Edgar Lee Masters: An American Poet Essay, Research Paper
Edgar Lee Masters
Edgar Lee Masters was an American poet, known principally for his poems about life in the Midwest. It has been 49 years since he has died and today he is virtually forgotten. His book of poems entitled Spoon River Anthology may spark a small amount of recognition. This book is a work of free verse poems about the secret lives of the inhabitants of Spoon River, a small Midwest town based on Lewistown and Petersburg, Illinois. This book remains a landmark in the literature world of realism and revolt against
conventional social standards that flourished in the early 20th century.
To really understand Edgar Lee Masters writing?s, one must first understand the imperialist. Imperialists a political party unlike any that are
in control over the United Stated now. Imperialist follow the beliefs of
imperialism, which is to practiced control or influence over weaker nations of
people. Although imperialism is similar to colonialism, the two terms need to
be distinguished. Colonialism usually implies formal political control,
imperialism refers more or less to economical control.
Edgar Lee Master, a native of Garnett, Kansas, was born to Hardin
W. Masters and Emma Dexter on August 32, 1896. Edgar spent the
majority of this early childhood near a town called Petersburg in Illinois
where he grew up on his grandfather?s farm. It was not until he was twelve
that his parents finally settled in Lewistown, another small town in Illinois.
It was this town, and Petersburg that he would later base his most famous
work, Spoon River Anthology.
Masters attended Lewistown High School and graduated in 1886 at
the young age of 17 (Wrenn, _). Although Masters? natural interest was
poetry and writing, his father forced him into studying law privately after
refusing to send him to college for writing. His father?s primary reason for
refusing to send Masters to college was because there was not any money in
it and that there was not any use in it. Perhaps this is one reason that
Masters didn?t believe money should dictate lifes. He then went into
practice with his father before deciding to move to Chicago, where he spent
most of his adult life.
While Masters was in Chicago, he worked as a bill collector. By 1890
he had already had several verses of poems printed in the Chicago papers
and had done general work for the newspapers. This same year, he
supported the campaign of William Jennings Bryan. He wrote several essays
and speeches opposing imperialism. Along with all of the work that he had
done for the campaign, Edgar Lee Masters studied at Knox College for one
year and was then admitted to the Bar. The Bar is the exam that all lawyers
have to pass in order to get their license to practice law.
In 1893 Masters established his first law office in the Chicago area.
But he did not do it alone, he had the help of his new partner, Kicksham
Scamlon.
In 1898 Edgar Masters published A Book of Verse, which was a book
of poetry. In the summer of this same year, Masters married Helen
Jenkins. One year into the marriage, they?d had their first son which they
named Handin. Somewhere around this time (1899) Masters ended his law
partnership with Scamlon. During the next few years, Masters continued to
practice law at a private office.
Between the years 1902 and 1908 Edgar Lee Masters became the
partner of Clarence Darrow. He also wrote Richmond, which was a play in
verses. Along with this play, Masters released two more books of poems. He
called these books The Blood of the Prophets and Althea. In 1909 Masters
had an affair with Tennessee Mitchell. His wife refused to grant him a
divorce. The affair went on for two more years. It was not until he left his
wife and family that his wife would give him a divorce.
While in practice with Darrow, Masters collected some of the
essays written during and shortly after the 1900 campaign of William
Jennings Bryan and published them as The New Star Chamber and Other
Essays (1904). He also published his early anti-imperialist poems in The
blood of the Prophets (1905) under the pseudonym Dexter Wallace. Masters
opposition to imperialism continued for many years. He returned to
turn-of-the-century events in the Philippines in his Spoon River Anthology
(1915) and a verse play, Manila (1930). In 1916 he reminded the country
that it was the seizure of the Philippines that made it difficult to stay
neutral as warfare raged in Europe.
Edgar Lee Masters ended his career on March 5, 1950. He died in
Melrose Park , Pennsylvania. He was buried in the cemetery of Petersburg,
Illinois (the village that was used with Lewistown had been use for the since
of his most famous work). The name of the cemetery is the Oakland
Cemetery. Here is an example of his work:
This is Harry Wilmans. It is a poem form Spoon River Anthology.
I was just turned twenty-one
And Henry Phipps, the Sunday-school superintendent,
Made a speech in Bindle?s Opera House.
?The honor of the flag must be upheld,? he said,
?Whether it be assailed by a barbarous tribe of Tagalogs
Or the greatest power in Europe.?
And we cheered and cheered the speech and the flag he waved
As he spoke.
And I went to the war in spite of my father,
And Followed the flag till I saw it raised
By our camp in rice field near Manila,
And all of us cheered and cheered it.
But there were flies and poisonous things;
And there was the deadly water,
And the cruel heat,
And the sickening, putrid food;
And the smell of the trench just back of the tents
Where the soldiers went to empty themselves;
And there were the whores who followed us, full of syphilis;
And beastly acts between ourselves or alone,
With bullying, hatred, degradation among us,
And days of loathing and nights of fear
To the hour of the charge through the steaming swamp,
Following the flag,
Till I fell with a scream, shot through the guts.
Now there?s a flag over me in Spoon River!
