Monthly Archives: November 2014

Advent and Horror at the Void

By Robin Bates | Published: November 30, 2014

Donald Hall’s “Advent” captures the darkness of the season, linking death with birth.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Journey of the Magi", "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking", Advent, analysis, Christmas, crucifixion, Donald Hall, Resurrection, T. S. Eliot, Walt Whitman | Comments closed

Belichick Ranks with Lit’s Great Plotters

By Robin Bates | Published: November 29, 2014

Coach Bill Belichick resembles the nefarious plotters in such works as “Portrait of a Lady” and “Liaisons Dangereuses.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Aaron Rodgers, Bill Belichick, Choderlos de Laclos, Football, Green Bay Packers, Henry James, Liaisons Dangereuses, New England Patriots, NFL, Portrait of a Lady, Sports | Comments closed

Black Friday: Don’t Just Shop

By Robin Bates | Published: November 28, 2014

Black Friday’s shopping frenzy can prompt us to forget the spiritual origins of gift-giving. Leslie Marmon Silko helps us see beyond the glitter.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Black Friday, Ceremony, consumerism, holiday shopping, Leslie Marmon Silko, materialism, spiritual desolation | Comments closed

America’s Obsession with Pie

By Robin Bates | Published: November 27, 2014

Hilaire Belloc’s hilarious complaint about the world’s eating tastes would not treat Thanksgiving well.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "On Food", Cautionary Tales for Children, Food, Hilaire Belloc, More Cautionary Tales for Children, Thanksgiving | Comments closed

Singing a Lullaby to a Dead Child

By Robin Bates | Published: November 26, 2014

I write about the lullaby I sang to my dead son and a Eugene Field poem it reminds me of.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Wynken Blynken and Nod", death and dying, death of a child, Eugene Field | Comments closed

Climate Change: Signs of Witchery

By Robin Bates | Published: November 25, 2014

Native American author Leslie Marmon Silko warns of ecological disaster if we don’t change our relationship to the earth.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Ceremony, climate change, Environment, Leslie Marmon Silko | Comments closed

Invisible Men (and Women) No Longer

By Robin Bates | Published: November 24, 2014

Immigrants coming out of the shadows recall Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, who also emerges from darkness.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Barack Obama, Invisible Man, nativism, Ralph Ellison, undocumented immigrants | Comments closed

Often Goes Christ in a Stranger’s Guise

By Robin Bates | Published: November 23, 2014

Here’s an old Gaelic poem that captures the spirit of the president’s recent decision to grant relief to the undocumented parents of American citizens.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments closed

Protecting Players in the NFL “Jungle”

By Robin Bates | Published: November 22, 2014

Upton Sinclair uses a football analogy as he makes a case for workers needing workplace protections.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Football, Jungle, NFL, NFL Players Union, Sports, unionization, Upton Sinclair | Comments closed