Monthly Archives: December 2015

Two Exam Poems To Lift Your Spirits

By Robin Bates | Published: December 10, 2015

For students encounter end-of-semester pressure, here are two comic poems about exams. Laughter is an important resource for you at the moment.

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Wild Turkey Sighting in Tennessee

By Robin Bates | Published: December 9, 2015

After unexpectedly encountering a flock of wild turkeys, I had to share these three wild turkey poems.

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Lit Is Aristotelian Road to Happiness

By Robin Bates | Published: December 8, 2015

Psychologists say that a strong sense of narrative identity can lead to the profound sense of happiness described by Aristotle. Literature helps us make sure we have available to us the best narratives.

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Criminal Case: Turkish Prez & Gollum

By Robin Bates | Published: December 7, 2015

A character analysis of Gollum could determine whether a Turkish doctor goes to jail. This after he tweeted images of the Turkish president that resembled the film’s depiction of Gollum.

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Atwood’s Dystopias & the Gun Business

By Robin Bates | Published: December 6, 2015

Margaret Atwood’s recent dystopian fictions capture how capitalism preys upon sex and fear. We don’t have to travel into the future as the gun industry is taking full advantage of our fears in the present.

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Once in Royal David’s City…

By Robin Bates | Published: December 5, 2015

As I attended Sewanee’s Festival of Lessons and Carols, I was taken back to when I participated in the service as a member of the children’s choir and why I fell in love with “Once in Royal David’s City.”

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Conrad: Terrorism Not as Clear as It Looks

By Robin Bates | Published: December 3, 2015

We all think we know what went on with the killings in Charleston, Colorado Springs, and San Bernardino because they fit easy narratives. Joseph Conrad’s “The Secret Agent” should make us wary about jumping to conclusions.

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Climate Inaction Will Lead to a Dystopia

By Robin Bates | Published: December 2, 2015

If we refuse to do anything to counteract climate change, we are doing grave injustice to our children and grandchildren. Russell Hoban’s post-apocalyptic fantasy “Riddley Walker” captures the selfishness that we would be guilty of.

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My College Owes Its Founding to a Novel

By Robin Bates | Published: December 2, 2015

My college, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, is celebrating its 175th birthday this year. The school owes its existence to an 1838 novel, John Pendleton Kennedy’s “Rob of the Bowl.”

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