Richard Cory

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.

Summary of Richard Cory

  • Popularity of “Richard Cory”: This poem was written by Edwin Arlington Robinson, a prolific American poet in 1869. Richard Cory is a superb literary piece about the life and death of a person who appears happy. This ironic piece narrates the satisfied life of Richard Cory and his suspicious death. It also illustrates that even seemingly calm people may harbor storms inside them. The poem reveals how people hide their feelings and walk around the world in peace and hide their pain.
  • “Richard Cory” As a Representative of Wonder: The poem is about a wealthy man who often walks through the poverty-stricken streets, showing an upright position. His apparent satisfied look makes the lowly people envy him. He appears as a person from the upper-class, who always walks around with gentle behavior. Even his simple morning greetings win him admiration from the townspeople. To them, he seems to be a role model, having all the amenities of life at his beck and call. They have been waiting for the good days for ages, while he walks around, having all the blessings. However, the poem takes a tragic turn when one calm summer day he commits suicide. In the midst of this commotion, what stays in the minds of the readers is that having the greatest financial status does not mean that the person is leading a satisfying life. The poem is also an encouragement to have closer look at a family member or friends who are hiding any mental health issues.
  • Major Themes in “Richard Cory”: Wealth, appearance versus reality and real happiness are significant themes of the poem. Throughout the poem, Richard Cory’s contended looks, gentle behavior, and wealth make people believe that he is happier than them. People’s perceptions of Richard Cory are only based on external factors; they lack the necessities; therefore, his luxurious lifestyle attracts them. Unfortunately, they lack the insight to peep into his struggle and mental loneliness that lead him to commit suicide. Thus, the poem suggests that wealth and status do not ensure happiness.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “Richard Cory”

literary devices are tools that give deeper meanings to the text. The analysis of literary devices used in this poem has been given below.

  1. Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. For example, “And he was” in the first stanza of the poem is repeated to emphasize the point such as; “And he was always quietly arrayed, And he was always human when he talked”.
  2. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /ow/ in “Whenever Richard Cory went down town” and the sound of /i/ in “To make us wish that we were in his place”.
  3. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession. For example, the sound of /w/ in “To make us wish that we were in his place.”
  4. Allusion: Allusion is an indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, political, or literary significance. For example, in the last stanza it shows the poverty of the people, “And went without the meat, and cursed the bread.”
  5. Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; instead, it rolls over to the next line. For example, “In fine, we thought that he was everything; To make us wish that we were in his place”.
  6. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “We people on the pavement looked at him”, “Went home and put a bullet through his head” and “And went without the meat, and cursed the bread.”
  7. Irony: Irony means to use words in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. The subject of the poem is ironic as the person seems a happy man having all the pleasures of life, yet he commits suicide at the end.
  8. Metonymy: It is a type of figurative language in which an object or concept is referred to not by its name, but instead by the name of something closely associated with it. For example, in the second line of the poem, the word “people” may suggest the narrator or general public, “We people on the pavement looked at him.” The second example is in the thirteenth line, where “light” stands for the morning.
  9. Synecdoche: It is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is used for the whole. For example, in the last stanza, “bread” and “meat” represent the entire meal such as; “And went without the meat, and cursed the bread.”

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Richard Cory”

Poetic devices are part of literary devices, some of them differ in nature. With the help of poetic devices, the poet sets the mood of the poem and gives his text an indirect meaning. The analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem is given below.

  1. End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Edwin Arlington Robinson has used end rhyme in this poem such as; “town/crown”, “him/slim” and “talked/walked.”
  2. Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here each stanza is quatrain.
  3. Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows ABAB rhyme Scheme and this pattern continues till the end.
  4. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem with each comprised of four lines.

Quotes to be Used

The lines stated below can be used in lectures to discuss the qualities of a righteous man.

“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.”