The poem "Richard Cory" by Edwin Arlington Robinson is about a wealthy man in town who appears to have everything but commits suicide. Richard Cory is admired by the townspeople for his wealth, good looks, and gracious manner. However, one night he shocks everyone by taking his own life with a bullet. The poem warns about judging others based on outward appearances and highlights the gap between perception and reality.

1. Bengaluru north university
Subject : American literature
Topic : Richard cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Submitted by : Shabrina.B
MA 1st Year
Dept of English

3. Edwin Arlington Robinson was born on December
22, 1869 in Head Tide, Maine. Although he was
one of the most prolific American poets of the
early 20th century—and his Collected Poems
(1921) won the first Pulitzer Prize ever awarded
to poetry—he is remembered now for a few short
poems. Robinson was devoted to his art and led a
solitary, often make-shift existence; he published
virtually nothing during his long career except
poetry. he is best known for his short dramatic
poems concerning the people in a small New
England village, Tilbury Town, very much like
the Gardiner, Maine, in which he grew up.

4. 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.

5. Background of the poem Richard cory
The poem Richard Cory is based on the
thoughts of Herman Robinson’s wife, Emma
on her husband. It is composed during the
panic of 1893 when the United States was
suffering a severe economic depression,
which is the very reason behind the tragic end
of E.A Robinson’s lover’s husband. The
“bread” functions as an allusion to the
economic depression during which many
survived by eating old bread.

6. Richard Cory’ is a based on the style of prose
fiction as the content is fictitious and is
revealed using vernacular language. At the
same time, it functions as a lyric poetry as it is
a formal poem in the first person narration
which expresses ones tempestuous emotions.
The poem revolves around the one and only
significant, masculine character called Richard
Cory. The narrative voice casually exaggerates
his judgement based on the appearance which
ultimately concludes be a mere prejudice.

7. Analysis of the poem Richard cory
Richard Cory’ by Edwin Arlington Robinson is a simple poem which shows
the chasm between perception and reality and warns the reader never to
judge on appearances.
‘Richard Cory’ is a poem that shows why we should not judge people on
appearances as it subverts our expectations in the final line. Regarding the
structure and form, the poem is written in four quatrains written in iambic
pentameter with a simple ABAB rhyme scheme. The language is
straightforward though quietly stirring. The fact that
the rhythm and rhyme are so consistent throughout makes the revelation
at the end of stanza four all the more shocking. There is almost a
conversational tone to the poem. The frequent use of ‘and’ adds to this
effect, loading detail upon detail as the speaker tells the sorry tale of
Richard Cory.

8. This is our introduction to the eponymous
character, Richard Cory. He is held in great
esteem by the townspeople. This is clear as
he attracts their attention for they ‘looked at
him’ and noted that “He was a gentleman
from sole to crown’. The final line of this
stanza suggests that he was a morally upright
fellow, and the adjective ‘imperially’ implies
that he carries a sense of grace and regality
about his person.
First Stanza

9. Second Stanza
The repetition of ‘And he was always’ shows consistency and warmth of
character. The fact that ‘he was always human’ indicates his sincerity. Despite
his wealth and good looks, he talked to people without condescension or
pretension. However, this does not stop him from causing a stir when he
wishes them “Good Morning!” The exclamation mark suggests that he has a
genuine pleasure in meeting others. The verb ‘glittered’ is ambiguous as it
hints at both his sparkling personality, but in the literal sense, it could be his
watch or other accouterments which glint when they catch the sunlight.
Although he was ‘quietly arrayed’ there was something intoxicating about his
person which meant that as he passed he ‘fluttered pulses’. We have the
immediate image of young ladies catching their breaths and fanning
themselves as he passed, and the men looking on wistfully, wishing that they
possessed something of his wealth and charm.

10. Third Stanza
We wonder how this man has made his fortune and picture
some dashing Gatsby-like character. However, unlike Jay
Gatsby who rose to wealth through illegal means such as
gambling and bootlegging, Richard Cory appears to have
acquired his riches through hereditary means, by the
reference to a king, or perhaps through business. A doubt is
sown in our minds in line three of this stanza where the
speaker states ‘We thought that he was everything’. This
alerts us to the fact that all may not be well, and also
reminds us of the old adage, ‘be careful what you wish for.’
The final monosyllabic line with its
frequent alliteration propels us along to the poem’s
conclusion.

11. Fourth Stanza
There is an obvious discrepancy between the life led by the gentleman,
Richard Cory, and the people who look up to him. While he ‘allegedly’
enjoys the good life, the others struggle. They have insufficient money
even to have access to the most basic of goods since the ‘went without
the meat and cursed the bread’, which was obviously of poor quality
and lacking in nourishment. Even the word ‘cursed’ stands out here, as
it seems ill-fitting after the descriptions of Cory. There is tWe are left
wondering what on earth could have preempted the suicide from a
man who appeared to have everything, including the respect of the
townspeople .hus a disparity between their lives and that of Cory,
except they are not alone in their suffering. Such are his demons, that
he shocks them all, by returning home from one of his strolls in town
‘and put a bullet through his head’. The reader is left speechless by this
revelation, and the fact that this event is preceded by the line ‘one
calm summer night’ further compounds their shock.

12. ▪ External Appearance
▪ Internal Life