“Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson Essay Example

poem, published in Robinson's book "Children of the Night," followed by an analysis of the song. By comparing the extratextual adaptations of each version, we can explore their relationship to each other. The poem portrays a wealthy and admired character named Richard Cory in the imaginative town of "TilburyTown," populated by frustrated individuals like the poet himself. It can be interpreted as an ironic commentary on the American dream of success, power, and wealth.Cory's suicide, despite his wealth and admiration in town, leaves those who admired him astonished by the purpose of life. The poem explores the theme of not judging appearances and suggests that money cannot buy happiness. Robinson questions the morals, values, and the American dream through Cory and the persona. The song "Richard Cory" was written by Paul Simon in 1965 and recorded by Simon and Garfunkel in 1966. It tells the story from the perspective of a worker in Cory's factory who envies his advantages and believes he leads a satisfied life. Cory is portrayed as an almost ideal man with a perfect life due to his media attention and charitable actions towards the less fortunate.The Cory in the song shares the same fate as the one in the poem, as both end with the verse: “Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head.” Despite learning of Cory's suicide, the chorus repeats after each verse with the worker expressing his desire to be Cory. This song references the content and ideas of the poem, making it extratextual to some extent. The song is based on the original poem by E.A. Robinson (1897), sharing the same title.

Although written many years apart, P. Simon's song utilizes references from the poem to suggest a different dimension. The transformation from poem to song involved adapting various elements such as structure, signs, and characters. Simon maintains the structure of Robinson's poem, using the same number of stanzas and lines, except for the repetitive chorus.The poem and the song both lack a chorus, instead using it as a climactic moment to emphasize the message that the speaker is dissatisfied with their peasant and casual worker life. The speaker admires Cory and wishes to be like him even after his death. Whether the townspeople still desire to be like Cory after learning of his suicide is not mentioned in the poem. The songwriter adapts the last phrase of the poem, "Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head," maintaining the structure of the song. Additionally, the characters of Richard Cory and the Speaker are adapted from the poem to establish themes of poverty and wealth. Simon consciously selects elements from the poem to compose the song, connecting them thematically. The successful appropriation of these elements in the song highlights the necessity of adaptation in songs and how they are used to convey specific themes.Establishing the "original authority" of the adapted elements in the song is beneficial. Despite differences in most of the words, one can argue that it is not a direct adaptation of the poem. However, there are established connections in terms of structure, themes, and characters with the poem. The song incorporates its own material, such as a repeated chorus and additional characters like the people of the press taking

Cory's pictures. These elements highlight the song's harmony and unity, emphasizing its nature as a song. By participating in a cultural and literary dialogue through extratextuality, Simon paves the way for new expressions of the message presented in the original poem. The poem explores the desires of working-class Americans for wealth while questioning the American dream as even the wealthy face their own problems. While fewer people read poems compared to those who listen to music, poems are mainly appreciated by literature professionals or poetry enthusiasts. In contrast, songs can be heard everywhere and anywhere, making it impossible to ignore when they are played.To effectively convey the intended message of the poem, Simon and Garfunkel adapted it into a song, transforming it into a melodious expression while still referencing the original poem. This concept of extratextuality has enhanced our understanding of the complex relationship between the poem and the song, considering a broader perspective. Additionally, the song adaptation creatively explores the spatial setting presented in the poem, which appears to depict an imaginary town called TilburyTown. This town is characterized by its spiritual blindness and crassness, reminiscent of a small town in New England that adheres to a utilitarian and repressive social environment rooted in Puritan ethics. In this town, there are wealthy individuals like Cory, who starkly contrast with the working-class people who tirelessly labor for meager wages, yearning to be like him. Simon reflects this setting in his adaptation by placing it in a factory where workers work diligently for their pay but resent their poverty, desiring to enjoy the wealth and privileges that the factory owner possesses. The worker does not question

why Cory took his own life; all they know is thatGiven all factors remaining unchanged, he desires to emulate Simon. By deliberately altering the framework of the poem, Simon aims to highlight certain elements that were previously hidden or rebellious. This adaptation intertwines the poem and song in a less hierarchical manner, resembling more of an exchange. By exploring extratextuality alongside this adaptation, the conventional notion of "original versus copy" is challenged. Consequently, the interplay between poems and songs should be explored further in terms of theoretical and conceptual dimensions. The extratextual approach is widely accepted as an addition to literal adaptation theory. The belief that poems and songs operate under different sign and structural systems that do not align is rapidly being abandoned through extratextuality. This approach encompasses poems, songs, and other forms of art in the same context. Literal texts and various forms of media, regardless of genre, typically align with one another.The song “Richard Cory” by Simon and Garfunkel serves as an interpretation of E.A. Robinson's poem "Richard Cory" through a different medium. It can be seen as a translation of the poem into a song, both conveying a common message. This reveals that literature does not exist in isolation, but rather, it is shaped and influenced by the evolving civilization it belongs to. Specifically, exploring how popular culture intersects with literary works, such as adapting them in unconventional ways, highlights how literature functions as a dynamic text that contributes to the generation of meaning within society.