Suicide Note and Richard Cory (Essay Sample)

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Suicide Note and Richard Cory
Langston Hughes’ poem called “Suicide Note” discusses a persona who commits suicide possibly by drowning in a river. As a result, the persona leaves behind a “Suicide Note,” which is in the form of a poem. It follows that the poem focuses on the life of a person who commits suicide because of not receiving enough love. It is notable that Robinson Edwin also wrote a poem called “Richard Cory,” which also focuses on suicide. The poem is about a person who is adored by the society because of the lifestyle he lives. This owes to the reality that the poem indicates that “Richard Cory” was richer than a king was. Additionally, he dressed admirably because evidence from the poem values his fashion. It is notable that while both of these poems address the theme of suicide, they do it in a very different way. Therefore, this paper compares and contrasts the two poems in terms of their lengths, stanzas, rhyme, the speaker, images, tone, and the main theme.
Both poems focus on suicide as the main theme. As evidence, the poem by
Hughes insinuates the idea that the persona committed suicide by drowning in the river. It is particularly highlighted by the fact that the river asks the persona for a kiss, implying the persona was thinking of drowning in a river. In contrast, the poem by Robinson indicates that the persona committed suicide by shooting himself with a gun. Additionally, both poems suggest that the personas committed suicide because of social reasons. This owes to the reality that Hughes persona committed suicide because he/she wished for a kiss while “Richard Cory” committed suicide because of a desire to converse with normal people. As evidence, words such as grace, crown and imperially indicate that normal people distanced themselves from Richard Cory. It is also critical that the tone in the “Suicide Note” is relaxed while the tone in Richard Cory is bot admiring and shocking.
It is also notable that “Richard Cory” has four stanzas while the “Suicide Note” has one stanza. Moreover, both poems rhyme because Hughes’ poem has a rhyme of the sound ‘k’ highlighted by the consecutive words cool and calm. Similarly, Robinson’s poem has sounds that rhyme in alternating lines of every stanza. However, the speaker in Hughes’ poem is the first persona while the speaker in the Robinson’s poem is the second persona. This owes to...