The poem, "Richard Cory" by Edwin Arlington Robinson is the classic pity-the-star story. It has been rumored that some people worshipped by the public eye are just regular people with regular problems, but honestly how big could their problems be? Richard Cory seems to be one of those heart-stopping, rolex-wearing famous people who had a regular problem or two. In scanning the poem line by line, its is easier to uncover meaning. The first line of the poem suggests that Richard Cory wasn't a common person among the people. "Whenever Richard Cory went down town", suggests that Richard Cory lives uptown, probably in some huge house, maybe by himself, and doesn't make it into town very often. The reader could guess that maybe Richard Cory is very old, a hermit, sickly or unlike the other people in the town. After reading the second line, it becomes clearer that Richard Cory is unusual. Now, being old or sickly probably isn't much of an option, so in some way, Richard Cory is very different from the people. Different could mean a lot of different things. Upon reading the third and fourth lines, the haze of his character begins to fade and it is easier for the reader to develop a mental image. The third line: "He was a gentleman from sole to crown", is loaded with meaning. By using the word gentleman, the reader can tell that Richard Cory is a person of status, and most likely wealthy. Saying that Richard Cory wears a crown, is stating that he is a king to the people. The next line tells the reader that he is a clean man with a slim body. At this point in the poem, it is easier to develop a mental image of the character. The next four lines of the poem portray Richard Cory as a prominent public figure, may... ... middle of paper ... ...that Richard Cory did not put a lot of tears or time into his decision. The reader may envision a slender good-looking man wearing a crown walking into a large house and picking up a gun out of a drawer. Without thought, the man sticks it in his mouth and pulls the trigger. There was no big struggle and no letters to be written, just a "calm" exit. The poem itself is very interesting and would make anyone think about the meaning. When scanning the poem line by line and trying to pick out metaphors and hidden meanings, the reader can develop ideas and opinions. Most importantly, taking a closer look at words will help the reader to create a mental image. Robinson's portrayal of Richard Cory not only paints a picture of a man, but also clues the reader in on his feelings, leaving just a little bit of mystery that the reader can interpret to their liking.
The informal language and intimacy of the poem are two techniques the poet uses to convey his message to his audience. He speaks openly and simply, as if he is talking to a close friend. The language is full of slang, two-word sentences, and rambling thoughts; all of which are aspects of conversations between two people who know each other well. The fact that none of the lines ryhme adds to the idea of an ordinary conversation, because most people do not speak in verse. The tone of the poem is rambling and gives the impression that the speaker is thinking and jumping from one thought to the next very quickly. His outside actions of touching the wall and looking at all the names are causing him to react internally. He is remembering the past and is attempting to suppress the emotions that are rising within him.
Nobody was better looking than anybody else,” (627). This quote shows that in Harrison Bergeron’s society, everyone is identical to everyone else. People are not allowed to be unique or different in any way, shape, or form. This is due to the immense pressure of society that forces people to conform. In this case, it is the Handicapper General, one of the most influential powers, that is oppressing the individuals to become similar as well as the common person who is going along with it. When the Handicapper General suppresses George, he is forcing him to conform to be “normal,” and when the majority of the population goes along with it, they are reinforcing the conformism. This idea is also reinforced in the poem, “Richard Cory.” When describing how society views the “perfect” protagonist, the writer explains “In fine, we thought he was everything / To make us wish that we were in his place, (Robinson Lines 11-12). This quote shows how society has forced Richard Cory to be this perfect image of a man. Richard Cory was not allowed to be individualistic due to society’s standards. A good man was supposed to be rich, a gentleman, and happy. These qualities of a good person pressed in on Cory and made him become something that he was not. In the end, Richard Cory’s downfall is
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
Cummings' peculiar method of using syntax to convey hidden meaning is extremely effective. The reader does not simply read and forget Cummings' ideas; instead, he must figure out the hidden meaning himself. In doing this, he feels contentment, and thus retains the poem's idea for a more extended period of time. Cummings' ideogram poems are puzzles waiting to be solved.
