“Richard Cory” and “The Unknown Citizen” are both powerful and unique presentations of the fact that what appears on the outside isn’t necessarily the truth. Robinson’s short poem discusses one specific person’s suicide from the view of a common laborer, while Auden’s longer poem focuses on the life of an unknown citizen from the point of view of a government official. The common theme of the mental and/or emotional truth being hidden from the public eye may be compared on the basis of the gentleman’s characterization, point of view, and ironic outcome.
Both Richard Cory and the Unknown Citizen suppress their emotions, however both are characterized differently. Robinson identifies Richard as “admirably schooled in every grace,” “a gentleman from sole to crown,” and “human when he talked”. This completely juxtaposes what the reader infers is going on inside Richard’s head after reading the end of the poem. In addition to these characteristics juxtaposing Richard’s supposed mental chaos, the latter opposes Robinson’s characterization of Richard as “quietly arrayed,” which also lends itself to the reader’s interpretation that he is suppressing his true emotions – an assumed factor in Richard’s suicide. In contrast to Cory’s pristine appearance, Auden characterizes the Unknown Citizen as “one against whom there was no official complaint,” “[working] in a factory and never [getting] fired,” and “popular with his mates and liked a drink”. This characterization of the Unknown Citizen differs from Richard Cory’s characterization because the Unknown Citizen is portrayed as a worker in a commonplace factory – not rich or “admirably schooled”. In fact, Auden’s characterization of the Unknown Citizen could be an opposite of Richard Cory, when based on certain aspects of their lifestyles. Therefore, the characterizations of Richard Cory and the Unknown Citizen are different even though they both suppress their emotions.
Robinson and Auden both had the theme of masked emotions in mind when writing his poem, but each took a different viewpoint when portraying this theme. It is clear to the reader that Robinson wrote “Richard Cory” from the point of view of a commonplace factory worker because of his stating “so on we worked and waited for the light, and went without the meat, and cursed the bread”. This outlook, however obvious it may seem, provides the poem with a unique twist as to the ordinary idea of having the poem be from the troubled protagonist himself. Keeping the same secondhand view, Auden wrote The Unknown Citizen from an outsider’s perspective: the bureaucrat’s commemoration of said unknown citizen. This rare and unthought-of mindset provides the reader with a poem of sophisticated vocabulary full of words to look up in the dictionary, for those that aren’t familiar with such vernacular such as “Producers Research”, “High-Grade Living”, and references to an “Installment Plan”. Therefore, although Robinson and Auden share a theme, each had a different viewpoint in mind when writing his poem.
Even with some differences, such as characterization and point of view, both Robinson and Auden had the same idea in mind when it came to the protagonist’s ironic fate – suicide. Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory” is mainly a lesser’s description of how noble Richard Cory is, how perfect his life is, and why he’s held so highly in this community. However, an entire three stanzas worth of work is proved mistaken as the main character “went home and put a bullet through his head”, which causes the reader to question Richard Cory’s true emotional and/or mental stability. Similarly, Auden wrote “The Unknown Citizen” as a bureaucrat reviewing this unknown citizen’s life to compose a commemoration for a monument stating “Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard”. This line sticks up a red flag in the reader’s mind as though the government isn’t telling the full truth and that maybe there were a few mental and/or emotional issues with this ‘unknown citizen’ to cause his suicide. Therefore, both Robinson and Auden used the same ironic ending to his protagonist’s life in each of his poems.
To conclude, Both Robinson and Auden wrote a poem with the common theme that whatever shows on the outside isn’t necessarily the truth. However, each of the poems were different in their viewpoint and characterization of the protagonist – one being a man of high social rank, the other being one of common rank with a standard lifestyle. Therefore, each poem presents the same overall idea: mental and/or emotional truth can easily be lied about and hidden from the public eye.

