Answer to Question #249973 in English for mody

Question

What happens in this poem? Why is Richard Cory’s last action unexpected?

Answer 1

The poem describes a person who is wealthy, well educated, mannerly, and admired by the people in his town. Despite all this, he takes his own life. The song "Richard Cory", written by Paul Simon and recorded by Simon & Garfunkel for their second studio album, Sounds of Silence, was based on this poem. With his wealth and good manners, Richard Cory is a subject of envy, with many wishing they could trade places with him. Yet, in an abrupt change of tone, the poem ends with Richard Cory's shocking suicide, revealing that the reality of his life must have been very different from what people imagined it to be. Went home and put a bullet through his head and takes his life.