The Obituary Of Richard Cory: A Perfect Life

270 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Short note on victorian age

In the eyes of the townspeople, Richard Cory was the incarnation of the “grass is greener somewhere else” mentality, setting the standards for fame and fortune. Despite being a fictional personage, his character and story are perhaps some of the most relatable aspects of modern literature I have ever read. Here we have a prime example of a “perfect life” being merely a cover up for someone’s internal conflict or struggle. Whether they are the popular kids at school or the multimillionaire celebrities on TV, we seek out the Richard Cory’s of our society, so that we can idolize and strive to be like them. The “Obituary of Richard Cory” video gave us a perfect, real life example of a “Richard Cory” through Marcus Bradley, a well-loved, high-school

Show More
Related

  • Richard Frethorne Letter To His Parents

    210 Words  | 1 Pages

    Richard Frethorne who was an indenture servant details his miserable situation through his letter. Frethorne’s letter to his parents is a sorry tale. His mother and father are the main audience of Frethorne’s letter. One can identify that Frethorne writes the letter to his parents from his acknowledgement, “Loving and kind father and mother,” (Frethorne 1). Furthermore, all through the letter, the author refers to his father. Some of the phrases include “I, your child,” and “good father,” (Frethorne 1) among various references that convinces a reader that his parents are Frethorne’s intended audience.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Capricorn Anderson

    995 Words  | 2 Pages

    What makes a character real? Schooled is a novel written by Gordon Korman. The novel’s protagonist and is Capricorn Anderson, a 13 year old hippie who lives on a farm commune with his grandmother. Capricorn, however, has to live with another family and attend a public school when his grandmother breaks her hip and has to stay at the hospital for weeks. This paper discusses true-to-self Capricorn Anderson, his path and purpose in the text, his interactions and effect on others, and his change over time.

    Read More

  • Into the Wild by Christopher Johnson McCandless

    1175 Words  | 3 Pages

    All in all, Chris McCandless is a contradictory idealist. He was motivated by his charity but so cruel to his parents and friends. He redefined the implication of life, but ended his life in a lonely bus because of starvation, which he was always fighting against. Nevertheless, Chris and the readers all understand that “happiness only real when shared.” (129; chap.18) Maybe it’s paramount to the people who are now alive.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Frank And April Wheeler In Revolutionary Road

    1398 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout a lifetime, one can run through many different personalities that transform constantly due to experience and growing maturity, whether he or she becomes the quiet, brooding type, or tries out being the wild, party maniac. Richard Yates examines acting and role-playing—recurring themes throughout the ages—in his fictional novel Revolutionary Road. Frank and April Wheeler, a young couple living miserably in suburbia, experience relationship difficulties as their desire to escape grows. Despite their search for something different, the couple’s lack of communication causes their planned move to Europe to fall through. Frank and April Wheeler play roles not only in their individual searches for identity, but also in their search for a healthy couple identity; however, the more the Wheelers hide behind their desired roles, the more they lose sense of their true selves as individuals and as a pair.

    Read More

  • Richard Cory: Comparing Paul Simon and Edwin Robinson

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both "Richard Cory" poems by Paul Simon and Edwin Robinson reflect the idea of the American Dream, but both in distinct ways. The two poems are different in the ways that societal views have changed through time based on wealth. The image society portrays the American Dream is depicted in the poems by the conversion from royalty to fame. This change of the American Dream is shown through many symbols, but wealth best illustrates how times have changed from the Cory of Robinson's poem, to that of the poem by Paul Simon.

    Read More

  • Abuse In Richard Wright's Black Boy

    850 Words  | 2 Pages

    Richard “felt that [he] had been slapped out of the human race”(190) when he was oppressed by whites and there was nothing he could do about if he wanted to spare his life. These emotions allow Richard to realize that he must leave the South in order to become free of the abuse. Not only does Richard face mental abuse from whites, but also from his friends. Richard felt that “if [he] wanted to associate with [his friends] [he] would have to join” (151) the church. Richard realizes he can not be friends with his classmates if he does not share the same religious views as them. Therefore, there is the pressure that Richard must join the church in order to fit into society. Lastly, Richard experiences mental abuse when his mother was sick. Richard felt “the half-friendly world the [he] had known had turned cold and hostile” (86) allowing Richard to better understand the cruelty of the world. Although no one is to blame for the illness of Richard’s mother, Richard was abused because he now has to think of what he will do without his mother who was the rock in his life. Each of these incidents challenged Richard in a different way, but they all molded him into a stronger

