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Essay / The Poem “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson people and that outward appearances are not always what they seem. In other words, what you see on the outside may simply be different from what you see on the inside; Don't judge a book by its cover. The story itself is about a rich man who commits suicide and is told from a third person's perspective, as a citizen of the town who monitors his daily life. The main points of this poem are the speaker's situation, the language he uses, the condition of Richard Cory, and the irony of the story. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayRichard Corey: Analysis of Main PointsThe speaker of this poem seems to be someone of a lower class, because "We people on the sidewalk looked at him"(Robinson 2), and the speaker also apparently has a job that requires him to be dirty as stated, "Clean Favored" (Robinson 4) implies. “So we worked and waited for the light”, “And we deprived ourselves of meat and cursed the bread” (Robinson 17-18), reveal that the speaker is also a hard worker and has a very tiring. Despite this, they still cannot afford to buy decent meat and bread for their meal. Since the speaker is using a third person's point of view, this means that most people agree with his opinion and these are not his only thoughts. In this poem, the speaker uses everyday language that is easy to understand, although there are some strange words, such as "admirably educated" (Robinson 10). When someone is very rich, it is usual for them to go to school and/or receive some form of education. However, the word “admirably” (Robinson 10) implies that the speaker was not an educated person, and so it was rather admirable for him that someone could go to school. The phrase “waited for the light” (Robinson 13). rather than just light which would mean time to work, apparently the light in this phrase is used to indicate hope. The first, second, and third stanzas tell readers about Richard Cory, or at least who he is from an outside perspective. These lines clearly indicate that Richard Cory is a wealthy man, and the speaker even goes so far as to compare him to the king (Robinson 9). He is also a polite man who never treats others differently, regardless of their social status. Cory is also someone who dresses well and is able to position himself in public and never show off his wealth. Aside from outward appearances, Robinson never gave any insight into Cory's personality nor did he ever give readers any insight into Cory's personal life. Like his relationship with his family or even his lovers, if he had any. People seem to admire him deeply and they are even quite envious of him and wish to be in his place (Robinson 12). Despite all this, Cory ends up committing suicide (Robinson 16). The irony is that Cory has everything a man could ask for, but apparently all of that makes him an outcast to the townsfolk. People really seem to admire him to the point that they view him as someone who is far above them, and they view themselves as someone who is not worthy of his attention. "But he still throbbed when he said, 'Hello.'" (Robinson 7-8) clearly state that people feel truly privileged when he simply greets them on the street, even seeing him walking is special to them. “and it shone).
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