Think of Biden as Beowulf facing the dragon at the end of his reign. And then think of how Wiglaf responds, which is to support him fully.
Author Archives: Robin Bates
The Beowulfian Case for Keeping Biden
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Aesop's Fables, Allen Ginsberg, belling the cat, Beowulf, Donald Trump, Election 2024, Howl, Joe Biden Comments closed
Whitman Celebrates a Diverse America
America’s strength as always lain in its diversity, as Walt Whitman well knew. “I Sing America” is a great poem to read on July 4th.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "I Hear America Singing", American diversity, July 4th, Walt Whitman Comments closed
Why Fiction Terrifies People
I announce my forthcoming book and contrast it with a similar book–“Dangerous Fictions”–coming out soon.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Beloved, Ben Jonson, Better Living through Literature, book bans, Christopher Marlowe, Dangerous Fictions, Harold Bloom, Hesiod, Homer, Iliad, Lyta Gold, Odyssey, Oscar Wilde, Picture of Dorian Gray, Plato, Toni Morrison, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Immunity for Trump? Bring Back George III
Since the U.S. Supreme Court seems determined to restore monarchy (at least with regard to Trump), here’s a Shelley George III poem.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "England in 1819", Donald Trump, judicial immunity, Percy Shelley, rule of law, Supreme Court Comments closed
Trump’s Debate and Swift’s City Shower
Trump’s torrent of lies in Thursday’s debate brings to mind Swift’s poem “Description of a City Shower.”
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Description of a City Shower", Bertolt Brecht, Biden-Trump debate, Donald Trump, Galileo, Heather Cox Richardson, Joe Biden, John Stoehr, Jonathan Swift, Ruth Ben-Ghiat Comments closed
Excess and Deficiency in the Life Force
In “When Fragments Make a Whole,” Lory Hess reflects poetically on Jesus’s healing stories and applies them to our lives.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Love (III)", George Herbert, Jesus's healing ministry, Lory Hess, When Fragments Make a Whole Comments closed
Using Poetry to Mourn a Child
Jonathan Foster recent poetry collection “Indigo: The Color of Grief” powerfully captures the death of his child.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged death of a child, Indigo the Color of Grief, Jonathan Foster, T.S. Eliot, Waste Land Comments closed
The Debate: How Will Trump Fare?
In tonight’s debate, Trump will not have the adulatory audience to which he has become accustomed. Somewhat like Milton’s Satan when he returns to Hell.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, Donald Trump, John Milton, Paradise Lost Comments closed
The Meaning of Trump’s Shark Fears
Trump’s anxiety about sharks can be understood through an examination of “Jaws.”
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Carl Jung, Donald Trump, Jaws, Jungian psychology, Peter Benchley, sharks, Sigmund Freud Comments closed
