For April Fools’ Day, check out Goldsmith’s “Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog,” which ends with a wonderful comic reversal. Also for today: war plans group chat from Mordor.
Monthly Archives: March 2025
Trumpism as the Hamlet Story
Think of Trump as Claudius, intent on overthrowing something noble and great. Hamlet describes his uncle as “a mildewed ear,” which fits.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Charles Pierce, deported immigrants, Donald Trump, Karoline Leavitt, William Shakespeare Leave a comment
Her Maker’s Maker, Her Father’s Mother
Donne’s “Annunciation” poem uses playful paradox and witty word play to capture the marvelous moment of St. Gabriel’s visit to Mary.
Trump, Hitler: Two Storytelling Narcissists
Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center stems from his fascination with and manipulation of culture, which he shares with Hitler.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Burning of the Books", Adolph Hitler, Bertolt Brecht, Kennedy Center Leave a comment
Kafka and America’s Disappeared
America is “disappearing” people, bringing to mind the fate of K in Kafka’s “Trial.”
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged 1984, Franz Kafka, George Orwell, Handmaid's Tale, ICE, immigration terror, Margaret Atwood, Martin Niemöller, Trial Leave a comment
Trump’s Pecksniffian Trans Ban
Trump’s executive order banning trans from the military has been described as Pecksniffian, an allusion to the villain in Dickens’s “Martin Chuzzlewit.”
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Charles Dickens, Donald Trump, Martin Chuzzlewit, transexuality, U.S. military Leave a comment
To Resist Trump, Be Like Odysseus
The Trump resistance started off like Telemachus overwhelmed by the suitors but, like Odysseus upon his return, it is starting to get strategic.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Homer, Odyssey, Trump resistance Leave a comment
Trump’s Viking-Like Threats
The Weiss law firm has caved to Trump’s threats, in effect (this according to the Bulwark’s Krystol) paying the Dane-geld. This is reference to a Kipling poem.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Dane-Geld", Donald Trump, pressure on law firms, Rudyard Kipling, Trump's threats Leave a comment
