Two men. Two dilemmas. Two endings. The poem “Warren Pryor” by Alden Nowlan is about a man who is forced into boarding school by his parents, turning him into a mute and serious person who eventually learns to cope with his unhappy life. On the contrary, a man in the poem “Richard Cory” has a plentiful life full of wealth, yet he is not satisfied so he commits suicide to end his pain. Both poems, “Warren Pryor” and “Richard Cory” have varied structures, plots, and poetry devices used.
Throughout both ballads, there is similarities and differences in the structure. Both stanzas of each poem are organized in the form of quatrains. Although, the rhyme scheme differs between the two ballads. “Warren Pryor” has an ABCB rhyme scheme, “sacrifice… town… fields… down” (Nowlan, l…show more content… In “Warren Pryor” there is the use of similes, metaphors, hyperbole, personification, imagery, cliché, and alliteration. An example of one of the similes used is when the author is describing Warren: “like a young bear inside his teller’s cage” (Nowlan, l 14). Devices used in “Richard Cory” are descriptive word choice, imagery, synecdoche, hyperbole, and symbolism. The author especially wanted to get the image of Richard as a prince across to readers, “He was a gentleman from sole to crown” (Unknown, l 3). The use of devices in both poems enhances the reading experience, making the poems more vivid and meaningful.
Both ballads, “Warren Pryor” and “Richard Cory” have varied structures, plot elements, and poetry devices used. Warren and Richard both faced difficult dilemmas in their lives, and both men coped very differently to their situations. The poems are unique and special in their own way, despite all of the differences. Together they proved that people will react to difficult circumstances differently than others might. The question is would one choose the lavish and wealthy lifestyle or choose to escape it
