"Richard Cory" and the American Dream

Paper Summary:

The paper explains the American Dream as the idea that through hard work, courage and determination anyone in society can achieve wealth and, therefore, a happy life. The paper examines the poem "Richard Cory" and illustrates how Robinson was highly critical of this philosophy that created a lust for material possessions. The paper demonstrates how the poem shows how money is not responsible for happiness; the main character, Richard Cory, seemed to have everything and the townspeople believed that he lived the perfect life, but he was a very lonely person who achieved little satisfaction. The paper also shows how Richard Cory represents existentialist ideas, as he was an individual who felt the overwhelming burden of being unique and isolated.

From the Paper:

"Edwin Arlington Robinson was a poet who became prominent following the Civil War, in a time when America was just beginning to rebuild itself. He was considered an outsider by many, as his parents favored his siblings, but this did not stop him from achieving success. He won the Pulitzer Prize three times for his poetry and was very influential in the poetry of Robert Frost (Biography of Edwin Arlington Robinson). While he wrote many other notable poems, his most famous work is entitled "Richard Cory" and it is about who seems to have everything he could ever want, but he is empty on the inside and eventually commits suicide."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Biography of Edwin Arlington Robinson". American Poems. 27 April, 2006. http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/robinson
• "Definition of Existentialism". Yahoo Education. 2000. 27 April, 2006. http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/existentialism
• Morris, Lloyd. "On Richard Cory". 1923. 27, April 2006. http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/m_r/robinson/cory.htm
• Nietzsche, Friedrich. Basic Writings of Nietzsche. New York: Modern Library. 2000.

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