Although I haven’t so much as graduated high school or, as some would say, ‘lived’ yet, I have been considering what I am going to do for a living. In my debating of the job that I will take out of the thousands out there, I have narrowed my choices down to three: Animal Care and Service worker, Cosmetologist, and Fashion Designer.
All three of these possible careers present a dilemma, since all of the possess qualities that I would like to have in my future occupation. They all require dedication, people skills, and great concentration. To help me with the comparison of these jobs I created the following chart:

Level of Education
does not require formal education, however many facilities require a high school diploma or the equivalent
requires a postsecondary non-degree award
requires a bachelor’s degree

Salary – Earning potential
$19,970 per year

$22,770 per year

$62,860 per year

Flexibility – versatility with this job
can be very demanding
need to care around the clock
be able to work irregular hours

work part time
schedules often include evenings and weekends

work is full time and part time
worker may need to work long, irregular hours to meet a deadline

Aptitude – abilities or talents you should possess
must be diligent
have to care for animals
calmness in moments of crisis
composure
discipline
emotional strength

need to have people skills
must be easy to talk to
trustworthy
creative
manual and finger dexterity
assemble and handle small objects

strong business sense
good communication
sense of competition
creative
strong drawing skills
good eye for materials
strong sewing skills

Tests –
entrance requirements + certifications
or special tests which must be passed
to be eligible for this job high school
diploma or the equivalent

cosmetology examination must be passed
state license must be acquired

2-4 years of postsecondary training
a major in fashion design
courses in business – recommended

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. http://www.bls.gov . 23 October 2014.

By simply referring to the chart above, the job that would seem the easiest would be the occupation of animal care and service worker, for it would only require a high school diploma, and the least amount of talents such as diligence, discipline, and caring of animals. However, with further examination, one would find that the chart presents the fact that this particular job provides the most miniscule salary of only $19,970 per year, and is very demanding as far as the work flexibility goes.
The possible job as fashion designer would present itself as the most difficult; requiring long hours, a full time schedule, and a bachelor’s degree, not to mention 2-4 years of training in fashion design and business. However, there is an upside to all the hard work: the $62,860 pay per year. In addition to the hard work, this job requires people skills, strong business sense, and the ability to create the perfect garment from a simple description. I believe that because I do not strongly possess these qualities that are very important, I would be severely limited in my ability to succeed in this career.
Out of all three careers, I would say that being a cosmetologist would fit my personal characteristics and potential schedule.
For most people, this job would seem less than satisfactory for it’s lower income of $22,770 per year and requirement of working approximately 40 hours per week. However, it appeals to me because of it’s required talents, such as creativity, trustworthiness, and interpersonal skills, all of which I have been told I possess. Another reason I believe this career would suit me is because of the fact that I am, in no way, a morning person. Therefore, it would be easier for me to work in the afternoon versus in the morning.
If I were to pursue the occupation of cosmetologist, a postsecondary non-degree award would be a definite requirement, along with the accomplishment of having taken and passed the cosmetology examination. Also, as if that weren’t enough, I would have to obtain a state license to even be able to practice cosmetology. However, all of those achievements and hours put in would be worth it because although I wouldn’t get the highest salary, I would be doing something I love.
All of the careers that I have researched require great dedication, concentration, and people skills. All of them also call upon my creativity in situations when it is needed, diligence, and trustworthiness. Three years ago, I attempted to look like a zombie for halloween, and ever since I have wanted to pursue the occupation of a professional special effects artist, and maybe in years to come, I will fulfill my dream.

Everyone has had the experience of reading the book and then scrutinizing the movie to notice the director’s faults in following the plotline. Sadly, this is the case with most paper-big screen pairs – neither completely parallels with its cohort. Just as with more modern pairs, The Fault in Our Stars, Harry Potter, and even Twilight, the movie Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde doesn’t follow the plot of Stevenson’s original novel.

