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POEMS: Richard Cory |
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| Richard Cory By Edwin Arlington Robinson This poem relates the ironic tale of Richard Cory, a man who seemed to have it all, yet in fact, lacked the one thing that money couldn't purchase. The townspeople in the poem were jealous of Cory's apparent monetary worth, his style, his flair, and with the polite and gracious way in which he presented himself. The townspeople, living essentially in poverty, resented his wealth and kind manners to the point where they scorned him for living a life they only dreamed of living. Living the purported "good life", Cory shot himself because of the one thing he did not have: a friend. Richard Cory was written in traditional sonnet style, as were many of the poems written by Edwin Arlington Robinson. The tight, traditional stanza forms were in stark contrast to the experimental forms utilized by writers of the American poetic revival during the 1920's. This is due in part to Robinson's having started to write poetry long before poets such as Amy Lowell and Carl Sandburg made their poetic mark. The rhyme scheme of the poem is as follows: ABABCDEDFGFGHIHI This poem focuses around the theme that money cannot buy everything. Some things, such as companionship, are priceless and a necessary means for life. |