If 2014 saw police victimization of black men, 2015 revealed some police victimization of black women. Alice Walker’s “Color Purple” warned us about this decades ago.
Monthly Archives: December 2015
When the Police Target Black Women
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Alice Walker, Black Lives Matter, Color Purple, Daniel Holtzclaw, police brutality, Sandra Bland Comments closed
The Stable Is Our Heart
Madeleine L’Engle alludes to “The Second Coming” in this Advent poem, which promises stability in the face of fear and lust for power.
The Utterly Amazing William Blake
William Blake spoke to protesters in the 1960s but that is far from his only audience. A recent “New York Review of Books” articles surveys his greatness.
Star Wars & Thousand-Faced Heroes
A poem by Katy Giebenhain about “Star Wars” shows the flaws of its Joseph Campbell roots. She notes that “the hero doesn’t get/through anything alone.”
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Force Awakens, Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell, Journey of the Hero, Katy Giebenhain, monomyth, postmodernism, Star Wars Comments closed
The Odyssey Speaks to Today’s Refugees
“The Odyssey” looked different to a literature teacher after he taught it to a class of Syrian, Iraqi and Palestinian refugees. Homer’s poem challenges us to open our own hearts to those fleeing persecution and war.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Homer, hospitality, Odyssey, refugees, Syrian refugees Comments closed
Climate Hope Shines in Dark Times
Madeleine L’Engle’s 1971 Advent poem anticipates the gloom we feel today about climate change. Yesterday’s international accord, however–miraculously signed by 195 countries–gives us some glimmer of Christmas hope.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Advent 1971), climate accord, climate change, Madeleine L'Engle, pollution Comments closed
