Tag Archives: "Vanity of Human Wishes"

The Vanity of Human Wishes

By Robin Bates | Published: July 30, 2022

To mark today’s reading (from Ecclesiastes) about human vanity, I turn to Samuel Johnson’s great poem about the subject.

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Knives Out and the American Dream

By Robin Bates | Published: January 13, 2020

The movie “Knives Out” is satisfying but leaves unquestioned the American Dream.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "Vanity of Human Wishes", American Dream, Anne Sexton, Cinderella, Henry Fielding, Knives Out, Samuel Johnson, Tom Jones | Comments closed

Is Old Age Becoming Overrated?

By Robin Bates | Published: November 26, 2019

A “New Yorker” article on aging turns to literature to debunk the notion that aging is a good thing.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "Vanity of Human Wishes", "Sailing to Byzantium", "Tithonous", Aging, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Aristotle, As You Like It, Ecclesiastes, Geoffrey Chaucer, Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift, King Lear, Merchant's Tale, old age, Plato, Rasselas, Samuel Johnson, Ulysses, William Butler Yeats, William Shakespeare | Comments closed

Implore His Aid, in His Decisions Rest

By Robin Bates | Published: July 30, 2016

The famous passage from Ecclesiastes–“All is vanity”–inspired a great poem by Samuel Johnson. Johnson’s final conclusion is that we can find happiness only in prayer.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "Vanity of Human Wishes", death and dying, greed, Prayer, Samuel Johnson, Suffering | Comments closed