Richard is wealthy beyond measure and the people clearly lust for his riches. The metaphor throughout the poem which compares Richard to wealth teaches a strong lesson to the townspeople. The author closes this poem with the lines “And Richard Cory, one calm summer night / went home and put a bullet through his head. (15-16)” If we once again compare Richard to wealth, this phrase indicates that although the townspeople believe they will gain happiness from obtaining wealth, they may actually find that their calm is destroyed by wealth. Without the use of imagery and metaphor acting together throughout this piece of literature, it is my opinion that the reader may not have gained a clear picture of Richard Cory and his relationship of superiority with the people of the

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Robert Frost's 'Home Burial'

    1155 Words  | 3 Pages

    Robert Frost’s poem “Home Burial” allows readers to consider the devastation that parents experience when they lose a child. “Home Burial” captures the differences in the ways people deal with loss and grief. Munaza Hanif, Anila Jamil, and Rabia Mahmood also analyze this fascinating poem in their paper, “AN ANALYSIS OF HOME BURIAL (1914) BY FROST IN PSYCHOANALYTIC PERSPECTIVE” for its representation of people and their grief. Hanif, Jamil, and Mahmood’s analysis of Amy’s psychological breakdown displays how she and her husband’s lack of communication leads to the death of the marriage.

    Read More

  • Theme Of My Father By James Berry

    1107 Words  | 3 Pages

    In James Berry’s poem there are also many strong contrasts that help the readers to have a better understanding of the father’s character. Early on, the speaker first describes his father as “so black so muscular so well curved.” This image of a man has implications that he has a physically draining occupation that requires a large amount of time outdoors. In the initial reading of this description, one may believe that the son is praising the father. However, Berry immediately contrasts by describing the father as “a groomed showman too fit everyday for barefoot.” This statement turns the whole idea around and paints a picture of a man with too much pride to even walk barefoot. This changes the tone of the initial description to mocking and sardonic. This contrast between a hands-on, physical man and an arrogant “show man,” is further emphasized in stanza three. Rather than working outside in the fields, the father is “sat all day in the tall grass sweet-talking weak jaws.” The father’s lack of activity is again contrasted with the mother trying to “make money like food and clothes and be the sum of every question.” These contrasts highlight the arrogance and pride of the father in the son’s eyes. The speaker shows how he despises his father for having these qualities and also expresses sympathy towards his mother. Additionally, there is a contrast between the man that the father appears to be in society

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of Richard Cory

    943 Words  | 2 Pages

    This poem thematically explains that wealth has no eternal purpose. Life is about the relationships you make and the impact you have on society. The person of interest in this poem is a man called Richard Cory. A distinguished figure said to have been the envy of everyone. From the way of in which he walks, to how he dresses, and how he relates to his community. The other entity in this poem is the “town’s people.” Known in the poem as the “people on the pavement”. The town’s people live and work in less desirable conditions. Their work is tedious to say the least. Most likely construction or another job of that nature that leads to blood, sweat, and tears. The poem begins with Richard Cory’s visit downtown. Now, the author uses the word “whenever”.

    Read More

More about Richard Cory Diction

Open Document