Robinson uses the symbolism and irony to quietly warn the perceptive reader of Mr. Flood's death. Robinson quietly references problems that he sees in society, and addresses them with subtleness. But, those who don't pick up on the symbolism and irony will not understand the delicate and precisely planned intricacies of the poem, and how it is upsettingly non-ironic in the end.
He uses powerful imagery and onomatopoeia to achieve the desired effects that make the poem more realistic. All this combined together produces effective thought provoking ideas and with each read, I gradually get an improved understanding and appreciation of the poem.
The poem completes all of these aspects within just four stanzas which is quite impressive. All three of these aspects truly help readers understand the morals and details that the poem is trying to portray, and poets such as Roethke try to keep their audiences’ minds wondering why such and such occurs. The deeper meaning of poetry acts as if it is a mystery to be solved by the reader which keeps me interested and more aware of why certain things may make sense while I am reading. Any type of poetry with understandable diction, style, and imagery will absolutely help reveal the theme and keep the reader yearning to discover why the theme is the way it
I believe that the structure of this poem allows for the speaker to tell a narrative which further allows him to convey his point. The use of enjambment emphasizes this idea as well as provides a sense of flow throughout the entirety of a poem, giving it the look and feel of reading a story. Overall, I believe this piece is very simplistic when it comes to poetic devices, due to the fact that it is written as a prose poem, this piece lacks many of the common poetic devices such as rhyme, repetition, alliteration, and metaphors. However, the tone, symbolism, allusion and imagery presented in the poem, give way to an extremely deep and complicated
It became apparent that the writers who produced a yearly almanac that intrigued readers with information and entertainment had a high chance of making a fortune. Franklin decided to jump on that opportunity creating “Poor Richard’s Almanac” in 1733. The character Poor Richard Saunders is a humorous character yet one that is relatable to the people who are reading Poor Richard’s Almanac. He describes himself as a poor man needing to take care of his wife who complains a lot and seems to be annoyed with the fact that Richard spends his time “gazing at the stars” so to speak. She has threatened to burn all of his books if he doesn’t use them to make money for his family, so he complies with her wishes and creates and almanac. Towards the end of the excerpt he writes “not only as purchasing an useful Utensil, but as performing and Act of Charity, to his poor Friend and Servant.” In a way this could be somewhat comedic in the sense that he along with other men have to listen to their wives complain about getting a job or working harder and the men are begging one man to another to empathize with him in the situation. The name Poor Richard can also be taken two ways, one way as in “poor Richard” with a sympathetic tone regarding his situation or in a literal sense that Richard is
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
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...
Frost, Robert. New Enlarged Anthology of Robert Frost's Poems. New York: Washington Square Press, 1971.
Isolation is defined as the state of being in a place or position that is separated from people, place or things. Many people identify with a desire to be isolated, despite science saying that people’s natural instinct is to gravitate toward others. Studies have shown that isolation is not good psychologically. Isolation can be voluntary or involuntary; however, whether it is with a human or an animal species, physical touch, communication, and emotional connection is necessary to survive in everyday life. In a number of literary works, isolation is seen as a theme among characters who are sick, mentally ill and those who are incarcerated to name a few. In the literary works we have read in this unit, the isolation of the protagonist, whether voluntary or
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
...ach other “Frosts poetry has a very vast range, from extremely long detailed poems, like ‘after apple picking” and “a servant to servants” or relatively short like, “A soldier” or “A question” (which is only four lines). Each of his poems encompasses something different but all have a strong sense of sameness when it comes to the message he wants to communicate to us. A brook in the city represents to a great extent, Frosts overall style and view on poetry. The poem has a rhyme scheme, he uses a vast amount of figures of speech and his language is colloquial, this goes for most, if not all of Frosts poetry. The poem also encompasses his thoughts and views on mankind and their response to the universe. Frost wants us as the reader to comprehend his message and find some sort of wisdom in it. If we do, then Frost has accomplished what he set out to do with his poetry.