A flag! A flag!
Bibliography
Edgar Lee Masters
Edgar Lee Masters was an American poet, known principally for his
poems about life in the Midwest. It has been 49 years since he has died and
today he is virtually forgotten. His book of poems entitled Spoon River
Anthology may spark a small amount of recognition. This book is a work of
free verse poems about the secret lives of the inhabitants of Spoon River, a
small Midwest town based on Lewistown and Petersburg, Illinois. This book
remains a landmark in the literature world of realism and revolt against
conventional social standards that flourished in the early 20th century.
To really understand Edgar Lee Masters writing?s, one must first
understand the imperialist. Imperialists a political party unlike any that are
in control over the United Stated now. Imperialist follow the beliefs of
imperialism, which is to practiced control or influence over weaker nations of
people. Although imperialism is similar to colonialism, the two terms need to
be distinguished. Colonialism usually implies formal political control,
imperialism refers more or less to economical control.
Edgar Lee Master, a native of Garnett, Kansas, was born to Hardin
W. Masters and Emma Dexter on August 32, 1896. Edgar spent the
majority of this early childhood near a town called Petersburg in Illinois
where he grew up on his grandfather?s farm. It was not until he was twelve
that his parents finally settled in Lewistown, another small town in Illinois.
It was this town, and Petersburg that he would later base his most famous
work, Spoon River Anthology.
Masters attended Lewistown High School and graduated in 1886 at
the young age of 17 (Wrenn, _). Although Masters? natural interest was
poetry and writing, his father forced him into studying law privately after
refusing to send him to college for writing. His father?s primary reason for
refusing to send Masters to college was because there was not any money in
it and that there was not any use in it. Perhaps this is one reason that
Masters didn?t believe money should dictate lifes. He then went into
practice with his father before deciding to move to Chicago, where he spent
most of his adult life.
While Masters was in Chicago, he worked as a bill collector. By 1890
he had already had several verses of poems printed in the Chicago papers
and had done general work for the newspapers. This same year, he
supported the campaign of William Jennings Bryan. He wrote several essays
and speeches opposing imperialism. Along with all of the work that he had
done for the campaign, Edgar Lee Masters studied at Knox College for one
year and was then admitted to the Bar. The Bar is the exam that all lawyers
have to pass in order to get their license to practice law.
In 1893 Masters established his first law office in the Chicago area.
But he did not do it alone, he had the help of his new partner, Kicksham
Scamlon.
In 1898 Edgar Masters published A Book of Verse, which was a book
of poetry. In the summer of this same year, Masters married Helen
Jenkins. One year into the marriage, they?d had their first son which they
named Handin. Somewhere around this time (1899) Masters ended his law
partnership with Scamlon. During the next few years, Masters continued to
practice law at a private office.
Between the years 1902 and 1908 Edgar Lee Masters became the
partner of Clarence Darrow. He also wrote Richmond, which was a play in
verses. Along with this play, Masters released two more books of poems. He
called these books The Blood of the Prophets and Althea. In 1909 Masters
had an affair with Tennessee Mitchell. His wife refused to grant him a
divorce. The affair went on for two more years. It was not until he left his
wife and family that his wife would give him a divorce.
While in practice with Darrow, Masters collected some of the
essays written during and shortly after the 1900 campaign of William
Jennings Bryan and published them as The New Star Chamber and Other
Essays (1904). He also published his early anti-imperialist poems in The
blood of the Prophets (1905) under the pseudonym Dexter Wallace. Masters
opposition to imperialism continued for many years. He returned to
turn-of-the-century events in the Philippines in his Spoon River Anthology
(1915) and a verse play, Manila (1930). In 1916 he reminded the country
that it was the seizure of the Philippines that made it difficult to stay
neutral as warfare raged in Europe.
Edgar Lee Masters ended his career on March 5, 1950. He died in
Melrose Park , Pennsylvania. He was buried in the cemetery of Petersburg,
Illinois (the village that was used with Lewistown had been use for the since
of his most famous work). The name of the cemetery is the Oakland
Cemetery. Here is an example of his work:
This is Harry Wilmans. It is a poem form Spoon River Anthology.
I was just turned twenty-one
And Henry Phipps, the Sunday-school superintendent,
Made a speech in Bindle?s Opera House.
?The honor of the flag must be upheld,? he said,
?Whether it be assailed by a barbarous tribe of Tagalogs
Or the greatest power in Europe.?
And we cheered and cheered the speech and the flag he waved
As he spoke.
And I went to the war in spite of my father,
And Followed the flag till I saw it raised
By our camp in rice field near Manila,
And all of us cheered and cheered it.
But there were flies and poisonous things;
And there was the deadly water,
And the cruel heat,
And the sickening, putrid food;
And the smell of the trench just back of the tents
Where the soldiers went to empty themselves;
And there were the whores who followed us, full of syphilis;
And beastly acts between ourselves or alone,
With bullying, hatred, degradation among us,
And days of loathing and nights of fear
To the hour of the charge through the steaming swamp,
Following the flag,
Till I fell with a scream, shot through the guts.
Now there?s a flag over me in Spoon River!
A flag! A flag!