Spoon River Anthology: The Town Marshal–Franklin Jones

"Righteous" and "terrible" don't seem like they belong in the same list of qualities for an officer of the law. But in addition to meaning "exceptionally bad or unpleasant," "terrible" can mean "causing fear or dread or terror." Both descriptions fit the Town Marshal, because in his drinking, pre-church days, he had killed a man. This made others fear him and the lengths he'd go to in order to enforce Prohibition.

On the surface, the adjective refers to the height of the eagles' nests and flights. But the eagles symbolize the people of the United States. Thus, "lofty" also means "of high moral or intellectual value." Here, the speaker is apologizing for his earlier near-sighted focus on how the Civil War destroyed the country and killed his son. But having been dead for a while, he now sees that the war can lead to a new beauty, brotherhood, and wisdom.

Compare with "remonstrance" in this list. Both are from the same speaker, and as verbs, the two would be synonymous. The example sentences show that Dorcas Gustine is not afraid to be criticized for criticizing those who transgress ("commit a sin") against her. In contrast, the biblical Dorcas was beloved for her kindness, and the historical saint Augustine confessed his own sins to convince others to change.

Here, the word is also used to suggest a destination, which the speaker saw at first as a metaphorical abysm ("a bottomless pit"). Feeling engulfed by failure, he chose to kill himself. Thus, he is likely to have ended up in Hell, which could be hot and burning (suggested by descriptions of moments before he pulled the trigger), or it could be the grave from which he continues to struggle to breathe. Because a soul cannot die, it has an eternal destiny, wherever it may end up.

As the example sentence suggests, radicals and conservatives are on opposite sides. The speaker however started as a radical who promoted the economic policies of free silver and single tax, but then to appear more moral to the powerful members of the church, he argued for Prohibition. This playing of both sides made everyone distrust him and not care that he is dead.

The example sentence refers to a literal partition that separated the sale of legal drugs from the alcohol that was prohibited (by political and religious parties; a nationwide ban was not in effect until the ratification of the short-lived 18th Amendment in 1920). In confessing this, Deacon Taylor suggests that he had a figurative partition that separated his public image as an upstanding member of the church from the secret truth that he enjoyed getting drunk every day.

Compare with "desert" in this list--the verbs are synonymous. The example sentences seem like they are from related speakers, but actually, Nellie Clark died from being deserted by her husband, while Louise Smith died from hatred of her fiance for forsaking her for another woman. Here, the ex-fiance tries to explain that he had never been happy with her (hence the long engagement) because she'd needed him so much that it made him miserable.

Griffy was a cooper ("a craftsman who makes or repairs wooden barrels or tubs"), so when he spoke about a tub, he was usually referring to an object into which one could submerge and wash. But in this example sentence, he uses the image figuratively to describe the cemetery visitors whose entire lives are submerged, because they are limited by their focus on themselves and on taboos, rules and appearances (staves are slats of wood that form the sides of the tub).

The adjective also means "deserving pity." While Dora Williams might've wanted some pity while she was married to the drunk, her tone throughout the recital of all the men she's been with, the fortunes she'd inherited, and the places she'd been to sounds more like she's bragging about her life. Only death has stopped her from moving around and exploring more worlds.

"Insidious" and "subtle" can be synonyms that describe how Dora trapped and killed rich men. But "subtle" also means "able to make fine distinctions" (which could describe her change from a village girl to a worldly woman) and "difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze" (which could explain why she never got charged with a crime). Now dead herself, she thinks that her last husband poisoned her, which would be fitting since poison is an insidious weapon that she probably also used.

This is the only poem in the anthology where two people, William and Emily, speak as one. Unlike the violent deaths of others (including the many anonymous soldiers who also speak as a unit), they had a death that was delicate ("exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing") because it happened gradually while they were holding each other, after a long life of love and happiness.