It is implied that she died because of the affair, but she holds no grudges and concludes that in heaven she can love both men without the restrictions of marriage. She urges Maurice to seek out her husband who knew and disapproved of their love and make peace with him. She is addressing a man called Maurice, her extramarital lover, who is grieving for her, while she describes the state of being dead as something wonderful. The poem titled “ Sarah Brown” is about a woman who has recently died. In the last lines, she desperately asks if anyone will gather her written poetry and publish it in a book for she has always had the need for love and life (neither of which she apparently received in her lifetime). She describes as the poem's first-person-narrator how she was brutally murdered by one of the men from the village and succumbed to her injuries in the care of the village's doctor. 1), who was mocked, bullied and eventually killed for her unfeminine looks. The poem titled “ Minerva Jones” is about a woman, self described as “the village poetess” (l. Instead, his long if somewhat irresponsible life is described. 32), who, while implied to be dead, is not said to be buried on the hill like all the others. The last lines of the poem are dedicated to “Old Fiddler Jones” (l. 23), using their nicknames or telling anecdotes about their lives and then following this up with stating how all sons and daughters (presumably of the town or village by said hill) are eventually brought back to be buried on this particular hill. The next set of people is described in a more intimate way, with the narrator calling them “aunt” and “uncle” (both l. 4, 10, 14, 22, 27, 31).įirst there are five men, then five women, all of which are given specific monikers based on their characters and a brief description of the manner of their deaths. Their description always begins with the question of their current location which the narrator then answers with the statement that they are all “are sleeping on the hill” (l. The poem titled “The Hill” describes a cemetery located on a hill and those who are buried there. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.

The spoon river anthology