American Dream

Introduction: 

In 1893, the US was suffering the economic crisis, called “Panic of 1893”. 

Four years later, the poem Richard Cory appeared. 

It was written by Edwin Arlington Robinson. 

Robinson is a pessimistic poet in early 20thcentury. 

In the poem Richard Cory, 

Robinson describes a rich and imperial man called Richard Cory. 

He is always caught attention by people.

He becomes the idol of everyone. 

However, Richard commits suicide 

without any explanation in the end of the poem.

Contex:

Richard Cory

Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked; 
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
'Good-morning,' and he glittered when he walked.

And he was rich - yes, richer than a king -
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread; 
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head. 

Edwin Arlington Robinson

Analysis: 

Richard Cory is a symbol of American Dream.

He has everything that people want to pursue. 

He has imperial appearance, good manners, 

and most important of all, wealth. 

However, what Robinson describes about Richard

 is only related to appearances. 

He never describes the psychological status of Richard. 

This creates the distance between Richard and the reader 

and also between the American dream and dream pursuers.

For American dream pursuers, 

American dream owns everything that they want, as Richard does. 

However, they never know the price they need to pay to fulfill their American dream. 

Therefore, the death of Richard 

symbolizes the failure of pursuing American dream. 

The poem was made during the depression of economy in America. 

American dream vanished at that time because people lived in desperation and pain. 

So Richard’s death also symbolizes the shattered American dream.