Hod+Putt+(Ahmad)

"Hod Putt" Ready by Ahmad Picture by Ahmad

Below is the poem I chose to read, "Hod Putt" from the book //Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Master's// media type="custom" key="11172986" Here is Part two of "Hod Putt" media type="custom" key="11172996"

Below is an essay that I wrote about the character Hod Putt: Spoon River: Hod Putt Many men want to be wealthy in this world. Even if they do not want to be filthy rich, they would like to be in a state of mind where they do not have to stress over if their bills will be paid for the month or have enough money to afford to feed themselves. There are a lot of people with that persona, but there are also the kinds of men who are edacious, and are always looking for a way to make some money. These men are similar to Hod Putt; He is a greedy,depressed, and jealous man because of the poverty that he has seen throughout his life. Hod Putt is developing a greedy attitude when he is going bankrupt. He starts to loose all of his money and his home. So naturally he always wants more of anything anyone gives him. Then it becomes an obsession, he needs more. He has become a beggar that never has enough, robbing a traveler one night and is feeling only a little remorse, but thought money is more important than a man's life. In Spoon River Anthology Hod Putt says " Robbed a traveler one night Proctor's Grove/ killing him unwittingly while doing so" ( Masters 3) that shows that Hod Putt is a greedy man because he is being push to the point where he felt he had to rob a traveler just to get some money. He thought it was worth it, robbing the man, but in the end he just got hanged and dies for something that was not worth dying for.  Another trait of Hod Putt is depression, he feels as if his life will never get better. He feels as if the poverty is all he will ever see throughout his entire life. He thinks poverty and desperation is is all he will have. By killing the traveler " That was my way of going into bankruptcy" (3) hitting an “all-time” low that eventually take his life. Hod Putt was deeply depressed which is what fueled all of these horrible actions that took place within his life. The last characteristic of Hod Putt is that he is jealous. He is jealous because of everyone around him has money of some type, even if the passersby are not very wealthy he is still jealous because he is poor and they are not. He says in Spoon River Anthology Here I lie close to the grave of Old Bill Piersol Who grew rich trading with the Indains, and who Afterwards took the bankrupt law And emerged from it richer than ever He says that Old Bill Piersol grew "richer than ever" he is truly jealous of Old Bill Piersol and wants what he has. He is tired of being poor and just wants to be someone who's life has a purpose, he wants wealth. "Myself grown tired of toil and poverty/ and beholding how Old Bill and others grew in wealth" (5&6) There are many aspects that make up Hod Putts personality however as a result of the experience he is mainly greedy,depressed, and jealous. He is greedy because he has nothing and feels as if he always needs more. Additionally he is depressed because life will never get better. Finally he is jealous because everyone around him grows wealthy. Many people might become greedy or jealous if they go bankrupt, but they would not destroy them completely. Who knows? Maybe everyone has a little weakness inside of them and wants to take the easy way out and let something destroy them completely.

Works Cited:Masters, Edgar Lee. "Hod Putt." Spoon River Anthology. New York: Collier, 1962.