Monthly Archives: June 2017

A Dreamy Day and Tranquilly I Lie

By Robin Bates | Published: June 20, 2017

Here’s a relaxing poem by “hoosier poet” James Whitcomb Riley to welcome in the summer.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments closed

Lit Can Both Enslave and Liberate

By Robin Bates | Published: June 19, 2017

In his 1961 revolutionary classic, Frantz Fanon saw literature as a powerful force with the potential to both enslave and liberate. Emerging nationalist movements needed literary expression to frame a sense of what was possible.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments closed

On a Father’s Unspoken Love

By Robin Bates | Published: June 18, 2017

Robert Hayden’s “Those Sunday Mornings” lends itself to a religious interpretation about a caring father who selflessly takes care of his child, expecting nothing in return.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments closed

WaPo’s Petri Plays Shakespearean Fool

By Robin Bates | Published: June 16, 2017

Washington Post humorist Alexandra Petri has been having a lot of fun with Trump supporters’ attack on “Julius Caesar.” Here are some of her funniest barbs.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

Only Wimps Complain about Shakespeare

By Robin Bates | Published: June 15, 2017

Preeminent Shakespearean Stephen Greenblatt calls out people for whining about the Shakespeare-in-the-Park production of “Julius Caesar.” After all, Queen Elizabeth I once had a Shakespeare play used against her in an attempted overthrow and just shrugged it off.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments closed

Sly Marc Antony Resembles McConnell

By Robin Bates | Published: June 14, 2017

The Shakespeare-in-the-Park production of “Julius Caesar” has the Right up in arms about the image of Donald Trump being assassinated. The timeliest lesson of the play, however, is the way that Marc Antony slyly slides in to take power. Think of him as Mitch McConnell quietly preparing to repeal Obamacare and deprive millions of healthcare while the nation focuses on Senate hearings.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments closed

Trump’s Cabinet as Goneril and Regan

By Robin Bates | Published: June 13, 2017

Everyday, it seems, Trump proves to us that he’s King Lear. The latest example is when he subjected his Cabinet to a love test.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments closed

A Birthday Poem by the Numbers

By Robin Bates | Published: June 12, 2017

My wedding anniversary and birthday this year all work together as a numerical quirk, giving me a rationale to share one of Jonathan Swift’s “Stella birthday poems” in which the poet also plays around with numbers.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments closed

Genesis: Story Truth, Not Happening Truth

By Robin Bates | Published: June 11, 2017

The creation story in the Book of Genesis is magnificent poetry that resists the attempts of religious and scientific fundamentalists alike to reduce it to a scientific account.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments closed