Frodo’s strong determination to fulfill his commitment impressed me as a child and helped determine the kind of person I became.
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Author Archives: Robin Bates
Trudging Up Mount Doom with Frodo
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged C.S. Lewis, child development, Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings Leave a comment
Fahrenheit 451 Anticipated AI
In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury anticipated a number of AI features.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged AI, Book of Revelation, Claude, Ecclesiastes, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury Leave a comment
Dolly and Her Imagination Library
R.I.P., Dolly Parton. And along with music and the movies, thanks for the Imagination Library. An Emily Dickinson poem comes to mind.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged “There is no frigate", Dolly Parton, Emily Dickinson, Imagination Library Leave a comment
Are Lit Teachers Giving Up on Novels?
In which I examine an article complaining that college students are no longer reading novels, along with the despair of their professors. This wasn’t my experience.
To Find Your Walden, Look around You
In “Going to Walden,” Mary Oliver—understanding Thoreau in a deep way—refuses to, in fact, go there.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged “Going to Walden", Henry David Thoreau, Mary Oliver, Nature, Walden Leave a comment
An Act of Kinship with One of a Feared Race
Poems by Andrea Skevington and Margaret Mackinnon on Pharaoh’s daughter and infant Moses, along with comments on reaching across ethnic lines in dark times.
The Silver Chair and a Childhood Love
In which I reminisce about the girl who introduced me to Narnia and how The Silver Chair helped us negotiate our friendship.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged C.S. Lewis, Childhood, Chris Mayfield, Horse and His Boy, Silver Chair Leave a comment
Oliver’s Hard-Earned Vision of Life
In which I agree with an Atlantic article defending the poetry of Mary Oliver against detractors.