Edgar Lee Masters, "John Hancock Otis", Spoon River Anthology (1915, reprinted 1916), p. 123. In this poem, the rich John Hancock Otis describes a man "born in a shanty and beginning life as a water carrier … then section hand … afterwards foreman … who rose to the superintendency of the railroad" as "a veritable slave driver, grinding the faces of labor, and a bitter enemy of democracy".
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Beware of the man who rises to power From one suspender.
— Edgar Lee Masters on Power
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Beware of the man who rises to power From one suspender." in the context of "Edgar Lee Masters, "John Hancock Otis", Spoon River Anthology (1915, reprinted 1916), p. 123. In this poem, the rich John Hancock Otis describes a man "born in a shanty and beginning life as a water carrier … then section hand … afterwards foreman … who rose to the superintendency of the railroad" as "a veritable slave driver, grinding the faces of labor, and a bitter enemy of democracy"." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Power" (M)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Edgar Lee Masters
Edgar Lee Masters (23 August 1868 – 5 March 1950) was an American poet, biographer and dramatist. He is most famous for the Spoon River Anthology.
About Edgar Lee Masters
Edgar Lee Masters (23 August 1868 – 5 March 1950) was an American poet, biographer and dramatist. He is most famous for the Spoon River Anthology.
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