    Read More

  • Poems: Resume and Richard Cory

    609 Words  | 2 Pages

    The poems Resume and Richard Cory share a similar thought of suicide, but have two particular tones. In Resume, our author is contemplating suicide, but eventually decides that no matter how it is done, it is not worth the trouble. Richard Cory is about a rich man that everyone wishes they could be. Richard is smart and polite, but decides to take his own life. The two tones these poems show are almost exact opposites. Resume begins with a very grim topic, but ends in an unexpected way. Richard Cory is described as a rich gentleman, but ends up putting a bullet in his head. The surprise ending adds to the tone of these stories by surprising you in the end. The poems are similar, because they both show that the people around you are important. The theme of these stories shows that things are not always the way they seem.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Trouble With Geniuses Gladwell

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    As well as to exemplify that in order to judge one’s success, one has to look at the world around them – their upbringing, culture, community, and personality. Gladwell persuades his readers to believe his by showing the analogy of Chris Langan and Robert Openheimer. Langan had a challenging upbringing and with that didn’t come many chances for opportunity . He also didn’t learn the proper way to win over his audience when he needed to. Openheimer, on the other hand, had a privileged upbringing where his parents gave him ample opportunities and taught him valuable life lessons in order for him to be successful. Fast forward to their later years in life, and one will see that Langan, although he possessed the same intellectual talent as Openheimer, didn’t finish college and ultimately wasn’t successful. Openheimer became famous and “headed the American effort to develop the nuclear bomb during World War II.” (Gladwell

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome

    558 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edith Wharton’s novella Ethan Frome chronicles one winter in the life of a family living in the rural town of Starkfield, Massachusetts. The main character, Ethan Frome, gives up his own dreams and aspirations in order to keep the household financially stable and provide for his wife Zeena and housekeeper Mattie. In the process, he reveals not his selflessness but his cowardice, and serves as an example of the dangers of routine and inactivity.

    Read More

  • The American Dream In Chuck Klosterman's Downtown Owl

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Downtown Owl, Chuck Klosterman does a spectacular job writing a story, or stories, with no inherent plot(s) to mention; this is not a typical fiction novel. However, instead of being boring and pointless to the reader, it somehow becomes interesting. The fictional story becomes real; this is what it would be like to live in a small town, this is how the people would act, and this is what the locals there would do. They would live their lives the same as everyone else in their town had before them. Is doing whatever everyone else does freedom? Is that the American dream? This book explores growing up in a place where “Everyone wanted to become the person they were already pretending to be.” (Klosterman, 2008, p. 108)

    Read More

  • Connected Text

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Discuss how John Green and Nicholas Sparks show how ordinary people are capable of extraordinary courage, effort and self-sacrifice.”

    Read More

  • Juxtaposition In Black Boy

    418 Words  | 1 Pages

    Through the use of the devices, juxtapositions and motifs, Richard demonstrates to the reader what the character is trying to pursue. Richard starts by feeling different is bad but later realizes that it is good. Richard learns that curiosity and being different helped him become who he

    Read More

  • Imagery In Richard Cory

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    We are able to gather the image of an extremely polished male who is not only a man but a gentleman. Richard is wealthy beyond measure and the people clearly lust for his riches. The metaphor throughout the poem which compares Richard to wealth teaches a strong lesson to the townspeople. The author closes this poem with the lines “And Richard Cory, one calm summer night / went home and put a bullet through his head. (15-16)” If we once again compare Richard to wealth, this phrase indicates that although the townspeople believe they will gain happiness from obtaining wealth, they may actually find that their calm is destroyed by wealth. Without the use of imagery and metaphor acting together throughout this piece of literature, it is my opinion that the reader may not have gained a clear picture of Richard Cory and his relationship of superiority with the people of the

    Read More

  • Obsessive Love

    2402 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Here on Earth it is clearly visible how social class affects the characters’ lives; especially how it affects Hollis’. Ever since his childhood, he was constantly judged because of his past and continues to be judged in his adult years by the way he became rich so rapidly and mysteriously. This novel presents events and actions which are seen in this world on a daily basis such as infidelity, abuse, alcoholism, and suicide, which make it clear that the storyline can in fact be a depiction of the present days and generations.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty

    633 Words  | 2 Pages

    The selfless deeds done by Brently Mallard and Nick’s father never get the appreciation they deserve due to the selfishness of the recipients of those deeds. For example, in “Story of an Hour,” Brently Mallard is described by his wife as a man with “kind,tender hands” and had a “face that had never looked save with love upon her,” but she was still overwhelmed with happiness over the news of his death. Mrs.

    Read More

More about The Obituary Of Richard Cory: A Perfect Life

Open Document