Richard Cory Miniver Cheevy Lucinda Matlock

The New Poetry Richard Cory

READING 3 Understand the Miniver Cheevy structure and elements of poetry. Poetry by Edwin Arlington Robinson Analyze the effects of metrics and other conventions in American poetry. Lucinda Matlock Poetry by Edgar Lee Masters

Meet the Authors

Edwin Arlington Failure is a familiar subject in the poetry of alcoholism, Robinson devoted his life to Robinson Edwin Arlington Robinson, and one the his craft. Over time he gained a reputation 1869–1935 artist knew well. Robinson wrote poetry as one of the country’s most accomplished for years before achieving recognition, and narrative poets. he witnessed family members suffer one Reflections of the Past Robinson’s best personal defeat after another. known poems explore the inner lives of A Difficult Youth His father’s financial the citizens of Tilbury Town, a fictional struggles forced Robinson to curtail community modeled on Robinson’s his studies at Harvard University. The hometown of Gardiner, Maine. family’s fortunes continued to decline Many poems grew out of the tragic and Robinson’s mother died of diphtheria experiences of his family and childhood in 1896. In addition, he lost both of his acquaintances. Often, the poems focus on brothers to fatal addictions. individuals who are brought low because of their own personal failings and the Devotion to His Craft Despite his town’s repressive, materialistic culture. tragic past and his own struggles with

Edgar Lee When his brilliant portrait of rural life, he despised their small-mindedness Masters Spoon River Anthology, first appeared and bigotry. Eventually Masters left 1868–1950 in 1915, Edgar Lee Masters became a rural Illinois for the big city, residing in literary sensation. Both the general public Chicago and New York City. and renowned critics embraced the book, Literary Masterpiece Masters remains making it an American classic. most famous for his Spoon River Anthology. The Making of a Poet The book grew out In this book, 244 deceased inhabitants of of Masters’s memories of growing up in the fictional town of Spoon River deliver the central Illinois towns of Lewiston and monologues in which they bare their souls. Petersburg. Living on his grandparents’ The cast of characters is varied, ranging farm in Petersburg and in the semi- from prostitutes and thieves to librarians industrialized Lewiston, Masters acquired and Masters’s own grandmother Lucinda, both an appreciation and a distaste for the model for “Lucinda Matlock.” rural culture. While he admired the hard work and resilience of rural folk, Authors Online Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML11-920

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literary analysis: characterization in narrative poetry While most modernist poets turned their efforts to lyric poetry, Edward Arlington Robinson and Edgar Lee Masters continued What makes to develop the tradition of narrative poetry, often telling stories of interesting characters in the context of their communities. for a Like fiction, narrative poetry tells a story using elements of plot, full life? character, and setting. To develop character, poets may adapt methods of characterization typically used in fiction. Everyone wants to be happy, but • physical description of the character, including vivid imagery happiness comes more easily to some • the character’s own actions, words, thoughts, and feelings people than to others. What is the secret? Some seek happiness in close, • comments, thoughts, or actions of other characters loving relationships. Others pursue • direct comments about the character by the poem’s speaker their dreams and try to remain true to As you read these poems, pay attention to the methods used their inner voice. Still others strive for by the poet to develop the characters. the comforts of material success and prosperity. The following poems portray Review: Meter characters who have met with varying reading skill: analyze speaker’s attitude degrees of success in their search for contentment. In many poems, the speaker has a persona that is distinct DISCUSS from the poet. It is the speaker’s attitude that shapes our With a partner, make a list of view of the poem’s subject. In each of the following poems, some different ways in which people a speaker delivers a character sketch; in one case, the speaker seek happiness. Which are the most is describing herself. By noticing the details and phrases the likely to succeed? Which are the least speaker uses to describe the character, we can learn about his likely? After discussing these questions, or her attitude not only toward the character but toward life. present your conclusions to the class. To analyze the speaker’s attitude toward the character in each poem, use a chart like the one shown. As you read, jot down the details and phrases from each poem that reflect that attitude. One example has been filled in for you.

