Richard Cory Diction

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Edwin Arlington Robinson was a Pulitzer Prize winning poet born in 1800’s. In Edwin Robinson’s poem, “Richard Cory,” we learn of a man who appears to have the perfect life, and is envied by everyone of the community. All of the people see Richard’s seemingly perfect life, and that makes them think he has a great life, just by viewing his appearance. This all changes when one night, Cory lets his demons get to him, and commits suicide. With the use of literary devices such as irony, juxtaposition, and diction, readers are able further understand the theme of the poem, being, you never know someone’s personal struggle that they may be facing just by observing their appearance. To begin with, the device of irony helps us as readers understand …show more content…

These uses of diction are what help to create the mood of the poem, being, that Cory has it all in life, without a care in the world. Edwin Robinson uses words like: “Crown”(3). The usage of this word creates the image of a king like figure, as kings are known to wear crowns to symbolize their wealth. Also, a crown is commonly associated with having great power, and most people with power do not have any personal struggle, due to their ability to have anything they want. Furthermore, Richard is described using a variety of words and phrases with a positive connotative feeling such as: “Arrayed” (5). This word helps to compose the thought of how he is displayed out into the community, and in this case, Cory is shown as a man with a perfect life. The word “arrayed,” has a positive connotation, making us as readers believe he has a great life. Last, Edwin R. uses the word “Glittered” (8), to create the image of how Richard Cory is. This word further helps give readers the idea that Richard must live in a perfect world, and has his money and power to keep him happy. In reality, all of theses words may portray Cory as perfect, yet he too shows to struggle with his own hardships, yet he does not show it towards the eye of the people. As his portrayal gives townspeople a platform to judge his life on, Cory himself does not actually believe in these judgments, but

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