Tag Archives: J.R.R. Tolkien

Actors of Color in New Tolkien Drama

By Robin Bates | Published: September 7, 2022

While some critics, perhaps revealing their racism, are complaining about actors of color in “Ring of Power,” here’s why the casting is good.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Lord of the Rings, racism, Ring of Power, white supremacy | Comments closed

Ukrainians See the Russians as Orcs

By Robin Bates | Published: May 4, 2022

Ukrainians are calling the Russian invaders “Orcs.” The label is spot on.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Lord of the Rings, Orcs, Ukraine invasion | Comments closed

Vladimir Putin as Sauron

By Robin Bates | Published: March 3, 2022

Putin resembles Sauron in various unsettling ways–and like as with Sauron, the world had a chance to stop him early and failed.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Hitler, Lord of the Rings, Stalin, Ukraine invasion, Vladimir Putin | Comments closed

Tucker Carlson’s Insidious Influence

By Robin Bates | Published: August 11, 2021

Satirist Alexandra Petri wonders why Fox News’ Tucker Carlson aspires to no more than Hungary. Why not shoot for Mordor?

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged autocracies, Fox News, Hungary, Lord of the Rings, Tucker Carlson | Comments closed

Is a Fair Election Fight Still Possible?

By Robin Bates | Published: May 9, 2021

“Prince Caspian” has a fight that foregrounds the issues the U.S. confronts regarding free and fair elections.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged 2020 election, C.S. Lewis, GOP, January 6 insurrection, Lord of the Rings, Prince Caspian, voter suppression | Comments closed

The Magic World of Children’s Lit

By Robin Bates | Published: July 7, 2009

William Kristof, the much traveled Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the New York Times, wrote recently about the disturbing way that children’s IQ scores often drop over summer vacation. The cause is lack of intellectual stimulation. The problem is more severe with poor than it is with middle class kids. As an antidote, Kristof offered […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged A. A. Milne, Alexander Dumas, Alice in Wonderland, Around the World in 80 Days, Arthur Conan Doyle, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, C.S. Lewis, Cecil Day-Lewis, children's books, E. Nesbitt, Francis Hodgson Burnett, Freddy the Pig, George MacDonald, Hardy Boys, Homer, Iliad, Jules Verne, Jungle Books, Just So Stories, Knights of King Midas, Lewis Carroll, Little Lord Fauntleroy, Lost World, Mistress Masham's Repose, Narnia Chronicles, Otterbury Incident, Paul Berna, Rudyard Kipling, Scarlet Pimpernel, summer reading, T.H. White, The Lord of the Rings, The Princess and Curdie, The Secret Garden, Three Musketeers, Treasure Seekers, William Kristof, Winnie the Pooh, Would Be Goods | Comments closed