Why does Trump seem to get away with his brazen flirtation with Vladimir Putin. Maybe he’s like the nefarious D– in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Purloined Letter.”
Monthly Archives: July 2017
Ferreting Out Trump’s Purloined Letter
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Donald Trump, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Mueller, Russia investigation Comments closed
A World of Books amid a World of Green
Treat yourself to two delightful poems about books and gardens by the Victorian/Edwardian poet Richard Le Gallienne.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Library in a Garden", books, libraries, Richard Le Gallienne Comments closed
Mourning Jane Austen’s Early Death
Despite the feminist revolution, many people still Jane Austen, who died 200 years ago, as a shy and retiring writer. In point of fact, she was probably very ambitious and wanted to make a lot of money. If this comes as a shock, check your stereotypes of women.
Caves of Ice, Prophecies of War
Scientists are detecting faster-than-predicted melting of the Greenland glaciers, which would lead to catastrophic sea level rise. Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan,” with its caves of ice and prophecies of war, comes to mind.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Kubla Khan" Greenland, climate change, melting glaciers, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, sea level rise, Syrian War Comments closed
Please God, Prepare a Fruitful Place
William Cowper has a lovely poem about the parable of the sower and the seed. Cowper wrestled with crippling depression and was afraid that his heart was too stony to receive God’s grace.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Sower", Grace, parable of the sower and the seed, stony heart, William Cowper Comments closed
Trump’s Unseen Playmate Jim
Trump apparently has an imaginary friend Jim who no longer likes Paris. Robert Louis Stevenson has a great poem about an imaginary friend.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Unseen Playmate", Donald Trump, Robert Louis Stevenson Comments closed
Federer, Unlike Ulysses, a Family Man Hero
Time and again with Roger Federer, thinking he is nearing his end, I have cited Tennyson’s “Ulysses.” He keeps proving me wrong. One reason may be because he has a different relationship with his family than Tennyson’s protagonist has.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Aging, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Roger Federer, tennis, Ulysses, Venus Williams Comments closed
Sustaining Narratives Can Become Traps
In Atwood’s “Life before Man,” a little girl turns to “The Wizard of Oz” to make sense of a chaotic life. Later in life, she learns that she must abandon this narrative that sustained her.
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