Poem Comparative Essay: Richard Cory/The Unknown Citizen

Lost in Society’s Trap

           “Richard Cory” by Edwin Robinson and “The Unknown Citizen” by Wystan Auden both address appearances versus reality. In “The Unknown Citizen”, this man is seen as an ideal addition to society, but not important enough to be anything more than the numbers of statistics, while in “Richard Cory” he is a contributor to his community and everyone likes him, like those in “The Unknown Citizen,” yet he kills himself in the end regardless of his appearances. The appearances versus reality theme may be compared on their inability to assert an opinion in society, the stature and contributions of both men in their society, and the community’s perception of their identity.
           The men in both poems fail to assert their opinions and create a name for themselves. To illustrate, citizen JS/07/M/378 was never “odd in his views” in that he never strayed from society’s popular beliefs that appearances make the person instead of the content of their character. No matter the problem faced by the world, he “held the proper opinions for the time of year,” cruising with the norm even in wartimes. “When there was peace, he was for peace; when there was war, he went,” but he was never so passionate in his opinions of the “proper time” to ever act on them. Just as the unknown citizen, Richard Cory “was always human when he talked” in that he always appealed to the people he conversed with, agreeing with their opinion no matter the stance. He was seen as “a gentleman from sole to crown” and was “always quietly arrayed.” Even in the eyes of his community, he was envied by many for his agreeable demeanor and “quiet loudness.” However, if both men had taken a stance in their opinion and not wavered between sides, they wouldn’t have left such an insignificant mark on society after their passing, not matter who they were while they were alive.
        Additionally, both citizens’ stature and contributions in their community follow their perfectly average appearances. For example, the unknown citizen “worked in a factory and never got fired” and always “satisfied his employers,” never stepping out of line on the workforce. His employers got along with him, his friends enjoyed getting a drink with him, and the rest of the community saw him as “in the modern sense of an old-fashioned word… a saint.” Society viewed this man as someone who never did anything wrong, contributing to the “Greater Community.” His appearance in society, according to the records of the government, were completely average, him never breaching past the norm. Similarly, Richard Cory was “admirably schooled in every grace” and “fluttered the pulses” of those he talked to. He was “clean favored…imperially slim,… and he glittered when he walked.” This description of Cory exemplifies how his community perceived him, many of them “wishing that they were in is place.” Both men contribute to their community as “saints” and admirably avoid trouble in all its forms, society viewing them as good people in appearance with small contributions to the world around them.
          Furthermore,society’s perception of who these two men were differs greatly from what both experienced privately. To explain, the unknown citizen, with his forgettable death and government file of statistics all falling with the norm, was never questioned as to whether her was “free? Was he unhappy?” Instead, questions along those lines are considered “absurd,” the government claiming, almost smug and ironically, “had anything wrong, we certainly would have heard.” This man is labelled with a number and tossed to the side with the other nameless faces, a pile of statistics the only data he has to his name now that he is dead. Because he appeared to follow what the government had in mind, they never saw reason to dig further into who he was , believing that statistics were enough to determine character. To the world around him, he was average in every way possible and fulfilled the myth of the perfect citizen created by the higher power in the poem. Like the unknown citizen, Richard Cory seems to be the best of the best without stepping out of line. He was “richer than a king” and kind as he greeted all those he passed in the downtown. Even though he made “us wish we were in his place,” he arrived home “one calm summer night and put a bullet through his head.” He seemed to have this perfect life and everyone adored him for it, but something in his private life wasn’t as perfect and depicted that, in reality, this man needed a way to get away from something otherwise inescapable. Although both men lead lives that appeared to be put together, average, and successful, on the inside these men were troubled, one man’s death forgettable and numeric, the other’s a death caused by himself.
          Though both poems are similar in these aspects, they are distinct and individual in their own ways. “Richard Cory” lives a day in the life of an extravagant man adored by an entire community until he kills himself, while in “The Unknown Citizen,” the government walks through the entire life of an average man in statistics, giving him the number JS/07/M/378 instead of stating his name. Although both poems contrast in this view, they are similar in their portrayals versus reality, and both are strong, moving devices to portray that.