The Reality of the American Dream The Poem Richard Cory...

As Americans, many of us believe in this principle of the American Dream. The American Dream, in its simplicity, is the notion that anything, especially career wise, is achievable. We usually associate this concept with obtaining material things, such as cars or a fancy house. But, even if you achieve your American Dream, complete with a car and fancy house, does that really mean you achieved happiness? The poem â€Å"Richard Cory† by Edwin Arlington Robinson is a testament to this idea that although someone may have everything there is to want, that does not really mean they have true happiness. The poem â€Å"Richard Cory† is a description and story of a man named Richard Cory, of course. The speaker of the poem is an impoverished, blue-collar†¦show more content†¦They are not waiting for an actual light to save them, it is an expression used, especially in Biblical times, referring to salvation. These workers, who slave every day, are simply waiting on someo ne or something to come save them from this undesirable work. The last symbols in this poem are the meat and the bread. â€Å"The meat may represent and be an example of everything [the speaker] could not afford to have but wanted badly and valued highly, and the bread may represent and be an example of everything they could have but did not enjoy or appreciate† (Overview: Richard Cory). These symbols are all further supporters of the overall theme of the poem. Why would this king, Richard Cory, who is generally liked and envied by these people on the pavement, commit suicide? Again, the answer is simple, he was not truly happy. The second main poetic device used by Robinson is irony. The apparent irony in the poem is the fact that Richard Cory killed himself. As I have discussed before, Richard Cory was this guy who had all of the things anyone could ask for. He had good-looks, money, intelligence, and was, for the most part, liked by everyone. The irony comes when the reade r realizes that the majority of people would be unbelievably happy with this life. It is extremely appalling and ironic that Richard Cory could kill himself with this seemingly perfect life. The second piece of irony stems from the first. It is not necessarily the fact thatShow MoreRelatedThe Dysfunctional American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller1231 Words   |  5 PagesThe Dysfunctional American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller In the American society, it is thought that if you work hard, no matter what circumstances, you can become rich and powerful. You can overcome deep poverty to become the richest man alive. This superhuman absurdity is what is referred to as the American Dream. Day after day, Americans struggle to achieve fame and prosperity, only to find failure and heartbreak. The American Dream in todays society is dead and isRead MoreDreams Deferred And Pleas For Help Unheard : The Effects Of Racism991 Words   |  4 Pages Dreams Deferred and Pleas for Help Unheard: The Effects of Racism Langston Hughes’s poem â€Å"Harlem† and William Faulkner’s â€Å"That Evening Sun† both provide unique and impactful takes on systematic racism in the post-slavery United States. Neither piece explicitly confronts or names the racism depicted in them, illustrating how casual racial prejudice and its effects on its victims are often viewed as inconsequential or innocent – and therefore are dangerously insidious. Both â€Å"Harlem† and â€Å"That EveningRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Richard Cory By Edwin Arlington Robinson1069 Words   |  5 PagesRichard Cory I chose to write about the poem Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson. I chose to write about this poem because it interested me, the way the setting and the personality of the protagonist lured me into writing about it. What I liked about this poem was its mysterious ending. This poem relates to our world today because many people are seen as perfect or nearly as perfect, but in their own eyes, theyre in reality, miserable. The poem Richard Cory is about a rich man thatRead MoreEssay on Confronting Death in Poetry1116 Words   |  5 Pages Robert Frost successfully delineates this process in his poem, Out, Out - as he describes how the boy in the poem experiences the first stage of impending death - that of denial. Frost paints a picture of school age children doing the household chores of adults. Death with children is especially disturbing because in our unconscious mind we are all immortal, so it is almost inconceivable to be openly confronted with the reality of death. For children, this thought is especially implausible