Summary and thesis Statements

A Summary of Edwin Arlington Robinson’s “Richard Cory”

"Richard Cory" is a narrative poem written by Edwin Arlington Robinson. It was first published in 1897. Written in a very simple language this poem has a consciously lyrical and musical construction. The poem talks about a person named Richard Cory who is doomed, but is mistaken to be happy and prosperous for all the years he lives.

Everyone in the town knows Richard Cory. He is a well-educated, humble and rich gentleman. He covers his slim body with decent clothes and greets people with courtesy. There is nothing Richard Cory wants and is unable to afford. People believe wealth is the last thing Richard Cory needs, as he is wealthier then a king.

Richard Cory, from the way he behaves appears to be content and thankful in every aspect of his life. Whenever people see him, they stop by and admire his grace. Richard Cory is their idol.

The speaker and the town’s people work hard, hoping to be rich and charming like Richard Cory one day. But their poverty mocks them. They keep living the same old worn life cursing the poor food they eat. Richard Cory on the other hand puts a bullet through his cultivated head and ends his famous and wealthy life.

None of the town’s people are close to Richard due to the difference in their social status; only basic and rare communication exists. Richard’s suicide becomes a mystery to the town’s people.

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 A Summary of T.S Eliot’s “Preludes”

“Preludes” is a poem by T.S Eliot. It was composed between 1910 and 1911. This poem is written in free verse and has four uneven parts. This thoughtful poem illustrates the misery of spiritually exhausted people.

             When the evening becomes night, the passageway where the speaker walks smells of steaks.  The days of the speaker end unhappily. The air he breathes is not clean. The withered leaves and the trashed newspapers whip around the speaker’s legs making him shabby. The rain falls worsening the already bad evening. Instead of giving life to the grass and the trees, it beats the already broken blinds and the chimney pots. The lonely cab-horse at the corner of the street is also unhappy and tired like the speaker. The only things that look hopeful are the glowing street lamps.

The second part of the poem speaks about the speaker’s environment.  As usual morning comes but it is not fresh and clean. The air that author breaths early in the morning is filled with the smell of stale beer. His feet are never clean, as the streets he wonders are covered with saw dust all the time. People who come to buy coffee, come with their muddy feet. People are supposed to be clean in early morning, but it is not the case where author is living. Days change but the routine does not. The same shabby hands raise the same dingy shades every single morning.

In the third part, the speaker speaks about his fellow people who have shared the gloom with him.  He says these people are waiting all these days lying on their backs hoping things will become normal. These people are the witnesses of the wretched unfolding time, which flickers against their ceiling every single day. People hear the songs of sparrows and see the rays of light creeping through their shutters. They think things are back to normal, but it really is not. It is just a false vision of the people. After the illusion fades people return back to their gloomy routines again.

In the second to last stanza of the poem the speaker picks one of the characters from among all the people described above and speaks about him. The character has become soulless. He no longer cares what time it is, for every moment has become identical. With nothing else to do, he stuffs his pipe and smokes impatiently.

In the last stanza there is a brief glimpse of hope that something good will happen after much of suffering. The speaker hopes that something miraculous might happen that can save him. But it was nothing more then uncorroborated hope. He is back to the reality and says to the troubled people like him to laugh instead of lamenting or visualizing things that are never going to happen. The world revolves like an old woman who comes to pick up the trash in the parking lot when she runs out of her fuel.

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Thesis Statement of “Richard Cory”

In the poem “Richard Cory,” the author has used two sets of characters to illustrate how lack of communication results in assumption, and how assumption distorts precision.