In “Envoy of Mr. Cogito,” Zbigniew Herbert informs us how to respond to authoritarian rule. We may need his poem as we face another four years of Donald Trump.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
How to Live under Authoritarianism
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Envoy of Mr. Cogito", authoritarianism, Greg Olear, Robert Haas, Zbigniew Herbert Leave a comment
Apologies for Press Handling of Gaza
Alcalay’s angry poem apologizing for the U.S. media whitewashing the Gaza conflict is inspired by an Iraqi poet lamenting what Hussein did to Iraq.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "My Apologies", Ammiel Alcalay, Arabian Nights, Bulunda al-Haidari, Gaza, Iraq, Israel, Israeli-Gaza conflict, Palestine, Saddam Hussein Leave a comment
Notre Dame: Two Arms Raised in Prayer
To celebrate France reopening Notre Dame to visitors, here’s a 19th century poem honoring the cathedral.
Wicked, a Parable for Our Time
“Wicked” (the movie) shows us Trump-type scapegoating while “Wicked” (the book) also provides insight into how and why people are drawn to his sadism.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "September 1 1939", Clarissa, Donald Trump, Frederick Karl, Gregory Maguire, Justine, Marquis de Sade, sadism, Samuel Richardson, scapegoating, W. H. Auden, Wicked Comments closed
Note to Trump: Time for Real Work
Marge Piercy’s “To Be of Use” should be a reminder to incoming politicians that the real work of governing is not a television reality show.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "To Be of Use", Biden administration, Election 2024, Marge Piercy Comments closed
Defeating Dragon Despair after Harris Loss
The insights of “Beowulf” into grieving can provide Democrats guidance for dealing with Harris’s loss.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Beowulf, Depression, Donald Trump, Election 2024, How Beowulf Cann Save America, Kamala Harris, violence Comments closed
Eliot’s Hollow Men and Trump’s Enablers
T.S. Eliot’s “Waste Land” does a good job of describing Trump’s Congressional enablers.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Hollow Men", Congressional Republicans, Donald Trump, GOP, T. S. Eliot Comments closed
Jo, Nell, Tiny Tim Needed Vaccines
Victorian lit is filled with scenes of children dying of diseases we now have cures for. Does Trumpism want to go back to those days?
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Birds' Christmas Carol, Bleak House, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, Christmas Carol, disease, Jane Eyre, Jay Battacharya, Kate Wiggins, Mehmet Oz, Old Curiosity Shop, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Comments closed
When the Light Knocks on the Door
Gwendolyn Brooks’s poem “truth” dramatizes the conflict between disturbing hope and familiar darkness. Think of it as an Advent poem.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Light that came to lucille clifton", Advent, Gwendolyn Brooks, hope, John Donne, Lucille Clifton, T. S. Eliot, Truth, Waste Land Comments closed
