Richard+Cory

=Activity 4:= = = = Richard Cory =


 * =Richard Cory =

 Went home and put a bullet through his head.
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 * by Edwin Arlington Robinson, from //The Children of the Night// (1890-97) ||

**Questions to Consider and Discuss with your Small Group Members:** //(complete this in class)//
What kind of effect does Cory’s death seem to have on the narrator? What kind of effect does Robinson achieve in the last stanza of the poem? How is this effect heightened by what comes before it in the poem? How would the poem have been different if the narrator had reacted to the death in some way, i.e., shock, grief, or fear? Have you ever known someone in your life who you thought you knew very well, but then something happened to somehow change your perception of that person?

-Cory's death was sudden and tragic. The narrator was surprised about his death since most people thought that he had everything. He was rich, full of grace, and "glittered" when he walked. - It is written very non-chalant. It is ironic that he was so well off and envied by those who thought they had nothing to live for and he had everything to live for and he killed himself. The line : "on a calm, summer night" is not foreboding and does not set up a tragic scene - Social and status class have nothing to do with anything. He still killed himself though he seemed to have everything. - If the narrator had responded more to the death, it may would have taken away the shock factor and irony of the death.

**Writing Activity:** //(provided as an additional model activity; can complete if time)//
Consider your answers to these questions as a starting point for writing your own poem in which you provide an unexpected conclusion to a situation that was in some way taken for granted.

Notice how Robinson achieves a certain effect through his use of rhythm, rhyme, and tone. Try to achieve some type of effect by using at least one of these poetic devices.

Robinson’s poem focuses on death. Your poem can also deal with death or with a different situation involving a change in perception or ironic twist.

//Responses://