The following paragraphs are a stanza-by-stanza paraphrase of the poem Richard Cory, by Edward Arlington Robinson. In the paraphrase, the sense of the poem is conveyed by different words. On every single occasion on which Richard Cory came to the central part of the city, all of us folks who were out on the sidewalks would pay attention to this man. Richard Cory was a well-bred person, from the tips of his toes to the top of his hat. This man was smoothly handsome, as well as being as fit and trim as a prince.
Also Richard Cory consistently dressed in an unobtrusive but very good style. Also, every time he spoke to anyone he sounded just like any ordinary person. Yet, this would excite people, and it made their blood pressure jump when he would greet them in the early part of the day, he sparkled like a shiny substance when he went by.
Also Richard Cory was wealthy -- I assure you, definitely wealthier than any royal person -- Also Richard Cory had been carefully taught how to behave well and to present a good appearance. To make a long story short, all of us were of the opinion that he was good enough in all ways to make every one of us want very much to be in his place.
Therefore, all of us stuck to our jobs and labored well at them as we hoped for an opportunity, all of us also gave up the flesh of animals as food and damned the loaves that we had to eat; Also, Richard Cory, on a particular calm evening in the warmest part of the year, returned to his house where he shot himself in the brain.
Work Cited
Robinson, Edward Arlington. Richard Cory. 1897. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. 3d ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995. 619-20.
The diction of Edward Arlington Robinson's poem, "Richard Cory" is very carefully controlled. The speaker is anonymous and the reader's sense of who the speaker is, com...