Who wrote the poem about Richard Cory?

• A. Robert Frost
• B. Edwin Arlington Robinson
• C. Edna St. Vincent Millay
• D. T. S. Eliot

Answer: (B)

Edwin Arlington Robinson wrote the poem about Richard Cory. He is known for a sequence of poems centered on a character named Richard Cory, which contrasts outward wealth and admiration with hidden inner sorrow. The poem portrays Cory as polished and enviable, inspiring envy in the townspeople, until the twist reveals his despair through suicide, a classic example of dramatic irony. This piece comes from his early collection The Children of the Night, which helped establish his recurring theme of disillusionment beneath a polished exterior. The other poets listed—Robert Frost, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and T. S. Eliot—are noted for different voices and themes, but none wrote this particular poem.