![]() I suggest that “we” also includes the reader of the poem. A heavy focus on money and materialistic things blocked their ability to see what Richard Cory was actually feeling or going through. They longed to not be required to struggle. ![]() They sacrificed their personal lives and food to try to rise up to Cory’s level. So on we worked, and waited for the light,Īnd went without the meat, and cursed the bread…. To make us wish that we were in his place. From the end of the third stanza to the end of the poem, the writing turns from admirable description of Richard to a noticeably more melancholy, dreary description of what those who admired Richard had to do because they did not have all that Richard did. Using “we,” the narrator speaks for many people at once. The use of the first-person plural narration to describe Cory gives the reader the impression that everyone in Cory’s presence longed to have the life that he did. At the same time that Cory is again compared to royalty, this line reveals that people were focused on his wealth and outward appearance, not his personal life or wellbeing. Directly after the descriptions of the impersonal interactions, the narrator mentions that “he was rich-yes, richer than a king” (Robinson 9). But these interactions gave those on the pavement no insight into Richard’s real feelings or personality. Because people are “still fluttered” by so little, we can speculate that it was special for them to talk to Cory. In the second stanza, we can see that there was little interaction between Cory and the people on the pavement: “And he was always human when he talked / But still fluttered pulses when he said, / ‘Good- morning’” (Robinson 6-8). In addition to being ‘above,’ Cory is also isolated from the speakers. The phrase “We people on the pavement” used in the first stanza (Robinson 2), tells us that the narrator and those that they are including in their “we” may be homeless and sleeping on the pavement at the least, this phrase shows that “we” are below Cory. The words “down” and “pavement” also suggest a difference in status between Cory and the people. The first lines, “When Richard Cory went down town, / We people on the pavement looked at him” (1-2), show that Cory is not from the same place as the speakers. In other parts of the poem, we see that Cory is ‘above’ the speakers. The phrase “imperially slim” can also be associated with royalty because imperial comes from “empire.” The descriptions used gave clear insight that he was admired for his appearance and manners, like a king or emperor. The use of the word “crown” instead of head is a clever way to show that Richard was thought of as a king to the community. In line 3, the speaker is punning on “soul” and “crown.” At the same time, Cory is both a gentleman from foot (sole) to head (crown) and also soul to crown. Specifically, the speaker compares Cory directly and indirectly to royalty because of his wealth and his physical appearance: “He was a gentleman from sole to crown, / Clean favored and imperially slim” (Robinson 3-4). Throughout the first three stanzas Cory is described in a positive light, which makes it seem like he has everything that he could ever need. The poem presents the idea that, even though Cory seemed to have everything going for him, being wealthy does not guarantee happiness or health. The “people on the pavement” (2), the speakers of the poem, admired him because he presented himself well, was educated, and was wealthy. Throughout most of the poem, though, Cory had been described as a wealthy gentleman. In the last stanza, the narrator, who uses the pronoun “we,” tells us that Richard Cory commits suicide. In the poem “Richard Cory” by Edward Arlington Robinson, a narrative is told about the character Richard Cory by those who admired him. Model Text: “Analyzing ‘Richard Cory’” Analyzing “Richard Cory”
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