Fiddler+Jones+(Luke)

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 In Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, there is a character called Old Fiddler Jones. He was a kind soul with nothing but pride for himself. As the result of having a long, carefree life being a philosopher and a part time musician, hence his name, Old Fiddler Jones went out of the world without a single regret, unlike all the other citizens of Spoon River.  Fiddler Jones was carefree and lazy, even more so considering he never worked in his fields. Old Fiddler Jones “never started to plow in [his] life” (“Fiddler Jones” Line 20) He never had any kin nor any wife, so he essentially had no one to talk to or to motivate him. With no one to interact with, why would you plow the fields? To feel good? To feel accomplished when you go home and wait for dinner to be served? He never had anyone to push him, so he decided not to worry about anything.  Secondly, Old Fiddler Jones is a Philosopher with great wisdom. He appears to be a philosopher because of what he says in the first few lines of the poem, “The Earth keeps some vibration going / There in your heart, and that is you. And if people find you can fiddle, / Why fiddle you must, for all your life.” (“Fiddler Jones” Lines 1-4) A philosopher is supposed to make you think, and this causes me to contemplate. The lines of the poem refer to the rhythm of the heart. You are contained in the rhythm of you heart, and that when you find your passion, you must commit yourself to that certain passion, forever. One person might see a field and see that it is time for harvest. Fiddler Jones would see a beautiful meadow where he would lie and fiddle the days away. Looking deep into this philosophy, you can explore all the complex relationships that Fiddler Jones has laid out for us.  Lastly, Old Fiddler Jones is happy and has no regrets when he dies; he lived a happy and fun life “thinking neither of wife nor kin.” (“The Hill” Line 32) He never had to do much of anything, because no one pushed him to do anything. So he spent his time fiddling, being a philosopher, and just being carefree. In the end, he is the only person to ever have left spoon river with a smile on his face, and not a single regret.  Fiddler Jones is a true role model to all musicians. He does not care what people think about him. He loves to play for anyone who will listen, and he will practice for days on end. When he is not being a musician, he is being lazy and is occasionally writing poetry or philosophies. No matter what he did, he loved every minute of it. And because of that, he went out of the world with no regrets. That’s the way everyone should go out of the world.

__Works C____ited:__ Masters, Edgar Lee. "The Hill." //The Spoon River Anthology//. New York, Macmillan: 1946. 1-2

Masters, Edgar Lee. "Fiddler Jones." //The Spoon River Anthology//. New York, Macmillan: 1946. 61