Fiddler+Jones

"Fiddler Jones" Read by James Photo by jblester2002 "Robin in our Yard" Part 1 media type="custom" key="11172934"

Part 2 media type="custom" key="11172944"

The Conflicting Personality: Fiddler Jones  Fiddler Jones is a very conflicted person in Edgar Lee Masters’s Spoon River Anthology. Fiddler Jones is a fairly simple, yet difficult, person to identify.He is seen two different ways.Fiddler Jones shows that he is thoughtless to other people of the town, although, Jones sees himself as having a philosophical standpoint, has observant qualities, and a historian as he recounts his memories of the past.  Although others see him as lazy, Fiddler Jones is just merely observant. Two of his observations in his poem are examples of his perspective against other’s perspectives. He sees the finer aspects of life. “What do you see, a harvest of clover?/ Or a meadow to walk through to the river?”(Lines 5-6). He is trying to show you that you might see a good harvest and want to gather it, but he sees a beautiful meadow to go through. “With a medley of horns, bassoons and piccolos/Stirred in [his] brain by crows and robins”(Lines 17-18). The point Fiddler Jones is trying to get across is that you may hear birds, but he hears musical instruments. He sees more in depth than others, and that is why he is perceived as lazy.  In the view of other people, Fiddler Jones is perceived as alone and thoughtless due to his lack of work. He is seen as very thoughtless because he is not greedy, but does show that he is not a coward. “How could I till my forty acres/ Not to speak of getting more,”(Lines 15-16). This shows that Fiddler Jones is happy with what he is given, but knows his limits. This shows that he is also not greedy like Cooney Potter in the poem “Cooney Potter”. If he is truly alone, he can only handle so much. This next quote is from the poem “The Hill” and is very cause worthy to the trait.  Where is Old Fiddler Jones  Who played with life all his ninety years,  Braving the sleet with bare breast,  Drinking, rioting, thinking of wife nor kin,  Nor gold, nor love, nor heaven?”  (Lines 29-33) These lines show that he does not care about anything that is in his way and knows the danger. Fiddler Jones thinks on a higher level than the others in town. He knows the problems in life and understands what they are, and how to deal with these problems.  Another result of his observations, Fiddler Jones becomes wise and philosophical. Being philosophical to me is to have somewhat of a personal motto to follow. Jones’s personal philosophy is “The earth keeps some vibrations going/ There in your heart, and that is you”(Lines 1-2). These vibrations that Jones talks about is our actions that act like heartbeats inside you. If you become tired and weary, the earth becomes tired and weary with you. This can also happen in opposite effect. Fiddler Jones is very wise, but is seen as ignorant by the townspeople.  Fiddler Jones becomes a historian as he recounts his memories of the past. This next reference is from the poem “The Hill”.  Lo! he babbles of the fish-frys of long ago,  Of the horse-races of long ago at Clary’s Grove,  Of what Abe Lincoln said <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> One time at Springfield. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Lines 34-37) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As he is recounting these memories, he is heavily intoxicated. As in Line 31 in “The Hill”, “Drinking, rioting, thinking of wife nor kin,”, Fiddler Jones shows that he drank fairly heavy, and as most people who drink, he sees his mistakes of his past history and knows that these problems cannot be changed. He drinks heavily so he can relieve his loneliness towards life and people. He was so alone for so long, that he knew his life was about to end and he did not care about how he would die. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Being intelligent, undiplomatic, a historiographer, and rational are conflicting traits to have in a time where no matter you are, you will always be judged on how you act. Fiddler Jones did not care about being judged and never cared about having a family, he always saw the brighter things in life, and knew his past problems and stories and did not mind sharing them. If you see the good in yourself, then you will never see the good in other aspects in life. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Works Cited <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Masters, Edgar Lee. “Fiddler Jones.” The Spoon River Anthology. New York: Macmillan, 1946. 61. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Masters, Edgar Lee. “The Hill.” The Spoon River Anthology. New York: Macmillan, 1946. 1-2.