In the poem "Is My Team Ploughing" by A. Housman, the speaker remains nameless, but it is apparent he is not with the living. The dead man appears to be a good man, and is concerned about everyone he left behind in the living world, and wants to know if they have moved on. The friend of the deceased man is answering his questions, explaining to him that everything is all right, and that he should be still and have no worries. The dead man's friend seems to be unfaithful, not lying to the dead man, yet not telling him the whole story of what is going on in the living world. It seems to me that the friend of the dead man is sleeping with his wife. The dead man's sweetheart is not weeping any longer and is well contented, and this gives me the impression that the sweetheart and the friend may have arranged the death of the deceased man. .
The poem seems to be in the form of a conversation between the dead man and his friend, and this is conveyed by the quotations around the different stanzas. The poem seems to take place not in a setting of the present day, but most likely in the past. The language used in the poem is not common, and as I read the poem it seemed to transport me back in time to a small farm where life was good and simple. .
In the poem "Richard Cory" by Edwin Arlington Robinson, the speaker seems to be a poor man or woman who looks up to Richard Cory. Richard Cory is a "gentleman" and it seems that everyone wants to be in his place. The poem develops such that it draws you into its world, and introduces you to Richard Cory. As you begin to have a high opinion of Richard Cory, you find that he goes home one night and commits suicide. The purpose of the poem is to show that money and wealth are not everything. This poem may also teach that appearances may be deceiving. Richard Cory may have looked like a happy man, but it turns out in the end, that we was not happy nevertheless.
