Monthly Archives: August 2020

Pratchett’s Ideal Teacher

By Robin Bates | Published: August 20, 2020

Terry Pratchett describes his ideal teacher in “Thief of Time.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged COVID-19, school children, teaching, Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time | Comments closed

The Case for Memorizing Poetry

By Robin Bates | Published: August 19, 2020

To bolster yourself against this age of anxiety, memorize robust poetry. Other poetry works as well.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Kubla Khan", "La Belle Dame sans Merci", "Second Coming", "Soldier Rest", "Building of the Ship", "My Candle Burns at Both Ends", "Props assist the House", "Say Not the Struggle Nought Availeth", Arthur Clough, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, If, John Keats, Memorizing poetry, Rudyard Kipling, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Sir Walter Scott, William Butler Yeats | Comments closed

Wanted: A Pragmatic Idealism

By Robin Bates | Published: August 18, 2020

In Ghosh’s first novel “Circle of Reason,” extreme rationality is shown to be blinkered and vulnerable. In the end, it must be blended with pragmatism, a good lesson for today’s politics.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Amitav Ghosh, Circle of Reason, Democratic Party, Donald Trump, Idealism | Comments closed

Poems in Praise of Strong Women

By Robin Bates | Published: August 17, 2020

To celebrate the 19th Amendment, I share three poems celebrating strong women.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Aint I a Woman", "Chain", "To the Tune The River Is Red", 19th Amendment, Christine Craig, right to vote, Sojourner Truth, universal suffrage, womens rights | Comments closed

In a Dark Time, Beowulf Was My Virgil

By Robin Bates | Published: August 16, 2020

If Dante had his Virgil, I have Beowulf. Both poets helped up negotiate dark times.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Aeneid, Beowulf, Beowulf poet, Dante, Divine Comedy, grief and grieving, Virgil | Comments closed

A Love Beyond Knowledge & Fame

By Robin Bates | Published: August 15, 2020

George Herbert’s “Pearl” explains how he chose a spiritually rewarding life over a promising court life.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Pearl", George Herbert | Comments closed

The Moment Has Come to Decide

By Robin Bates | Published: August 13, 2020

Educator Diane Ravitch’s favorite poem include two 19th century oldies that get at a teacher’s sense of mission.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Casabianca", "Present Crisis", activism, Civil War, Education, Felicia Hemans, James Russell Lowell, slavery, Trumpism | Comments closed

Kamala Harris, a Phenomenal Woman

By Robin Bates | Published: August 12, 2020

To understand the power exuded by Kamala Harris, check out these two Maya Angelou poems.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Phenomenal Woman", "Still I Rise", 2020 election, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Maya Angelou | Comments closed

Better Living through Virgil

By Robin Bates | Published: August 11, 2020

When lost in deep depression, Dante turns to his favorite author, Virgil, to help him out.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Aeneid, Christopher Marlowe, Dante, Divine Comedy, Doctor Faustus, Virgil | Comments closed