Monthly Archives: December 2011

Harpo Marx, Unbridled Id

By Robin Bates | Published: December 9, 2011

It stands to reason the beat author Jack Kerouac would be a fan of Harpo Marx’s anarchistic energies.

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The Presidential Candidates in Wonderland

By Robin Bates | Published: December 8, 2011

Should we dismiss all the rhetoric coming from the Republican presidential candidates as the gryphon in “Alice in Wonderland” dismisses the “off with their heads” commands of the Queen of Hearts?

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Steinbeck Makes Microeconomics Real

By Robin Bates | Published: December 7, 2011

Economics teacher Steve Ziliak uses Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” to teach the human side of microeconomics.

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Grapes of Wrath Fermenting in Alabama

By Robin Bates | Published: December 6, 2011

Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” allows us to see some of the dynamics that the tough new anti-immigration law in Alabama has set into play.

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Gingrich Auditions for a Dickens Villain

By Robin Bates | Published: December 5, 2011

Newt Gingrich’s proposal that poor children be allowed to serve as janitors in their schools calls for a Dickensian response.

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The Rest between Two Notes

By Robin Bates | Published: December 4, 2011

A Rilke poem captures the spirit of Advent when he describes his life as “the rest between two notes.”

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Marilyn Monroe Died for Our Sins

By Robin Bates | Published: December 2, 2011

Ernesto Cardenal poem “Prayer for Marilyn Monroe” sees the actress sacrificed on the altar of our own longings.

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A Poem for Those Feeling Dragged Down

By Robin Bates | Published: December 1, 2011

In “The Fascination of What’s Difficult,” William Butler Yeats gives us a poem that will help get us through end-of-the-year workplace fatigue.

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