There’s a thrill in acting with impunity. Bad cops know this and so does H.G. Wells’s invisible man.
Monthly Archives: June 2020
Cops’ Invisible Disciplinary Records
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged George Floyd, Invisible Man, police brutality, Wells (H.G.) Comments closed
Love in the Time of Covid-19
For my 47th wedding anniversary, I reflect upon the concluding chapter of “Love in the Time of Cholera,” which seems only fitting.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "River Merchants Wife", Ezra Pound, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, love, Love in the Time of Cholera, wedding anniversary Comments closed
Russian Lit and Moscow’s Gentleman
Towles’s “Gentleman in Moscow” is filled with allusions to Russian poets and fiction writers.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Amoer Towles, Anton Chekhov, Gentleman in Moscow, Leo Tolstoy, Maxjm Gorky, Mayakovsky, Russian literature Comments closed
Time to Revisit “I Have a Dream”
Given the protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death, it’s worth revisiting King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, with its synthesis of civil rights and religious vision.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged 1963 March on Washington, Black Lives Matter, I Have a Dream speech, Martin Luther King Comments closed
Sartre Captures White Privilege
Sartre’s “Respectful Prostitute” captures many of the race dynamics of our current situation.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Jean Paul Sartre, police brutality, racism, Respectful Prostitute, white privilege Comments closed
What Would Lucille Clifton Say?
How would Lucille Clifton have responded to the death of George Floyd and the subsequent turmoil? I comb through her collected poems to find out.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "won't you celebrate with me", "after kent state", "jasper texas 1998", "new bones", Donald Trump, George Floyd, James Byrd, Lucille Clifton, Minneapolis riots Comments closed
Achebe vs. Trump’s Heart of Darkness
50 years ago, black protesters would have been seen as Conrad sees Africans in “Heart of Darkness,” an undifferentiated mass. Achebe helped change that.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Chinua Achebe, Colonialism, George Floyd, Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, Minneapolis riots, racism, riots, Things Fall Apart Comments closed
When Grief Turns Violent
In protesting police violence against communities of color, protesters must avoid grief-fueled violence, the archetype of which is Grendel’s Mother.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Beowulf, Beowulf poet, George Floyd, Marat/Sade, Minneapolis riots, Peter Weiss, police racism Comments closed
