Richard Cory
Raphael Niknam 12/24/2014 Richard Cory
A poem named Richard Cory was written by Edwin Arlington Robinson, it contains much depth and character. Richard was a man who everybody looked up to. He was the ultimate gentleman yet he still addressed folks on their own level when conversing with them. We can see from the phrase ‘And he was rich -- yes, richer than a king--‘that Richard was truly wealthy. His mannerism and character was such that he was adored by all. As we can infer from the verse ‘And admirably schooled in every grace’. Richard was the man everyone envied, the person whom they wished they could be. Yet one calm summer night, Richard took his own life! Wonder of wonders, a man who seemingly had it all, chose to end his own life. What can we infer from this story? How can one with the right blend of grace and character, wealth and riches, choose to put an end to it all? One reason may be that although Richard had so much for us to be envious of, he was missing one of the basic necessities of life which is having a true friend. Of course, he had people who wanted to be his friend, but no one who shared the same similarities and background. Without common ground to share, he may have found it hard to truly accept anyone around him as friend. Another rationale for Richard killing himself is simply because he was depressed. When one has too much time on his hands it is easy to philosophize too much. Deep thinking without proper guidance can lead one to a false impression regarding life, thereby leading him towards a path of depression. One lesson we can learn from this poem without a doubt is that what appears on the outside isn’t necessarily true on the inside. A life full of good personality and riches may not be ideal for many people. Although things may have seemed merry for Richard, in reality he led a miserable life. The poem Richard Cory is a prime example to help us internalize the trait of not judging a book by its cover.
A poem named Richard Cory was written by Edwin Arlington Robinson, it contains much depth and character. Richard was a man who everybody looked up to. He was the ultimate gentleman yet he still addressed folks on their own level when conversing with them. We can see from the phrase ‘And he was rich -- yes, richer than a king--‘that Richard was truly wealthy. His mannerism and character was such that he was adored by all. As we can infer from the verse ‘And admirably schooled in every grace’. Richard was the man everyone envied, the person whom they wished they could be. Yet one calm summer night, Richard took his own life! Wonder of wonders, a man who seemingly had it all, chose to end his own life. What can we infer from this story? How can one with the right blend of grace and character, wealth and riches, choose to put an end to it all? One reason may be that although Richard had so much for us to be envious of, he was missing one of the basic necessities of life which is having a true friend. Of course, he had people who wanted to be his friend, but no one who shared the same similarities and background. Without common ground to share, he may have found it hard to truly accept anyone around him as friend. Another rationale for Richard killing himself is simply because he was depressed. When one has too much time on his hands it is easy to philosophize too much. Deep thinking without proper guidance can lead one to a false impression regarding life, thereby leading him towards a path of depression. One lesson we can learn from this poem without a doubt is that what appears on the outside isn’t necessarily true on the inside. A life full of good personality and riches may not be ideal for many people. Although things may have seemed merry for Richard, in reality he led a miserable life. The poem Richard Cory is a prime example to help us internalize the trait of not judging a book by its cover.