Ana+and+Alex+Adams

Richard Corey by Edwin Arlington Robinson Richard Corey is a "clean" man. Everyone in town describes him as "a gentleman from sole to crown" (Arlington). By reading the first lines we have an idea of what Richard wants everyone in town to think about him. They way how he "glittered when he walked", and how he was quiet made people think he was a happy, good guy. The word choice Edwin uses to describe him tells us that he is a very important and special man. By reading the poem readers can get an impression of Richard being a double-faced man. Richard puts a bullet on his head one summer night. He had a lot of money, yet he was sad in the inside. Something was not right in his life, and no one understood him. No one knew about his inner thoughts. -Ana G.

Laurence Hurd's life was filled with helping racism become scarce within Odessa. His voice was one of greatness and hope to the people of the city, "their Martin Luther King" (Bissinger 96). He gave the races of Odessa the courage to stand up to the racist controlling whites of the area and not accept their torturous criticism. Yet, his political instinct came to an abrupt end when he was accused of robbery and sentenced 18 years by a jury. In his past he had had a problem with robbery, but had lived his life of desegregation to work hard and cover those hard times. For the robbery of a bank in New Mexico, he claimed he wasn't involved but was accused by a witness and a jury threw him away. The redemption in Hurd's life doesn't seem fair to the blacks and hispanics living within Odessa. His excellent speaking skills talent to raise peace was convicted for something he hadn't done just because he had tried to change his life around. -Alyx Adams