Analysis Of Richard Cory

Richard Cory Looking back in literature, there are thousands upon thousands of poems written in every time period that have a wide array of subjects. There are poems that can be about love and beauty, such as “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?”, and there are poems that are about very serious matters such as “Richard Cory”. The author of the poem, “Richard Cory”, uses diction, figure of speech, and imagery to get an important message across; money cannot buy happiness. Often when analyzing poetry people tend to over think and try to uncover a hidden meaning. This is best said by Carol Binkowski, “when reading poetry isn't about uncovering hidden meanings but slowing down long enough to appreciate what awaits on the page” (Binkowski,

This very first line of this stanza states “And he was rich---yes, richer than a king”. This finally reviles to the reader how all of the people of the sidewalk are different from him. The second line of the stanza tells more of Richard Cory’s background. The second line reads “And admirably schooled in every grace”. The writer used the phrase “admirably schooled”; this is conveying to the readers of this poem that Richard Cory was not only schooled, but he received education from a respectable institute. The speaker said that Richard Cory was “schooled in every grace”. This is telling the readers that Richard Cory was brought up to be a man of importance since he was a child. Richard Cory is a rich man and all of the town knows; many of these people wish that they were in his shoes with all of his intelligence and grace. The third line of the poem says “In fine, we thought that he was everything”. This line of the poem is interesting. When looking at the line it was written as, “In fine, we thought that he was everything”; the interesting part is that language that the author chooses to use. When the speaker talks of Richard Cory, he is being described as “he was everything”. The author chooses to use the word “was” instead of “had”. This is showing everyone that Richard Cory is more than just his money; he is a man of grace and elegance who is powerful and commanding, and yet he is still soft and kind. The final line of the third stanza reads as “To make us wish that we were in his place”. This final line is confirming what was hinted earlier in the poem. The people want to be Richard