Monthly Archives: April 2012

Young Idealists, Become Sam Spade

David Brooks recommends that young idealists toughen up a la Sam Spade.

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The Day Rabbits Attacked Napoleon

In honor of upcoming Earth Day, I share a poem based on an actual incidents where hundred of rabbits released to be hunted by Napoleon turned on the emperor’s party and routed them.

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Who Is Your Favorite Dickens Character?

Characters from Dickens novels reside so deeply within us as to become virtual lifelong friends.

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Ellison’s Invisible Man, Always Relevant

Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” remains relevant, including to the Trayvon Martin case.

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“Harry, I Am Your Father” – Voldemort

Voldemort can be interpreted as the father in Harry Potter’s primal scene.

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Reach Out, Like Thomas, into the Darkness

R. S. Thomas’s poem about religious doubt calls for a leap of faith in the midst of darkness.

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Vigilante Films Responsible for Trayvon?

Trayvon Martin’s death has Americans rethinking the vigilante film.

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Brecht Applied to Obamacare

Applying Brecht’s “Good Person of Szechwan” to Obamacare reveals America’s conflict between business and benevolence.

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Facing Up to the Gargoyle of Cancer

One of my students is exploring her mother’s terminal illness, and her own grieving, through Gail Godwin’s novel “The Good Husband.”

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