...Revolution Primary Sources 1. Robinson, Edwin Arlington. Richard Cory. 1897. Edwin Robinson wrote a short narrative poem about a man, Richard Cory. Robinson describes Richard Cory as a man who is wealthy, admired, educated, stylish, and modest. At the end of the poem the feeling of admiration changes to shock after it was revealed that Richard Cory "went home and put a bullet through his head." Robinson taught the moral "money doesn't buy happiness" through the magic of envy. 2. Simon, Paul. Richard Cory. 1966. Literature In Paul Simon's adaptation of Richard Cory he reconceived the original poem and added a chorus that emphasized a separate truth. Simon talks about Richard Cory being Meeks 2 "born into society" and painted a picture of Cory being a wealthy playboy with tones like "the orgies on his yacht." Simon wants his readers/listeners to view Richard Cory as a type of lifestyle. Secondary Sources 3. Morse, David E. Avant-Rock in the Classroom. The English Journal, Vol. 58, No. 2 (Feb., 1969), pp. 196-200+297. Print. This article suggests that using avant-rock in the classroom the students would show more interest in literature. "The whole avant-rock movement clearly challenges the traditional notions of what is literature." Morse believes that by doing this they will bring many students who react sentimentally to ballads will undertake meaning with art of their culture. Morse uses the process of comparison between Edwin Arlington Robinson's poem Richard...
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...In the poem “Richard Cory” written by Edwin Arlington Robinson, Richard Cory is portrayed as a great man, and everyone thinks he is such a well put together person who has his life together. When he walks the streets down town, we get to hear the poorer peoples’ perspective on their idea of him. They elaborate about how everything from his actions to his looks are appealing. Throughout the poem it seems like he has the perfect life because of how the lower class of people talk about him, but in the end we discover that he commits suicide by shooting himself in the head. After reading this poem, you realize that there are many themes portrayed and each consisting of significant value. For example, one of the main themes that we see is that you cannot assume certain aspects of a person just off of their looks. The less fortunate people, or as said in the poem, “people on the pavement” (Robinson, 851), only went...
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...Camille Khaye Gapate 1. Search for the poem “Richard Cory” by Edward Arlington Richard Cory BY EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON Whenever Richard Cory went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman from sole to crown, Clean favored, and imperially slim. And he was always quietly arrayed, And he was always human when he talked; But still he fluttered pulses when he said, "Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked. And he was rich—yes, richer than a king— And admirably schooled in every grace: In fine, we thought that he was everything To make us wish that we were in his place. So on we worked, and waited for the light, And went without the meat, and cursed the bread; And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet through his head. 2. Answer the following: A. Who is Richard Cory -Richard Cory is a wealthy man, admired and envied by those who consider themselves less fortunate than him. B. Describe him - Richard Cory is described as being a “gentlemen from sole to crown” and “clean favored.” When describing his movements, the people say he “glittered when he walked.” They also acknowledge his wealth and education as being much greater than their own. C. What happen to him? - He commits suicide. D. Why do you think he did that? (refer to question C) - Richard Cory commits suicide because, despite all the things he had, his life was completely empty. A supporting fact of this would be the absence of relationships...
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...Three Losers A loser is a person who fails frequently or is generally unsuccessful in life. In Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poems, three men are classified as losers in three different situations. The three protagonists of the poems are Miniver Cheevy, Richard Cory, and Mr. Flood. These three men, unable to cope with their problems or improve their situations, drown in a life of misery, sadness, and loneliness. They live an unhappy life but do nothing to make it or themselves better. In Robinson’s poem, Miniver Cheevy, a man is unhappy with the era he is living in. He wishes he lived in the time of warriors, swords, and medieval iron clothing. He thought he was born in the wrong time and called it fate. He describes his times as boring, where nothing adventurous happens, like in the old times. Unfortunately, Miniver Cheevy did nothing to improve his life and only kept dreaming of a fantasy life. He becomes a loser that only keeps dreaming, drinking, thinking and thinking but cared less about making his life worth living. He got drunk everyday only to keep imagining a fantasy life that would never become reality and weeping that he was ever born. But not everybody copes with the problems the same way. On another one of Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poems, a story of a wealthy, envied man is described. Richard Cory is the main character of the poem. He is extremely rich, educated, and gracious. His life seems perfect. Men envy him and women want to be with him. A greeting from...
