Poetry Explication of “Richard Cory” The poem titled “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson is about a wealthy man who was happy about money, but he was actually depressed and wants to take his own life. The author. The poem is written in quatrain stanza form which means four stanzas, and has a rhyme scheme of a, b, a, b, at the end of each stanza. The speaker’s use of hyperboles, repetition , and regal comparisons when describing Richard Cory help elevate him above the townspeople, and his nonchalant mentioning of Cory’s suicide leaves the reader in a state of shock. The first stanza of the poem, introduces Richard Cory as a well-respected man of the town. Robinson illustrates
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After reading the first stanza, the reader might think that Cory has evaluated himself above other people. However, that has been disproved in the poem when saying “he was always human when he talked” (6). This phrase tells the reader how Richard Cory has talked people like he is on the same level as others, not pretending to be a king or noble. Robinson emphasizes his point, about repetition in saying “And he was always” in relation to how the townspeople describe Richard Cory. The next two lines, tell more about the people worshipping Richard Cory. The townspeople are described as “fluttering pulses” when being told “good morning” by Richard Cory (7-8). The visual image is comparing a group of women who faint at a concert when mentioning her favorite male pop star. In line eight it states that Richard Cory “glittered when he walked” (8). “Glittered” is a word choice than seems interesting, when it seems like Richard Cory is like a jewel who is made of diamonds that reflects the sun as he wanders around the …show more content…
Robinson uses hyperbole in saying that Richard Cory “was rich- yes richer than a king” (9). “Richer than the king" is symbolizing on how the town has vowed viewed him .Robinson emphasizes, the phrase exaggerating Cory’s wealth. At this point, the speaker is referring to the money, not his personality, and successful life. In lines 11 and 12, the townspeople “thought he was everything to make us wish “that we were in his place” (11-12). It is the townspeople thinking Richard Cory was everything and wishes that they were him without knowing him, which is leading us to the conclusion of the poem in the fourth
After reading the first stanza, the reader might think that Cory has evaluated himself above other people. However, that has been disproved in the poem when saying “he was always human when he talked” (6). This phrase tells the reader how Richard Cory has talked people like he is on the same level as others, not pretending to be a king or noble. Robinson emphasizes his point, about repetition in saying “And he was always” in relation to how the townspeople describe Richard Cory. The next two lines, tell more about the people worshipping Richard Cory. The townspeople are described as “fluttering pulses” when being told “good morning” by Richard Cory (7-8). The visual image is comparing a group of women who faint at a concert when mentioning her favorite male pop star. In line eight it states that Richard Cory “glittered when he walked” (8). “Glittered” is a word choice than seems interesting, when it seems like Richard Cory is like a jewel who is made of diamonds that reflects the sun as he wanders around the …show more content…
Robinson uses hyperbole in saying that Richard Cory “was rich- yes richer than a king” (9). “Richer than the king" is symbolizing on how the town has vowed viewed him .Robinson emphasizes, the phrase exaggerating Cory’s wealth. At this point, the speaker is referring to the money, not his personality, and successful life. In lines 11 and 12, the townspeople “thought he was everything to make us wish “that we were in his place” (11-12). It is the townspeople thinking Richard Cory was everything and wishes that they were him without knowing him, which is leading us to the conclusion of the poem in the fourth