Free writing journal - Essay Example

The poem Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson tells the story of a rich man in the person of Richard Cory. Although he was “richer than a king” and he “glittered when he walked,” he was “human when he talked.” This indicates that Richard Cory was a humble and friendly person. He did not carry the usual conception of people that rich men are often haughty and snobbish because of the discrepancy between them and the common folk. Richard Cory proves to us that there are some events that happen without us expecting it.

Richard Cory was everything that any person would hope to be. He was rich. He had a great a education. From the description of the speaker, we can assume that Richard Cory was also a very popular man who knew how to fairly treat people. Richard Cory was our dream. The characteristics that were presented in the poem indicates that there is much more than what we see from people we encounter everyday. We may not know it but our tough boss or our friendly traffic cop could have had a very bad childhood experience that tainted their view of the world as they were growing up.

We would only see the outward appearance of the person and what they would like to portray. This shows that we all have masks, just like Richard Cory. That is why everyone was surprised when he committed suicide. We have different experiences, expectations and perspectives about our lives. But what is common between each one of us is the need for us to keep some things private. We choose what who we are in the eyes of other people. That is exactly the reason we should not judge anyone. And we should not assume that someone is happy or sad just because of what they are showing you.

It’s just sad that we make the same mistake over and over. We never learn. Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy is about a girl who struggled to meet the social expectations of beauty. She was so obsessed with the idea of being beautiful that she was willing to sacrifice her own life just to achieve it. We are born with our natural beauty. But as we grow older, we are faced with the different expectations of beauty. Some societies see beauty as fair or white skin, high cheekbones and pointed nose. A slim figure is also another expectation of beauty.

When you are heavy or fat or dark skinned or with thick curly hair, you are not a part of the beautiful circle in the society. Since we come from different societies, we have different expectations. It is a sad thing, though, to find a society that puts great bearing on the physical appearance of girls. This actually puts pressure in women as they are given a set of expectations that are too high to achieve, that is to have a different look. The death of the speaker in Barbie Doll emphasizes the death of our belief in our own natural beauties.

Instead of accepting yourself, girls tend to put on masks (which are the make-ups) in order to look different from who they naturally are and to look like who they want to be. Because of this, they kill their own identities and adopt an appearance they admire. This is not helpful for women in the society because it leads them to become puppets of those who dominate the society. Why is it so hard to accept who you are? If you cannot accept your own personal appearance, how would you be able to accept another individual’s face?

Worse, if you cannot accept your own personal appearance, how come you can accept that another face should be the model of your face? What is the difference between a white skin and a dark skin? Of a slim figure and of a full body? We are made to be different from each other so we can build our own mark in the society.