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...The first is “We Wear the Mask (1896)” by Paul Laurence Dunbar and "Richard Cory (1897)" by Edward Arlington Robinson. I really enjoy poetry and was amazed at the similarities found in these two pieces despite the very noticeable difference in the authors. I started of my paper with a quote from an unknown author which will help set the tone for the two poems I will be comparing. This quote describes something we all have at one time or another. We all have at some point in our lives encountered (or will encounter) a time where we have to do or go through something that we did not want to do or experience. A time where we cannot let on to others what we are truly feeling inside. Whether it is at work or staying strong for family or friends or just putting on a front for the world. These two authors wrote poems about this very thing. Paul L Dunbar was born in Dayton Ohio on June 22, 1872 to parents who had been enslaved prior to the civil war. Just about 3 years earlier Edward Arlington Robinson was born on December 22, 1869. His parents were very well off. There is so much to be said about the lives of these two great men and the things that they experienced and the contributions they made to American Literature. However, for the sake of this comparison I will point out only that Dunbar was poor black man that was born during a very difficult time for people of his race and Robinson was a White man born into wealth. Lots of positive and negatives changes were taking place in America...
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...Poetry and Figurative Language paper Aaron Smith ENG/340 January 8, 2013 Nicole Svee Magann Poetry and Figurative Language paper From this week’s readings I have chosen the following three poems; “My grandmother’s love letters” by Hart Crane, “The road not taken” by Robert Frost, and “Richard Cory” by Edward Arlington Robinson. My Grandmother’s Love Letters By Hart Crane (1899-1932) There are no stars tonight But those of memory. Yet how much room for memory there is In the loose girdle of soft rain. There is even room enough For the letters of my mother’s mother, Elizabeth, That have been passed so long Into the corner of the roof That they are brown and soft, And liable to melt as snow. Over the greatness of such space Steps must be gentle. It is all hung by an invisible white hair. It trembles as birch limbs webbing the air. And I ask myself: “Are your fingers long enough to play Old keys that are but echoes: Is the silence strong enough To carry back the music to its source And back to you again As though to her?” Yet I would lead my grandmother by the hand Through much of what she would not understand; And so I stumble. And the rain continues on the roof With such a sound of gently pitying laughter. (Thiel, 2005, pp. 295-296) The imagery in this poem is very rich and vivid. At the beginning I see a darkness that is beginning to be lite up by fond memories, like a candle getting brighter and brighter. I can hear rain falling on the roof...
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...“Richard Cory” is a story told by a narrator by the name of Edwin Arlington Robinson. The narrator speaks for the rest of the poor in the town when he claims that “we people on the pavement looked at him” and “we thought that he was everything.” In the first three stanzas, the narrator praises Richard Cory, painting him as a “gentlemen from sole to crown” who “glittered when he walked.” The rich, popular, and refined Cory is envied by those around him for seemingly having all that life has to offer. The fourth stanza, however, takes a tragic turn and ends with Cory's suicide: “And Richard Cory, one calm summer night / Went home and put a bullet through his head.” There are no clues given in the poem as to why Cory commits suicide. Judging by the poem, the story is told from that of one of the townspeople. This can be shown by looking at the second line of the poem where it states, "we people on the pavement looked at him". This person seemed to be confused as to why a man held in such high regard with so many possessions would take his life. He seems to be confused that a man everyone wanted to be like, would commit suicide. It just comes to show that even with all the wealth that someone may...