Book:
Movie:
Very obvious changes from Dr.Jekyll to Mr.Hyde (physical differences, eg. height, facial appearance, etc.)
Jekyll promises Utterson that Hyde will not return
Jekyll’s instruction state that the chemicals are in a drawer and that Lanyon is to get the already-packaged chemicals, which are in the drawer, from his cabinet

Movie:
Transformations were a bit melodramatic, wasn’t much of a change from Dr.Jekyll to Mr.Hyde (again, physical differences)
Jekyll promises Ivy that Hyde will not return
Lanyon receives instructions from Jekyll in the form of a letter to put the chemicals in a package

In the first scene difference, the book does describe Jekyll’s transformations into Hyde as painful, however the movie, I feel, blows this description out of proportion. The movie’s portrayal of the transformations make it appear as though Jekyll is almost dying of pain during these forced metamorphoses into his adversary. Therefore, I feel that, with the movie’s distracting, melodramatic portrayal of the transformations, the book’s likeness was superior and, therefore, added to Stevenson’s intent of the play.
In the second scene difference, the book includes a scene in which Jekyll promises Utterson that Hyde will not return, while the movie portrays a sly Dr.Jekyll reassuring Mr.Hyde’s mistress/slave that Hyde will not return. Although this major difference would seem to throw the rest of the plot off-track, with a second glance, I believe, this change actually makes the story somewhat more interesting by building tension between Mr.Hyde and his fearful and submissive mistress Ivy. However, quite a bit of the plotline is consequently affected by this change, therefore I feel that this difference takes away from the playwright’s intent.
In the third scene, the book expresses that Dr.Jekyll had written Dr.Lanyon a note/letter stating that in a drawer in his cabinet were specific chemicals and that he, Dr.Lanyon, was to go to Dr.Jekyll’s house and collect the entire drawer that Jekyll specified. Instead of following this plot, the movie portrays Lanyon receiving the note, then travelling to Dr.Jekyll’s cabinet and collecting the specifically-mentioned chemicals and placing them in a package – not taking the drawer. Despite the fact that, in the end, Hyde receives the chemicals, which enable him to display his transformation to Dr.Lanyon, the plot is still not followed. Therefore, this difference, I believe, doesn’t necessarily add to or take away from the playwright’s intent in the play.
Overall, I would rate the success of the movie version of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde an 8. I rate the movie this simply because of the unnecessary strays from the plot (Dr.Jekyll’s fiance, Mr.Hyde’s relationship with Ivy, the drawer and the chemicals, etc.). Personally, I would rather the movie match the book line-by-line than have unexpected variables added into the equation that is the gothic fiction of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde. I would, however, rate Stevenson’s effectiveness in psychological exploration a 10- or 9+ because of the novel’s ability to make me think about my own good and evil.

You might think i’m just,
a fifteen-year-old girl,
with brown hair,
and green eyes,
but i know that i am MORE,
WAY MORE than that,
not an alien or a dinosaur,
not a butterfly or a plant,
a camera,
a Leica M8 Rangefinder camera,
when i am given the chance,
to sit in silence,
when i can be left alone,
abandoned by the world,
i am a Leica M8 Rangefinder camera observing,
watching,
taking in my surroundings,
noticing every detail,
and after a snapshot is taken,
my near-photographic memory never forgets,
each memory imprinted into my brain,
never to be forgotten,
my mental shutter clicks,
and like magic an image is created,
i become a camera,
a complex object,
that is made of many complex parts,
little pieces of machinery,
that are precisely made to fit together,
but when one breaks or gets damaged,
the camera fails to work properly,
pictures turn out distorted,
physical representations of memories tainted,
exaggerated,
the brown-haired, green-eyed girl,
is a camera,
an observant, elegant, exquisite camera,
all in one snapshot.

