"Richard Cory" by Edwin Arlington Robinson Flashcards
stanza one: the “people on the pavement” look up and want to be Richard Cory
- richer than a king/to make us wish that we were in his place
- the whole town gave this perspective
stanza two: ironically, even though people want to be him, he doesn’t want to be himself
- put a bullet in his head
what emotions or human experiences is the author exploring?
misplaced jealousy by the townspeople toward cory
what is the author saying about that emotion or experience? (overall theme)
- the grass isn’t always greener on the other side
- things aren’t always as they seem
tone shift
and richard cory, one calm summer
cory
rich
irony
everyone wanted to be richard cory
supports the idea that richard cory is socially above the rest of the people in the poem
- in fine, we thought he was everything
- we people on the pavement looked up at him
end of poem
shocking
and richard cory… went home and put a bullet through his head
he didn’t have as good of a life as people thought he did