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...Richard Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem, Richard Cory, was a window into the life of a lonely man, who had everything ones heart could desire. He was good looking, wealth and well known there out the town. Even though he had all of these things he still “put a bullet through his head”. Sixty nine years later Paul Simon wrote a response to Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem, also entitle Richard Cory. Paul Simon response came in the form of a song. The speaker in Simon’s poem is a low class working citizen, who wishes he was Richard Cory. Even though both poems are about Richard Cory and have the same title, the two are very different in many ways. They also share some similarities, which is not that many. The first contrast, I see between the poems is that Richard Cory had everything a man could want. “He had everything a man could want: power, grace, and style”. To the readers and the narrators Richard Cory appears to have everything plus more. They only see his exterior appearance, not the interior. If Richard Cory had everything, why did he take his life? The first similarity I see in the two poems is that everybody wants to be Richard Cory. Even after he committed suicide, the townspeople still wish they could be Richard Cory. Once again the townspeople and the narrator are only looking at the exterior and not the interior of Richard Cory. In Simon’s poem, the narrator repeats it over and over again in through out the poem. The second contrast that I noticed was that everyone...
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...Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem, Richard Cory, was a window into the life of a lonely man, who had everything ones heart could desire. He was good looking, wealth and well known there out the town. Even though he had all of these things he still “put a bullet through his head”. Sixty nine years later Paul Simon wrote a response to Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem, also entitle Richard Cory. Paul Simon response came in the form of a song. The speaker in Simon’s poem is a low class working citizen, who wishes he was Richard Cory. Even though both poems are about Richard Cory and have the same title, the two are very different in many ways. They also share some similarities, which is not that many. The first contrast, I see between the poems is that Richard Cory had everything a man could want. “He had everything a man could want: power, grace, and style”. To the readers and the narrators Richard Cory appears to have everything plus more. They only see his exterior appearance, not the interior. If Richard Cory had everything, why did he take his life? The first similarity I see in the two poems is that everybody wants to be Richard Cory. Even after he committed suicide, the townspeople still wish they could be Richard Cory. Once again the townspeople and the narrator are only looking at the exterior and not the interior of Richard Cory. In Simon’s poem, the narrator repeats it over and over again in through out the poem. The second contrast that I noticed was...
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...Richard Cory By Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869-1935) Wherever Richard Cory went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman from sole to crown, Clean favored, and imperially slim. And he was quietly arrayed, And he was always human when he talked; But still he fluttered pulses when he said, “Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked. And he was rich—yes, richer than a king— And admirably schooled in every grace: In fine, we thought that he was everything To make us wish that we were in his place. So on we worked, and waited for the light, And went without the meat, and cursed the bread; And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet through his head. Background Edwin Arlington Robinson became the backdrop for many of Robinson's poems. Robinson described his childhood as stark and unhappy; he once wrote in a letter to Amy Lowell that he remembered wondering why he had been born at the age of six. After high school, Robinson spent two years studying at Harvard University as a special student and his first poems were published in the Harvard Advocate. Paraphrase Richard Cory goes to the center of the town. Every pedestrian stares at him from the sidewalk. He is a good man from head to feet He has a neat looks and he also has a perfect figure. Richard Cory is wearing formal clothes when he goes to downtown He is a very well-mannered man. But he still trembles when he talks. He has a word...
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...Naturalism and Realism “And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, went home and put a bullet through his head. (Robinson, 4)”. This climactic end to “Richard Cory” was benevolent to inner health and the realism was indicated in “Richard Cory”. Naturalism and Realism are Real people, Places, settings, conflicts. Also shows when nature has caused issues with the character's objective. Three works were chosen to really show what Naturalism and Realism are: Ethan Frome, a man who his whole life turned around several times because of illness and his struggles with love. “The outcasts of poker flat”, who are misfits to society, are kicked out of the flat and must travel...