Touchscreens, voice activation, even locks that can only be opened by the user’s fingerprint; with all the variation in cell phones it’s no wonder we can’t seem to put the time-consumers down. It almost appears that the more time we waste playing colorful fast-paced games, the more distracting they can be, and the shorter our attention spans get. There isn’t any doubt when it comes to the fact that peoples’ lives have been changed by cell phones so that now, the human existence is more dependent on technology’s convenience, and consumed by the organizational skills of the new Samsung Galaxy, iPhone six, or it’s even-bigger descendant – the iPhone six plus.
With today’s kids being attached at the hip to their phones, there aren’t any miniscule amounts of shock when the students are asked a simple question, such as what is the earth in orbit around, and reach for their phones to type in the question to their preferred search engine. For example, it’s no surprise when a stumped, can’t-figure-the-problem-out-for-the-life-of-him student quick draws his iPhone to type the problem into his digital calculator that, in a few seconds, will reveal the answer to the entirety of his geometry-related problems. This ‘bond’ between teenager and cellphone isn’t a healthy one, which means that every once-in-a-while it’s good to put down the phone, or any calculator, and solve the problem by yourself. In addition to just solving math problems, people are becoming more dependent on their phones for emotional reasons. For example, according to Baylor University, college women spend an average of 10 hours on their phones every day. This statistic seems surprising, but with the recent ability of talking to your phone – and having it talk back, there should be no confusion as to why people are starting to ACTUALLY love their phones. Therefore, the human existence has been changed by smartphones because of their convenience.
The fact that anywhere, whether on the city bus, the run-down subway, or surrounded by the safety and comfort of your very own den, you can whip out your smartphone and organize your life mesmerizes consumers; so much so that, they too plunk down hundreds of dollars for a compact version of what they already have that, given some time and effort, can do the exact same thing. For example, imagine a stressed-to-the-max soccer mom, frantically typing on her new iPhone 6’s digital calendar and setting reminders for her two sons’ future games and projects, where would she be without her smartphone? Probably still stressed out, scribbling down events on a real-life, tangible, paper-and-pen version of the digital representation formed by tiny pixels, and frustrated that at last weeks game, her sons Tommy and Billy were benched from the game because they were a measly five minutes late all because a calendar doesn’t send you weekly reminders. In addition, imagine a college student prepping for the upcoming semester test by not taking down notes, but typing them, on her early Christmas present: the new and just-entered-stores iPhone six plus, on every word her professor speaks, right down to his last syllable. Both the soccer mom and college student were stressed and, although the source was from different reasons, they both turned to their smartphones. Therefore, people are affected by cellphones because of their organizational abilities.
With touchscreens, voice activation, and locks that are opened with something as detailed as a fingerprint, it’s no wonder why people seem glued to their cellphones: organizational abilities, and unnatural human emotional dependance on a system called Siri.

