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, …show more content…
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
Poetry is a very subjective art it is up to the authors to determine how they want to convey their message to the readers. Both Ezra Pound’s poem “In the Station Metro” and Emma LaRocque’s poem “The Red in Winter” use imagery, that is very subjective to interpretation, to convey their message in an economic manner. Pound’s artistic imagist poem shows that art isn’t just visual but it can also be portrayed through words alone; and that imagery is a powerful aspect of poetry. LaRaque’s however is focused on how images can portray political issues among differing cultures.
The speakers in A. E. Housman poem “To an Athlete Dying Young” and Edward Arlington Robinson poem “Richard Cory” serve different purposes but uses irony and rhyme to help convey their message. In “To an Athlete Dying Young” the speaker’s purpose is to show the audience dying young with glory is more memorable than dying old with glory. In “Richard Cory” the speaker’s purpose is to show the audience “you can’t judge a book by its cover.”
Good poetry provides meaningful commentary. One indication of a poem’s success in this is the depth of thought the reader has as a result of the poem. The poems I anthologized may take different
To help Year Twelve students that are studying poetry appreciate it's value, this pamphlet's aim is to discuss a classic poem and a modern song lyric to show that even poetry written many years ago can still be relevant to people and lyrics today. By reading this may you gain a greater knowledge and understanding of poetry in general, and not just the two discussed further on.
Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “A Valentine for Ernest Mann” tells the reader: “You can’t order a poem like you order a taco. / Walk up to the counter, say, ‘I’ll take two’.” This shows that poems cannot be written or interpreted perfectly on the first try or on demand; you have to dig a little deeper to discover them. Naomi Shihab Nye also shows readers that poems hide in everyday things that we might not think to notice. She also tells about a serious man who gave his wife two skunks for Valentine’s Day because he thought they had beautiful eyes. His wife was upset about the gift because she did not see the skunks the way her husband did. Through voice, figurative language, and theme, Naomi Shihab Nye shows us that if we try hard enough, we can see things from a different perspective, thus allowing us to find poems in the most simple, everyday objects.
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 issues of wealth during an early time period, Paul Simon creates a contemporary "Richard Cory", showing the transformation of the American Dream coinciding with the passage of time.
The main character of the poem, Richard Cory, is an individual who represents the irony of modern American life. The poem seems to take place during The Gilded Age where the people who had an education were wealthy and the rest of them were just poor. The main thrust of this poem suggests the differences between the wealthy and the poor. During this time, people’s socio-economic classes were easier to identify. Richard Cory belongs to the high economic class, while the narrator fits in lower class. “We people on the pavement looked at him/ He was a gentleman from sole to crown” (2-3). It is a difficult time for working class people to obtain what they need, that is why they want to have Richard Cory’s life. Even though it can be difficult for the reader to know where exactly the poem takes place, the reader can have an idea of the size and system that it has. Robinson’s poem seems to happen in a small town where Richard Cory is one of the wealthiest men. He seems to be known by almost everyone in this town.
Poetry may be the hardest form of literature to examine, at least for me. After reading some of our assigned poems this semester I was left completely confused, as to not only the authors purpose, but also the relevance and importance of the poem; None ...
What brings someone happiness? Richard Cory is seen walking throughout town by himself and is described as good looking by the people there, but they also think of him as nonhuman and different from them whenever he didn’t talk to anyone and some of the townspeople wished they could be him because of his wealth but in the end he committed suicide. Showing that money doesn’t equal happiness, and this can be seen throughout the poem by his interaction with the people, the way they act around him, and his death.
There is no clear correct way to analyze the poem and judge who is more correct is in the reader’s hand not the writers. If to readers sought different meanings each party would have a valid reason to why theirs is correct and the opposite party must accept it. The one agreeable argument is that this is an interesting and powerful poem.
One example of analyzing the poem is how the lines stop in random places. This can also be called, enjambment. The poem is describing a fight. When fights happen, they are fast and quick and intense, the author tries to recreate the chaos and speed of the fight by using enjambment. The second example of analyzing the poem is that the stanzas are broken up into four lines. The only lines that are not broken up into four lines are the last ones, which are broken up into couplets. The third example of analyzing this poem, is that there are a lot of metaphors that bring out the intense and vehement emotion, such as, “A wall of fire sethes…”. This brings out all the emotions in the air, and what the angry parents feel like, even though the author doesn’t say that they were mad, you can guess how much anger and tension is in the
In the eyes of the townspeople, Richard Cory was the incarnation of the “grass is greener somewhere else” mentality, setting the standards for fame and fortune. Despite being a fictional personage, his character and story are perhaps some of the most relatable aspects of modern literature I have ever read. Here we have a prime example of a “perfect life” being merely a cover up for someone’s internal conflict or struggle. Whether they are the popular kids at school or the multimillionaire celebrities on TV, we seek out the Richard Cory’s of our society, so that we can idolize and strive to be like them. The “Obituary of Richard Cory” video gave us a perfect, real life example of a “Richard Cory” through Marcus Bradley, a well-loved, high-school
Poetry can serve as cautionary tales, a declaration of love and many other types of expression. Poems can discuss several themes from love and life to death and religion; however two poems with the same themes can have two different messages. Thomas Grey’s “Elegy Written in a Church Courtyard” and “Beowulf” author unknown, express themes such as death and the value of life; however their use of figurative language and choice of form convey two different messages. Figurative language can deepen the meaning of a message, while form can give the reader a hint about the poem’s theme.
Authors use poetry to creatively present attitudes and opinions. “A Man’s Requirements,” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and “A Letter to Her Husband, Absent upon Public Employment” are two poems with distinct attitudes about love that contain different literary approaches. In both of the poems, love is addressed from a different perspective, producing the difference in expectation and presentation, but both suggest the women are subservient in the relationships.
In the poem we only know Richard Cory by what the people see and think about him. His feelings, other than when he commits suicide, are never truly stated. Throughout the poem the only thing we learn about Richard Cory are the images that the everyday people have of a man who is seen almost as a king. In the second line of the poem, the villagers express that they feel inferior to Cory when they say “We people on the pavement looked at him” (2). The people referring to themselves as “people on the pavement” might be inferring that the people are homeless; in their opinion Richard Cory is seen as a king “He was a gentleman from sole to crown” (3). and they are just his admiring subjects. Even the name Richard Cory is and allusion to Richard Coeur-de-lion, or King Richard 1 of England. Then, the public goes on to describe Richard as a true gentleman, “And he was always quietly arrayed,/ And he was always human when he talked” (5-6). These lines show that the public think that Richard Cory never truly came off as very wealthy because he believed that even the poorest person deserved politeness and respect. The word “always” in lines five and six could suggest that th...