Brett Morgan
5th Period PreAp
5-1-15
Appearance Versus Reality
“Richard Cory and “The Unknown Citizen” are both unique in the idea of a perfect citizen hidden behind a society’s mask of prejudgment. Robinson’s short poem speaks of a gentleman that has everything a man could ask for, even the town’s adoration, to later put a bullet in his head. While Auden’s poem describes the facts of an unknown citizen who lives a life in a bureaucratic society simply misunderstood by the government’s eyes. This idea of appearance versus reality is compared through the societal rank, point of view, and the ironic outcome of both poems.
Both of the poems use the societal rank as a view into the lives of the main characters that show a defining line between appearance versus reality. For example, in the “Unknown Citizen” the main character had to have been middle to upper class of person with having “everything necessary to the modern man” and was able to “pay his dues” and was “fully insured”. This expresses the normality and blandness of this unknown citizen as he bleakly went through life as a machine, lifeless and emotionless. It also shows how he was just like the rest of the working men trying to live up the American dream. Similarly, Richard Cory was “richer than a king and was “admirably schooled”. This shows how Cory’s wealth and well being could be the reason for his unhappiness, or why he usually hung around a part of town where he could be seen by the common folk to maybe see what it would be like to lead a simpler life. It also adds to the twist at the end when he “puts a bullet in his head” as the common folk had though he had “everything”. Therefore, both characters had all they could ever need in life, but in reality, they had nothing that could bring as much joy as society thought it could.
Another Similarity within the poems are the points of view, because of the significance in the “community’s opinion” versus the true reality. For example, In “The Unknown Citizen” it has a first person plural point of view with the narrator describing facts about the citizens’ life “and our teachers report that he never interfered with their education” and “our researchers into Public Opinion”. Similarly, Richard Cory was narrated from a first person point of view being narrated by a towns person “to make us wish we were in his place”. Although both poems have different points a view, it doesn’t take away from the message of the poems that being appearance versus reality. Richard Cory is seen as a wealthy man admired by all but troubled with burdens he isn’t willing to share, and the unknown citizen is thought to be content in what he does by the bureau. Similarly, both poems have the reader assume what the characters problems are. For example, Richard Cory was presumed to be happy in what he does “he he was always human when he talked” and how he was calm in all he did “clean favored and imperially slim”. Similarly, the unknown citizen was thought to be content because of his dull life “had anything been wrong we should certainly have heard”. This explains how the point of view helps the message of the poems because the reader must infer about the motives of the main characters to see if they were truly content or satisfied. Thus, the point of view of the poems adds to the mystery of the poems along with the idea of appearance versus reality.
“Unknown Citizen” and “Richard Cory” both show an ironic outcome because of the townspeople or the reader’s realization that Richard Cory and the unknown citizen had everything but had nothing in reality. For example, the unknown citizen had “everything necessary to the modern man” and a steady job plus five children. While he had all of the “necessities” he had gone through his life without complaint, emotion, and any reality to how it is to live life. Similarly, Richard Cory had everything he needed because he was “richer than a king” among the towns people. Although the reader has to infer about his state of mind, he later “puts a bullet in his head” as a result of some negative mindset. So while both characters had everything they could need and want, they lacked in fulfillment of their needs and emotions. The irony of the situational appearance versus reality being while envied by others for all they have, the characters envy the others for the emotions they lack. Therefore, both endings are ironic because of the characters envy of the common folk while they have everything they could want.
Though the poems are focused on different stories and aspects, they are similar. “Richard Cory” is based more on a story or folktale of the fall of a powerful man, while “The Unknown Citizen” is more fact based in a bureaucratic society. Both poems end ironically with the envy of the common folk while the common folk envy them. Robinson describes the death of a wealthy man the appeared to be perfectly fine while in reality he was fighting some sort of negative mindset to later end his life and his misery. While Auden’s poem describes the perfect citizen in a bureaucratic society, but later ends with the reader’s realization that he had gone through his life appearing to lack emotion or feelings for the narrator to later clarify that no one really knows if he really was content. For both of these reasons these poems are strong reminders of appearance versus reality.
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