In his Holocaust memoir Night, Elie Wiesel paints a metaphorical picture of the suffering and pain that one would experience when living in the brutal atmosphere that is Birkenau, Auschwitz, Buna, Buchenwald, and Gleiwitz. As Wiesel recounts his year spent ‘living’ in these camps, he uses diction and syntax such as juxtaposition to help his seemingly-hopeless cause of getting the occurrence of the unthinkable across to the reader.
Wiesel’s use of effacing diction differs as the memoir progresses, changing from diction referring to physical destruction and deterioration to diction that is more focused on the mental and emotional destruction of the jews. For example, Wiesel and the other Jews who live in the ghetto are being crammed into the cattle cars to be transported to Birkenau. After being forced to stand up for, presumably, many hours, Wiesel and the others arrive in Birkenau and are met with ‘the smell of burning flesh’ (28) not to mention that they are welcomed by an ‘SS man, [whose] machine gun [was] trained on us’ (29). Because of the use of negative diction directly linked to physical destruction, such as machine gun and burning flesh, the reader receives a disturbing mental picture. Another great example of physical-demolition related diction is when the Jews are forced into Birkenau. Another example would be when the Jews enter, after entering, they are separated by gender and their fate is decided. While waiting in line, an inmate appears before them and asks them why they think they are at the camp. Before the question even seems to have a minute to linger in the air, someone dares to reply to him, and after failing to respond correctly, the inmate explains by saying “Over there, that’s where they will take you. Over there will be your grave. You still don’t understand?…Don’t you understand anything? You will be burned! Burned to a cinder! Turned into ashes!” (31). The inmate’s explanation of what will become of the Jews has many clear examples of physical, destruction-related diction within it such as grave, burned, cinder, and ashes. Because Wiesel chooses to include this particular wording of the unnamed inmate’s explanation, Wiesel allows the reader to get an understanding of just what will happen to the Jews. Therefore, Wiesel’s use of diction that is relative to physical ruination allows the reader to visualize the suffering that the Jews went through during the Holocaust.
However, as Wiesel’s narrative continues, the presentation of physical-destruction related diction slowly fades and transforms into that of emotional and dehumanizing diction that shows the changing of the Jews’ individual personalities. An example of this would be when the Jews are forced to evacuate the camp and march for 42 miles. In an effort to describe the indescribable, Wiesel states “We were no longer marching, we were running. Like automatons….I was putting one foot in front of the other, like a machine….” (85). In this particular portion of the memoir, Wiesel uses powerful diction that portrays the reduction of the Jews’ humanity; with words such as automaton and machine being portrayed as similes to the Jews, one can only imagine the Jews as inhuman creatures or things. After the march, the Jews are yet again crammed into cattle cars and, for 10 days, ride in them until their arrival in Buchenwald. Before their arrival, the Jews are riding in the cars, waiting for their next stop, when bystanders begin tossing slices of bread into the cars. Consequently, the Jews begin fighting as “an extraordinary vitality possessed them, sharpening their teeth and nails” (101). Soon after the bread-tossing ends, a harsh wind begins to blow, a gust so strong that, a few cars down from Wiesel, “a cry rose in the wagon, the cry of a wounded animal. Someone had just died.” (103). The author’s using such strong, animalistic diction in this part of the memoir supplies the reader with an abundance of images of the inhuman characteristics of the Jews’ new personalities, whereas in the first five chapters of the memoir Wiesel’s use of diction is primarily related to physical destruction.
Many great examples of syntax are observed, more specifically juxtaposition, to achieve an almost comical effect and lighten the mood during intense, impactful parts of the memoir. For example, right before the Jews are supposed to be deported to Birkenau, Wiesel states that “Monday went by like a small summer cloud, like a dream in the first hours of dawn….It was to be the last night we spent in our homes.” (18). Wiesel uses juxtaposition in this quote by comparing the last night that Wiesel’s family is to stay in their home to a small summer cloud to give the reader a break from the chaos that is occurring. Another example of juxtaposition is when the Jews are marching from Birkenau to Auschwitz. Wiesel seems to wish to get away from his current and horrid reality because when he and the other jews are arriving into Auschwitz, he states “the march had lasted half an hour. Looking around me, I noticed that the barbed wire was behind us. We had left the camp. It was a beautiful day in May. The fragrances of spring were in the air. The sun was setting.” (40). By inserting juxtaposition in the form of the word beautiful when the Jews are transferring from Birkenau to Auschwitz into the portion of the memoir in which the Jews’ fates are turning evermore darker, Wiesel portrays to the reader his internal longing to get away from his current situation, being transferred from one camp to another, and consequently allows the reader to escape, momentarily, with him. By using juxtaposition in the first five chapters, Wiesel gives the reader a temporary break from the suffering and anguish that he has experienced.
In comparison to the first five chapters, the next few that follow include juxtaposition that create the same effect of lightening the mood during intense portions of Wiesel’s memoir. For example, after the long march, Rabbi Eliahu comes by the Jews searching for his son who, as Wiesel remembers it, runs further ahead after seeing his father losing ground. This particular scene is juxtaposed by Wiesel’s relationship with his father which, no matter what happens, exists until Shlomo’s death. Another example of juxtaposition occurs when hundreds of people are dying of the cold and Juliek is playing his violin. Wiesel stated “Never before had I heard such a beautiful sound….All I could hear was the violin, and it was as if Juliek’s soul had become his bow. He was playing his life.” (95). This scene is juxtaposed by the hundreds of people dying while, before his own demise, Juliek plays his life on the violin. This use of juxtaposition gives the reader a break from the mental image of thousands of corpses piled up on top of each other and focuses on the beauty of Juliek’s final performance. Because of Wiesel’s use of juxtaposition, the same effect portrayed in the first five chapters is displayed here as well, in the few that follow them.
Wiesel’s choice of mental and physical effacing diction and juxtaposition seem to enhance the reading of his dejected memoir in their own contradictory way: diction making the words more powerful, and juxtaposition giving the reader an almost comical temporary break from said powerful words. Using such contradicting devices provides the reader with a unique experience that emotionally affects the reader in the same way as a roller coaster ride.