The irony about the ending of the poem “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson is that Richard Cory, the person being talked about in the poem, who was envied by
many because of his wealth and class, committed suicide
. The irony is used at the end of the poem and it’s purpose was to shock the reader.
Why was people envied Richard Cory ironic?
“Richard Cory” contains obvious situational irony, since the character who has everything going for him kills himself. … It remains
ironic how people measure success by wealth and status
. Richard Cory is “richer than a king” and is treated like one by the townspeople.
Why was Richard Cory envied by the townspeople?
Because he was well-educated and extremely rich, the commoners admired him so much that they wished they were he. Yet, men must go with their lives working and hoping that things will improve. What does this greatly admired man, Richard Cory, who seemingly has everything, do:
he commits suicide
.
What is ironic about Richard Cory?
Situational Irony
The people of the town want to be just like him because his life appears to be perfect. In reality, Cory is lacking happiness, the key ingredient to “having it all.” The irony of the poem is that
this man, who seems to have everything, kills himself because he is unhappy.
What did the townspeople feel about Richard Cory and why?
The townspeople look at Richard Cory with a
mixture of admiration, envy, and awe
. The crucial factor in their view of him is that he represents success, the achievement of having made money and yet still having remained “down to earth”: And he was always quietly arrayed, And he was always human when he talked.
How is Richard Cory An example of situational irony?
In Richard Cory, both the townspeople and the audience are unaware of how unhappy Richard Cory is until he takes his own life. …
When the speaker very bluntly says that he put a bullet through his head, it is shocking to the audience and townspeople
, creating situational irony.
What type of irony is used in the final lines of Richard Cory?
Richard Cory’s tragic, unforeseen suicide is an example of
situational irony
. Situational irony occurs when something unexpected happens and the opposite of what someone anticipates takes place. Essentially, it is when something happens that the audience does not expect.
In what ways does Richard Cory differ from the townspeople?
Richard Cory is a wealthy man who is described as being “clean favored” and “quietly arrayed.” The
townspeople perceive him to be richer than a king and wish to trade places with him
. The townspeople occupy a lower social class than Richard Cory and must work hard to earn a living.
How does the Speaker portray the other people in Cory’s town?
He is likeable. The speaker even says that Cory “flutter[s] pulses” when he speaks and “glitter[s]” when he walks. By this, the speaker seems to mean that
people in town find him to be quite attractive, and they put Cory up
on a sort of pedestal. They see him and his life and only find things to admire, to desire.
What does the light mean in Richard Cory?
In this poem, the common people who wish to be Richard Cory work and wait for the light. The common people know only one thing–work. The light represents hope that one day their hard work will end and a new life will begin. The light
represents a better life
.
What are the three types of irony?
- Dramatic irony: Also known as tragic irony, this type of irony occurs when the audience knows something that the main characters do not. …
- Situational irony: Situational irony occurs when an expected outcome is subverted.
What is the meaning of Richard Cory?
The poem describes
a person who is wealthy, well educated, mannerly, and admired by the people in his town
. Despite all this, he takes his own life. The song “Richard Cory”, written by Paul Simon and recorded by Simon & Garfunkel for their second studio album, Sounds of Silence, was based on this poem.
Which evidence proves that Cory treated everyone respectfully?
Which evidence proves that Cory treated everyone respectfully?
“We thought that he was everything.” “He was always human when he talked.” “So on we worked, and waited for the light.”
What do the townspeople complain about not having Richard Cory?
Q. How do the townspeople feel about Richard Cory?
They hate him. They envy him
.
What is the best message from the poem Richard Cory *?
The main theme of Arlington’s ”Richard Cory” is
that riches and high social status do not ensure happiness
.
How was Richard Cory looked upon by his neighbors?
Us lowly people on the streets would always stare at Richard Cory whenever he visited the downtown area. Cory was a refined, upper-class man from head to toe,
always looking well-kept
and thin. Cory never wore attention-grabbing clothes, and he always seemed just like a regular person when he spoke.
Where does the action in the poem Richard Cory takes place?
“Richard Cory” takes place
“down town
.” Mr. Cory himself is not from there; it’s a place that he visits. The folks who do live in this town call themselves the “people on the pavement.” Compared to wherever R.C. comes from, this town is pretty humble—people work long hours and they don’t have meat to eat.
What happened to Richard Cory As stated in the last line of the fourth stanza?
Nothing in particular seems to have gone wrong—it was a calm summer night, after all—and the poem doesn’t provide us with any answers. The poem ends with a kind of bang (literally).
Richard Cory commits suicide
.
Was Richard Cory a real person?
Richard Cory, fictional character, the subject of the poem “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson.
What is ironic about Richard Cory’s life and death?
Richard Cory’s unfortunate death is ironic
because he appeared to live a perfect, magnificent life that everyone envied
. Despite his composed, pleasant appearance, Richard Cory was severely suffering from depression and loneliness.
What is the structure in Richard Cory?
Let’s face it: the form of “Richard Cory” is pretty basic. The poem is made up of
four-line stanzas
, and each of those stanzas has an ABAB rhyme scheme. That means that the first and third lines of each stanza rhyme, as do the second and fourth lines (each letter represents that line’s end rhyme).
Why did the townspeople curse the bread?
Food as symbol of poverty
The narrator describes how “we”, meaning the collective mass of humanity the narrator represents, have bread, but no meat. They curse the bread
which sustains them
, feeling overcome with envy at the way Richard Cory enjoys all manner of comfort while they go without.
What figurative language is used in Richard Cory?
The subject of the poem is ironic as the person seems a happy man having all the pleasures of life, yet he commits suicide at the end.
Metonymy
: It is a type of figurative language in which an object or concept is referred to not by its name, but instead by the name of something closely associated with it.
What kind of a man is Richard Cory?
Richard Cory is depicted as
a wealthy, classy man
, who is relatively humble and kind. Richard Cory is portrayed as being a “gentleman from sole to crown” and “quietly arrayed,” which indicates that…
What is the purpose of irony?
Irony is a multi-faceted literary device that
a writer uses to point out the discrepancy between reality and how things appear or what was expected
. When a writer uses irony in a work, there is incongruity in regards to the behavior of characters, the words that they say, or the events that take place.
What is an example of situational irony?
Situational irony is the irony of something happening that is very different to what was expected. Some everyday examples of situational irony are
a fire station burning down
, or someone posting on Twitter that social media is a waste of time.
How ironic is that meaning?
If something is ironic
it’s unexpected
, often in an amusing way. If you’re the world chess champion, it would be pretty ironic if you lost a match to someone who just learned to play yesterday. Ironic is the adjective for the noun irony. In contemporary speech, when we call something ironic, we often mean sarcastic.
What is the purpose of Richard Cory poem?
‘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.
