Monthly Archives: November 2020

The Sexual Politics of Circe-Odysseus

By Robin Bates | Published: November 30, 2020

Miller’s novel “Circe” engages with a long tradition of Circe and Odysseus depictions, including those of Homer, Virgil, Euripides, Sophocles, Dante, Tennyson, and Atwood.

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The GOP’s Monster Continues to Strike

By Robin Bates | Published: November 29, 2020

Many have talked about how the GOP created a Frankenstein’s monster in Trump. They can also be seen as a Circe (from Madeline Miller’s novel) creating Scylla.

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Remember the Real Meaning of Christmas

By Robin Bates | Published: November 28, 2020

Jim McPherson’s “Christmas Humbug” reminds us what the Advent season should really be about.

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Trump Should Concede Like Cleopatra

By Robin Bates | Published: November 25, 2020

Friday Now that Donald Trump has instructed his flunky in the General Services Agency to fund President-Elect Joe Biden’s transition, we have as close to a concession from Donald Trump as we are likely to get. Last week I compared Trump to King Lear, a leader who departs the scene badly. Thanks to an article […]

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Joys Are Snowflakes, They Drift and Stray

By Robin Bates | Published: November 24, 2020

Hungarian poet Reményik Sándor reminds us to be thanking for the tiny sonders that we encounter from day to day.

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Chess as a Metaphor for Life

By Robin Bates | Published: November 24, 2020

“Queen’s Gambit” has many excited about chess, which has long been used as a metaphor for life–as in, for instance, Ferlinghetti’s poem “Deep Chess.”

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Inferno’s Ditch Reserved for Mitch

By Robin Bates | Published: November 23, 2020

Republicans enabling Trump in his attempts to subvert the 2020 election have a special place reserved from them in Dante’s Inferno: Circle 8, Bolgia 8.

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“Citizen Kane” Foretells Trump

By Robin Bates | Published: November 22, 2020

“Citizen Kane” is Trump’s favorite movie. It matches up only too well with his presidency.

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If Jesus Were to Return

By Robin Bates | Published: November 20, 2020

I suspect that certain Christians would vote for Trump over Jesus if the latter were to return. That’s the point made by this Scott Bates poem.

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