When high school vandals defaced a historic black church, an enlightened judge ordered them to read books and report on them.
Monthly Archives: April 2018
Reading, Better than Juvie
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Khaled Hosseini, Kite Runner, Marilyn Nelson, rehabilitation, sentencing, vandalism, Wreath for Emm, Wreath for Emmett Till Comments closed
A Vast Unfolding Design Lit by a Risen Sun
Denise Levertov’s magnificent poem about Doubting Thomas graphically describes the doubts, making the final revelation all the more powerful.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "St. Thomas Didymus", Dana Greene, Denise Levertov, Doubt, doubting Thomas, Resurrection Comments closed
Weather Report: Death’s Untimely Frost
Having winter intrude upon our spring has me quoting Burns and Shakespeare.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged cold snap, Highland Mary, Robert Burns, Sonnet 18, weather, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Can a Dream Hold Us Together?
In “Midnight’s Children,” Rushdie shows the forces destroying India’s dream of national unity. Americans will find it familiar.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Constitution, Declaration of Independence, founding fathers, Gunfighter Nation, Midnight's Children, Regeneration through Violence, Richard Slotkin, Salman Rushdie Comments closed
Inspired by MLK and Lucille Clifton
To honor Martin Luther King, I share a hard-hitting but hopeful Lucille Clifton essay by a first-year African-American student who is fulfilling his dream.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "i am accused of tending to the past", "meeting after the savior gone", "note to myself", "reply", Alyssa Hawkins, Lucille Clifton, Martin Luther King, racism Comments closed
Happiness Based on Another’s Oppression
To understand why the race card is so politically effective, reading Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.”
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged American Dream, immigrants, Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, race card, racism, Ursula K Le Guin Comments closed
Roy Cohn, Trump’s Mentor
A revival of “Angels in America” reminds us of the vicious lawyer who mentored Donald Trump. Yet the play is optimistic for all that.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged AIDS, Angels in America, Donald Trump, homosexuality, LBGTQ issues, Roy Cohn, Tony Kushner Comments closed
Love, the Lesson which the Lord Us Taught
Edmund Spenser joyfully welcomes in Easter, proclaiming “Love is the lesson which the Lord us taught.”