Details and Phrases Reflecting Speaker’s Attitude

“Richard Cory” “Miniver Cheevy” “Lucinda Matlock”

“He was a gentleman from sole to crown”

Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook.

921921 Richard Cory

Edwin Arlington Robinson

Whenever Richard Cory went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman from sole to crown, a CHARACTERIZATION Clean favored,1 and imperially slim. Reread lines 1–8. Describe Richard Cory’s appearance and manners. What do 5 And he was always quietly arrayed, you think the speaker And he was always human when he talked; means by “he fluttered But still he fluttered pulses when he said, pulses” and “he glittered “Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked. a when he walked”?

And he was rich—yes, richer than a king— 10 And admirably schooled in every grace:2 In fine,3 we thought that he was everything To make us wish that we were in his place. b SPEAKER’S ATTITUDE Reread lines 11–16. So on we worked, and waited for the light, What contrast does the speaker draw between And went without the meat, and cursed the bread; Richard Cory and the 15 And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, townspeople? How do Went home and put a bullet through his head. b they seem to regard him?

1. clean favored: having a tidy appearance. 2. schooled in every grace: extremely well-mannered and cultured. Sir Philip Sassoon (1923), John Singer 3. in fine: in short. Sargent. Oil on canvas, 95.2 cm x 57.8 cm. Tate Gallery, London. © Tate Gallery, London/Art Resource, 922 unit 5: the harlem renaissance and modernism New York.

TX_L11PE-u05s21-RCory.indd 922 9/8/09 10:25:30 AM 923 Miniver Cheevy

Edwin Arlington Robinson

Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn, Grew lean while he assailed1 the seasons; He wept that he was ever born, And he had reasons.

5 Miniver loved the days of old When swords were bright and steeds were prancing; The vision of a warrior bold Would set him dancing. c Reading in a Study, Walt Louderback. Oil on plywood, 76.2 cm × 59.7 cm. Private collection. Photo © Bridgeman Art Library.

Miniver sighed for what was not, c METER 10 And dreamed, and rested from his labors; Reread lines 1–8. In each He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot, stanza, which line has a And Priam’s neighbors.2 meter that stands out from the others? What emphasis is achieved by Miniver mourned the ripe renown this change in rhythm? That made so many a name so fragrant; 15 He mourned Romance, now on the town, And Art, a vagrant. d CHARACTERIZATION

Miniver loved the Medici,3 Reread lines 9–20. 4 Identify the primary Albeit he had never seen one; means of characterization He would have sinned incessantly in these lines. What is the 20 Could he have been one. d main trait conveyed here?

1. assailed: attacked violently, in this case with words. 2. Thebes (thCbz) . . . Camelot . . . Priam’s (prFPEmz) neighbors: Thebes was an ancient Greek city, the setting of many famous legends; Camelot was the site of King Arthur’s legendary court; Priam’s neighbors were participants in the Trojan War, during which Priam was king of Troy. 3. Medici (mDdPE-chC): a powerful Italian family that funded the arts and ruled Florence, sometimes with cruel and immoral leaders, during the Renaissance. 4. albeit (ôl-bCPGt): even though.

924 unit 5: the harlem renaissance and modernism Language Coach Word Definitions To eye something means “to look at something closely.” In line 22, why is Miniver Miniver cursed the commonplace eyeing the khaki suit with And eyed a khaki suit with loathing; loathing? He missed the medieval grace Of iron clothing. e

e SPEAKER’S ATTITUDE 25 Miniver scorned the gold he sought, Identify the irony in lines But sore annoyed was he without it; 23–24. What does this Miniver thought, and thought, and thought, irony suggest about the And thought about it. speaker’s attitude toward Miniver’s love of the medieval? Miniver Cheevy, born too late, 30 Scratched his head and kept on thinking; Miniver coughed, and called it fate, And kept on drinking. f f METER How does the last line of the poem change your understanding of Miniver? Recall your earlier analysis of the poem’s meter, and explain its effect in this stanza.