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...Things are not always as they seem, sometimes first impressions can be deceiving. In Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem, “We Wear the Mask” and Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory” the theme of appearance vs. truth is explored. These poems show how you can see someone and still not completely “see” them. They live an ironic life as their appearances differ from their reality. Everyone has a way in which they mask themselves from the world. Their hidden truth kept within a false persona. In We Wear the Mask people are described as hypocritical, deceptive and willing to appear content with their circumstances, although they are not. The speaker's world appears cold and indifferent; inducing false personas in an effort to appear unbothered. The people are determined to keep the true nature of their sufferings to themselves and to present to others happiness and lack of care, “We wear the mask that grins and lies,” (Dunbar line 1). All of the courtesy and feelings shown are just phony disguises for the painful truths that hide behind them. Furthermore, no matter what is felt one should cover it up, to allow what appears to become reality....
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...e Poetry and Figurative Language Paper ENG/340 Mark Jones Edward Wilson June 12, 2014 Introduction Poetry has been used since time immemorial for passing information to the society. Poets have however used different stylistic devices in ensuring that their message has been passed to their intended audience. Imagery, rhymes, symbolism, among other ingredients of figurative language is among the commonly used stylistic devices that poets use. This paper seeks to identify imagery, metaphors, rhyme and structure in three specific poems and identifying the effect, which such figurative language has had on the content and the message of the poems. Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken This is a poem where the poet gives a description of how he met two diverging roads in a yellow road and took the road the road that was less travelled, a decision that brought the big difference in his life. The message presented in the poem is very moving where the poet is speaking about making a decision out of two competing situations. Imagery- the first line of the poem creates an image where the reader is taken to a yellow wood and the poet describes of the two roads at the yellow woods. In the second stanza, the poet provides an image of the grassy road that also wanted wear. This clicks an image to the reader on the condition that the poet was in and a description of the road. The poet in this piece has tried...
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...preconceived notions and prejudice. It is then people start judging people superficially, not looking nor caring to look into them. Edwin Arlington Robinson portrays this well in his poem, “Richard Cory”. Although the poem starts out with the townspeople admiring and aspiring to be Richard Cory, who they believe is a perfect man with all the fame, wealth, and characteristics he has, that man later commits suicide. In the poem, Richard Cory is depicted as “…a gentleman from sole to crown/ Clean favored, and imperially slim”(ll 3-4), being a gentleman and having nice bodily features. However, his utmost biggest characteristic was that “he was rich−yes, richer than a king”(ll 9), which people of lower social rank would want to seek. Therefore, the townspeople tries hard and “worked, and waited for the light/ And went without meat, and cursed the bread”(ll 13-14) enduring all the hardship they had to be like Richard Cory. But, shockingly, Richard Cory “put a bullet through his head”(ll 16) despite all he had. The sheer ignorance caused by the preconceived notion shows how one cannot judge a person by their appearance. Because the townspeople conformed to the notion that Richard Cory was perfect, they ignore the possible internal issues that surrounded and tormented him until his self-imposed death. Unlike the works of Dickinson, Jackson, and Robinson, there are other works of literature that also challenges conformity, but by illustrating how insightful and great breaking away from...
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...The story and poem that I choose to compare were Miss Emily Rose by William Faulkner and Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson. Both stories centered on the wealth and social status of the central characters. The stories focused on the cultural time of living in the South during the Pre-Civil War. A recurrent theme in the story. Despite the family's fallen fortunes, Emily's father resists allowing any suitors to propose to Emily. Th1is gradually erodes her chances of ever being married. She eventually settles for Homer, but the townspeople see this as an affront to her noble heritage, and she eventually murders Homer and dies a recluse. Emily's inability to realize her father's death and refusal to adapt to a changing world intensify her seclusion. Miss Emily’s story is certainly bizarre, suspenseful, sad, and mysterious enough to engage the reader’s attention. She is a grotesque, southern gothic character whose neurotic or psychotic behavior in her relationships with her father, her lover, and her black servant Tobe, allows many interpretations. For example, her affair with Homer Barron may be seen as a middle-aged woman’s late rebellion against her repressive father, and against the town’s burdensome expectations but Miss Emily is then symbolic of the religion of southernness that survived military defeat and material destruction.” “The children of Colonel Sartoris’s” (Page 125) generation are sent to learn china painting from Miss Emily “in the same...
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