Skip to main content

In the poem "Jacob Goodpasture" by Edgar Lee Masters, is Goodpasture the father of a son in the war or a soldier himself?

In the poem "Jacob Goodpasture" by Edgar Lee Masters, we hear the voice of an old father mourning the loss of his soldier son. At the opening of the poem, Goodpasture mentions Fort Sumter and "the war," referring to the start of the US Civil War in the 1860s. Goodpasture mourns the loss of the "republic" - the united nation - and is bitter about its division. We can tell from these comments, and from...

In the poem "Jacob Goodpasture" by Edgar Lee Masters, we hear the voice of an old father mourning the loss of his soldier son. At the opening of the poem, Goodpasture mentions Fort Sumter and "the war," referring to the start of the US Civil War in the 1860s. Goodpasture mourns the loss of the "republic" - the united nation - and is bitter about its division. We can tell from these comments, and from his calling the war "unjust" that he does not support the war cause.


Jacob Goodpasture also mourns the loss of his "soldier son" who died in battle. Though the son is buried to the "call of trumpets and the sound of drums" - which suggests he died honorably and is being honored with a military funeral - Goodpasture's heart is broken since his son died in this unjust war. The poem even suggests that Goodpasture died of this grief (he is 80 years old when his son is buried) since he "crept here under the grass" after his son's death. Since we know that Spoon River Anthology, the collection from which this poem comes, is a series of poems narrated by people buried in a cemetery, this reinforces this possibility. 

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How did the United States become an imperial power?

"Imperial power" is a bit of a vague label. It tends to mean several things at once, so let's unpack it. In the sense of "this country was built on conquest by force," the "imperial power" part of America actually predates the United States proper. The territories that would become the United States were imperial colonies, established by the great European empires of the 17th and 18th centuries. Much of the US Constitution and American governance generally goes back to England, history's largest and most successful imperial power, but vital aspects of American culture come from other imperial powers, such as France and Spain. Much of American culture comes from sources other than the old empires, but they were key influences on what the United States became. In the sense of "this country treats conquest by force as a fundamental component of its culture, economy and politics," the United States has always been an imperial power. Even earl...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more