Literary Analysis 1. Recall What is the townspeople’s initial impression of Richard Cory? 2. Recall Why does Miniver Cheevy claim to be unhappy? 3. Compare Texts What is similar about the ways the two poems end? In each case, how do the last two lines change your view of the character?

miniver cheevy 925 Lucinda Matlock

Edgar Lee Masters Detail of Cowboy Dance (mural study, Anson, Texas, post office) (1941), Jenne Magafan. Oil on fiberboard. Photo © Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C./Art Resource, New York.

I went to the dances at Chandlerville, And played snap‑out1 at Winchester. Analyze Visuals One time we changed partners, What qualities do you Driving home in the moonlight of middle June, sense in the dancers portrayed in this 5 And then I found Davis. painting? Do you find We were married and lived together for seventy years, them to have anything Enjoying, working, raising the twelve children, in common with Lucinda Eight of whom we lost Matlock? Explain. Ere I had reached the age of sixty. 10 I spun, I wove, I kept the house, I nursed the sick, I made the garden, and for holiday g CHARACTERIZATION Rambled over the fields where sang the larks, And by Spoon River gathering many a shell, Reread lines 1–15. What does the And many a flower and medicinal weed— speaker’s behavior 15 Shouting to the wooded hills, singing to the green valleys. g reveal about her? At ninety‑six I had lived enough, that is all, And passed to a sweet repose.2 h SPEAKER’S ATTITUDE What is this I hear of sorrow and weariness, Anger, discontent and drooping hopes? Whom do you think the speaker is addressing in 20 Degenerate3 sons and daughters, lines 18–22? How does Life is too strong for you— she seem to feel about It takes life to love Life. h them? Explain.

1. snap-out: a game in which players join hands in a line, then run about trying to shake off those at the end of the line. 2. repose: here, the peaceful sleep of death. 3. degenerate (dG-jDnPEr-Gt): showing a decline in vigor or moral strength.

926 unit 5: the harlem renaissance and modernism After Reading

Comprehension 1. Recall What pleasures and sorrows did Lucinda Matlock experience in her life? READING 3 Understand the 2. structure and elements of poetry. Clarify Overall, was Lucinda content with the life she lived? Analyze the effects of metrics and other conventions in American Literary Analysis poetry. 3. Compare Characters Richard Cory, Miniver Cheevy, and Lucinda Matlock have found widely varying degrees of contentment. In your view, what is the primary reason for each character’s happiness or unhappiness? Give details to support your answer.

4. Examine Characterization in Narrative Poetry What details does Robinson use to reveal each of the following character traits of Richard Cory and Miniver Cheevy? What impact does this characterization have on your sympathy or distaste for the characters? Explain. • Richard’s perfectionism • Miniver’s laziness • Richard’s self-restraint • Miniver’s romanticism

5. Analyze Speaker’s Attitude Review the chart you created as you read. What attitude does the speaker of each poem express toward the main character? Would you say that the speaker is sympathetic to or critical of the character described? In each case, what does this attitude tell you about the speaker’s own personality and values? Give evidence to support your answer. 6. Evaluate Author’s Style Robinson’s poems use rhyme, meter, and humor in a playful way that is somewhat at odds with the grim revelations made in the last lines. How does this playfulness shape the impact of these final lines? Explain whether or not you find this an effective technique, and why. Literary Criticism 7. Critical Interpretations Literary critic Bill Peschel has said that in Robinson’s Tilbury Town poems, “the town’s Puritan ethic, portrayed as repressive and critical, combined with the materialistic aspects of society, conspires to bring down its citizens.” Do you find evidence of this repressive Puritan ethic in the attitudes of the speakers in the Robinson poems? Explain why or why not.

What makes for a full life? The speaker in “Lucinda Matlock” appears to have the most reasons to be happy. What, then, is her source of contentment? What do you think makes for a contented life?

richard cory / miniver cheevy / lucinda matlock 927