Though he was nameless for the first six months of his life, Edwin Arlington Robinson would later become one of the most well known poets from the 20th century. Fame came to Robinson because of his focus on personal failure, materialism, and isolation in his poetry, which are also common themes of the Modernist Era of poetry. Objected to free verse, which was increasingly popular at his time, Edwin stuck with a writing style that was his own, and quite traditional as well. Three of his most prolific poems are Richard Cory, Miniver Cheevy, and Luke Havergal, and their dark themes of isolation and failure brilliantly display why Edwin Arlington Robinson is the best poet of the Modernist Era. Richard Cory is Robinson’s most famous piece of work,
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The poem evokes the amount of economic depression that took place in 1893. In those times, the townspeople struggled to afford simple things, such as meat or shoes. This difficult way of life caused the townspeople to have a certain bond of understanding and togetherness, which only made them even more aware of Richard Cory’s wealth. Due to his wealth, the people treated Richard differently, almost as if he was royalty. Phrases in the poem such as “he was always human when he walked” and “he was a gentleman from sole to crown” suggest that though he had an astonishing amount of money, he did not act superior because of it. Nevertheless, the ordinary folk kept their distance from him due to their lack of comprehension towards his wealth. A reader of Richard Cory could sense this distance by the narrator’s words “fluttered pulses,” “crown,” “glittered,” and ‘imperially.” (stanza2, Enotes) Perhaps the townspeople never stopped to consider why Richard Cory dressed “quietly” (stanza3, Enotes) or even why he tried to conversate with them by saying “good morning.” (stanza3Enotes) The fact of the matter was that Richard was lonesome in his wealth, with no one to actually keep him company. Even though Richard Cory …show more content…
This is much like how there were many Modernists unenthused with their own present and had a sense of isolation due to industrial growth that belittled them. This poem describes a man’s great distaste and loathing of the present and his fixation and reminiscence of the heroic spirit of the past. Though Miniver insists he has the required qualities to fit into the past, he “chooses” not to put them to use because he was simply “born too late.” (stanza8) Miniver had a special love for the world’s history, yet ironically, did not have a very great past of his own. Early in his life, Miniver Cheevy was said to be “a child of scorn,”(stanza1) because his parents did not welcome and embrace Miniver for who he was. To escape Miniver’s parent’s disapproval and criticism of who he was, young Cheevy delve into the world of history through books. As time went on and Miniver kept trying to vicariously live in the past, he grew up lacking the skills needed to survive in the present. Therefore, he became a misfit and an alcoholic. But instead of taking the blame as the reason for his own failure, Miniver blamed the world that surrounded him. He felt as though he was too good for the boring present. Cheevy knew fate had fixed him in the wrong time period, so he believed he was not at fault for his failures. To fuel his dreams of
The poem evokes the amount of economic depression that took place in 1893. In those times, the townspeople struggled to afford simple things, such as meat or shoes. This difficult way of life caused the townspeople to have a certain bond of understanding and togetherness, which only made them even more aware of Richard Cory’s wealth. Due to his wealth, the people treated Richard differently, almost as if he was royalty. Phrases in the poem such as “he was always human when he walked” and “he was a gentleman from sole to crown” suggest that though he had an astonishing amount of money, he did not act superior because of it. Nevertheless, the ordinary folk kept their distance from him due to their lack of comprehension towards his wealth. A reader of Richard Cory could sense this distance by the narrator’s words “fluttered pulses,” “crown,” “glittered,” and ‘imperially.” (stanza2, Enotes) Perhaps the townspeople never stopped to consider why Richard Cory dressed “quietly” (stanza3, Enotes) or even why he tried to conversate with them by saying “good morning.” (stanza3Enotes) The fact of the matter was that Richard was lonesome in his wealth, with no one to actually keep him company. Even though Richard Cory …show more content…
This is much like how there were many Modernists unenthused with their own present and had a sense of isolation due to industrial growth that belittled them. This poem describes a man’s great distaste and loathing of the present and his fixation and reminiscence of the heroic spirit of the past. Though Miniver insists he has the required qualities to fit into the past, he “chooses” not to put them to use because he was simply “born too late.” (stanza8) Miniver had a special love for the world’s history, yet ironically, did not have a very great past of his own. Early in his life, Miniver Cheevy was said to be “a child of scorn,”(stanza1) because his parents did not welcome and embrace Miniver for who he was. To escape Miniver’s parent’s disapproval and criticism of who he was, young Cheevy delve into the world of history through books. As time went on and Miniver kept trying to vicariously live in the past, he grew up lacking the skills needed to survive in the present. Therefore, he became a misfit and an alcoholic. But instead of taking the blame as the reason for his own failure, Miniver blamed the world that surrounded him. He felt as though he was too good for the boring present. Cheevy knew fate had fixed him in the wrong time period, so he believed he was not at fault for his failures. To fuel his dreams of