Arthur Brouthers
English 102-018
Instructor: S. J. Glassberg
6/17/97
“Society’s Mindless Assumptions in “Nikki Rosa” and “Richard Cory”
Nikki Giovanni’s ” Nikki Rosa ” and Edwin Arlington Robinson’s ” Richard Cory ” both reveal that monetary wealth does not bring forth happiness . Each poem embodies unexpected conclusions which lead the reader to realize that the true lives of the speaker are misconceived by society’s narrow minded use of assumption and face values . Richard Cory, a wealthy and unhappy man, and Nikki Rosa, a poor yet happy child, are both judged by their wealth or lack of wealth, proving that one can not simply judge a person by appearances .
Nikki Rosa is a poem about a black woman reminiscing her poor, childhood upbringings and expressing how a white person can not understand her true happiness.In the poem ” Nikki Rosa,” the opening statement, ” childhood remembrances are always a drag / if you’re Black, ” immediately display’s the writers attitude on society’s negative view of growing up as a poor black child . ( Lines 1 and 2 ) The speaker feels white biographers see black children as unhappy, uneducated, and deprived of chances in life due to a lack of money and material possessions . The speaker emphasizes being ” Black ”(1), ” living in Woodlawn ”(3), and ” as the whole family attended meetings in Hollydale “(13), thus showing the importance of the family as opposed to money . The capitalization of Black ,Woodlawn, and Hollydale show the importance to the speaker while Chicago is left uncapitalized showing the speaker does not care about taking baths in the ” big tubs that folk in chicago barbeque in ” ( 9 ).
The Essay on Poverty What Makes People Poor
The rich, the middle class, and the poor; are described by the way we live and the amount of money one has. There are many different ways of describing what poverty is, whether it is by how you live, how much money you have, or in statistical terms. Poverty isnt always a bad thing it is just another way of living, another way of life. There are different kinds of poverty that you can measure. ...
Line nine portrays the speaker’s poverty with Nikki Rosa remembering bathing in what wealthy people prepare food in . ” and though you’re poor it isn’t poverty that / concerns you ” lets the reader know that money is not a main concern . The poem goes further to state ” Black love is Black wealth …”, meaning when one is poor, money is not the main concern but more focus is placed on family love and memories shared ( 25 ).
The quick assumptions that Nikki Rosa grew up unhappy due to poverty is proved incorrect with the least expected last line, ” all the while I was quite happy, ” ( 27 ) .The speaker disproves society’s assumptions that poverty equals unhappiness when she states her life to be rich with memories and love, neither which can be purchased with money .
In contrast to Nikki Giovanni’s “Nikki Rosa”, describing a poor child who seems unhappy, ” Richard Cory, ” a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson describes a man who seems to have it all . The reader and less fortunate ” people on the pavement … ” assume Richard Cory is ” a gentleman from sole to crown , ” due to monetary wealth . ( 2 ,3 ) Richard Cory’s wealth makes others regard him as well bred , attractive , tasteful , educated , graceful and most of all , happy . A man who is always ” Clean favored , and imperially slim . ” ,” quietly arrayed ” and ” rich – yes richer than a king – ” , could be nothing but happy in society’s eyes . ( 4 , 5 , 9 ) People in the community assume Richard Cory is and has ” everything “(11) and ” wish that we were in his place “(12).
The Essay on Bartleby The Scrivener Money Lawyer Society
Bartleby the Scrivener Essay In Herman Melville s Bartleby the Scrivener, Melville questions the validity of property ownership in terms of dollars and cents. Through the actions of the lawyer and Bartleby, Melville portrays two contrary views concerning the importance of money in society. While the lawyer staunchly believes money is a commodity, assigning all materialistic things a dollar value, ...
While striving to be like him, the people work hard, making sacrifices in hopes to eventually gain the ” happiness ” Cory appears to have . No one ever suspects Richard Cory’s grim reality . The sing – song ABAB rhyme scheme eases the reader with a smooth rhythm that flows to an abrupt and least expected ending , just like Richard’s life, ” one calm summer night, / went home and put a bullet through his head . ” ( 15 , 16 ) A wealthy and prestigious man is seen as a happy man due to society’s attitudes and assumptions towards money . Society never suspects Richard Cory’s true state of being because he is rich . The last two lines shock the reader and prove society wrong in their assumptions that money brings happiness .
The poems ” Nikki Rosa ” and ” Richard Cory ” both use money or the lack of money to show that appearances do not always reflect reality . Each poem displays situational irony, where there is a contradiction between what is expected to happen and what actually happens due to forces beyond human comprehension or control . Society incorrectly judges the happiness of each character because of the amounts of money each owns . Nikki Rosa, a poor child, is misjudged as having an unhappy childhood because poverty stricken but found to be rich with memories and love . Richard Cory, a wealthy man, is misjudged as happy but found dead by suicide, a poor and lonely escape . Each poem uses the characters as examples to remind society not to judge people by images or money because appearances do not always reflect reality .
Works Cited
Giovanni, Nikki. “Nikki-Rosa.” The Bedford Introduction To Literature. Third Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martins Press, 1993. 613.
Robinson, Edwin Arlington. “Richard Cory.” The Bedford Introduction To Literature. Forth Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martins Press, 1996. 698.
The Essay on Money Vs Society Wealthy Man
In society, money plays a major role. It is a necessity that is needed in order to survive in the world today. In Pride and Prejudice, it is the one element that determines one's whole life and future. Not only is it needed to live, but it determines who you will marry as well as your social status in society. In this book, it is repeatedly shown that money plays one of the most important roles in ...
