Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington RobinsonI have always secretly envied my dearest high school friend, Erin. It was easy to be jealous of Erin since she was tall with beautiful blonde hair that turned many heads. She possessed grace and style and owned the coolest car. Even though people try to resist the urge, most succumb to it from time to time. While people focus on everything they lack, they tend to overlook the flaws of those they envy. The observers of the poem Richard Cory allow envy to cloud their perception of themselves. Cory seems to have it all. The poor city dwellers look at him and see the qualities they lack. An ugly person may believe that if they were beautiful, happiness would be assured. A lonely person believes that finding someone to end their loneliness would lessen their sadness. This is evident in the first three stanzas. The townspeople notice Cory's appearance as superior to theirs. “He shone when he walked” (Robinson 986). They also noted the main character's manners and the abundance of his material possessions. The Watchers were too busy working to have time to put effort into improving their manners and couldn't even think about saving money when they were lucky enough not to starve. Many people want to be more outwardly beautiful or have more money. Six years ago, my aunt and uncle were returning to Indiana from Iowa for the Thanksgiving holiday when they encountered a drunk driver in a head-on collision. I remember the anguish my family felt in the following days, as we did not know if my uncle would survive. He survived, although he was altered over the next few years and suffered permanent damage to his body. Insurance companies are set up to right the wrongs with...... middle of paper......een accomplished. The Watchers separate Cory and isolate him due to their perceptions of him. I learned a very important lesson about envy a few years after becoming friends with Erin. After spending a few years wishing I was more like him, I expressed my feelings of envy. To my astonishment, she expressed shock at the idea of ​​my jealousy. She then told me that before becoming my friend, she envied me. I was friendly and had an outgoing personality while she was very shy. If the townspeople had had the opportunity to develop a relationship with Richard Cory as I had with my classmate, they probably would have discovered his enviable qualities as well. Reference: Robinson, Edwin Arlington. Reading, reacting, writing “Richard Cory” literature. 4th ed. Ed. Camille Adkins. Orlando: Harcourt College Publishers, 2001. 986.