Project Blog #12 - Spoon River

"Spoon River Anthology" by Edgar Lee Masters is a well-put together collection of poems that demonstrate a variety of people's lives who reside in the best place on earth...central Illinois. Each poem in the collection talks about a different person. I chose to read the excerpt from Jacob Goodpasture. He is a man in the town who had a son that served in the American Civil War. As he lays his son to rest, he says, “Oh, son who died in a cause unjust! In the strife of Freedom slain!” (Masters). He feels that the war unjustly killed his son. I think that as a parent I would be in a lot of pain and anguish if my son lost his life while fighting. I think it would be hard to look past the idea of him dying at first, but then hopefully I would be able to see the good and honorable sacrifice my child made for the cost of freedom for the United States.

As far as comparing this idea to Thoreau and Emerson, I found the excerpt to be different from their views. Both men were strong advocates for the abolition of slavery. They felt that slavery was bad and people should fight for the slaves freedom. In Mr. Goodpasture's poem, I got the feeling that he had some discontent with his son's serving in the army. I do not know if he was on the Confederate side or the Union side, but either way, the father's sorrowful reaction made me believe he was not all for his idea serving in the army, especially now that the young man was killed. Thoreau and Emerson demonstrate their willingness to stick up for what's right in their individual works "Civil Disobedience" and "Self-Reliance" (Wayne). I think this is the first story I was able to clearly see the difference between the literary example and the philosophies of Thoreau and Emerson. Because of the difference in ideas, specifically slavery, I think I can get a better understanding of both men's point of view.

Wayne, Tiffany K., ed. "Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson." Critical Companion to Ralph Waldo Emerson: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2010. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Masters, Edgar Lee. Spoon River Anthology. New York, 1951. Print.