Explication of the Poem "Richard Cory"
Dr. Ruleman
E102
11/13/13
Explication of Richard Cory The poem “Richard Cory,” written by Edwin Arlington Robinson, is a very detail-oriented poem designed to make the reader think very thoroughly about the words and phrases that Robinson uses in his work. Robinson’s poem has many different aspects to it that make you question the work to really try and understand what is happening. Edwin Arlington Robinson uses imagery to describe the character, questioning of the characters life and irony to try to show us who the real Richard Cory character is. After reading this poem, anyone would get many thoughts about who Richard Cory is and what this whole poem is about. One of the main ways that Edwin Arlington Robinson reveals Richard Cory’s character is through his use of imagery. Richard Cory has some very distinct traits about him. In the poem Robinson depicts Cory as very rich and he seems to have it all. The first impression of this man would be of course that he is happy because he has everything. He’s got money, he’s in very good shape, he was extremely smart, and was a very good gentleman. Robinson writes, “And he was rich- yes, richer than a king-/ And admirably schooled in every grace” (Lines 9-10). This explanation of Richard Cory of course makes the reader think that he is a good man and doesn’t have any problems. He’s just got it all. A man that has wealth, that has an education, and in today’s world that means everything. In this case, you could definitely say that Richard Cory is a very successful man. Although Richard Cory is a man who seemingly has everything, he still chooses to kill himself. Wallace L. Anderson depicts Richard Cory in the same type of way, he writes, “Richard Cory was a wealthy man, admired and envied by those who consider themselves less fortunate than he, unexpectedly commits suicide” (Anderson). This is a man who has everything in the world and somehow seems to have a problem in the end of the poem. This is what leads us
E102
11/13/13
Explication of Richard Cory The poem “Richard Cory,” written by Edwin Arlington Robinson, is a very detail-oriented poem designed to make the reader think very thoroughly about the words and phrases that Robinson uses in his work. Robinson’s poem has many different aspects to it that make you question the work to really try and understand what is happening. Edwin Arlington Robinson uses imagery to describe the character, questioning of the characters life and irony to try to show us who the real Richard Cory character is. After reading this poem, anyone would get many thoughts about who Richard Cory is and what this whole poem is about. One of the main ways that Edwin Arlington Robinson reveals Richard Cory’s character is through his use of imagery. Richard Cory has some very distinct traits about him. In the poem Robinson depicts Cory as very rich and he seems to have it all. The first impression of this man would be of course that he is happy because he has everything. He’s got money, he’s in very good shape, he was extremely smart, and was a very good gentleman. Robinson writes, “And he was rich- yes, richer than a king-/ And admirably schooled in every grace” (Lines 9-10). This explanation of Richard Cory of course makes the reader think that he is a good man and doesn’t have any problems. He’s just got it all. A man that has wealth, that has an education, and in today’s world that means everything. In this case, you could definitely say that Richard Cory is a very successful man. Although Richard Cory is a man who seemingly has everything, he still chooses to kill himself. Wallace L. Anderson depicts Richard Cory in the same type of way, he writes, “Richard Cory was a wealthy man, admired and envied by those who consider themselves less fortunate than he, unexpectedly commits suicide” (Anderson). This is a man who has everything in the world and somehow seems to have a problem in the end of the poem. This is what leads us
Cited: Anderson, Wallace L. Edwin Arlington Robinson: A Critical Introduction. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company. 1967. Print. Crowder, Richard. E. A. Robinson and the Meaning of Life. Chicago Review. 15. (1961): 5-17. JSTOR. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Donaldson, Scott. The Alien Pity: A Study of Character in E. A. Robinson’s Poetry. American Literature. 38. (1966): 219-229. JSTOR. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Hepburn, James G. E.A. Robinson’s System of Opposites. PMLA. 80. (1965): 266-274. JSTOR. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Morris, Lloyd. The Poetry of Edwin Arlington Robinson. New York. Books For Library Press. 1969. Print. Roberts, Edgar V. and Zweig, Robert. “Richard Cory.” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Pearson Education, Inc. 2006. 535. Print.