When I teach literature, I emphasize application first, interpretation second.
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Tag Archives: Lucille Clifton
Lit as a Life Survival Kit
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Diving into the Wreck", "Knight" Donald Trump, "Knight", "what the mirror said", Adrienne Rich, Mary Oliver Comments closed
Are the Liberal Arts Automatically Liberal?
Literature, in the current climate, cannot help but be seen as political. That’s because it urges us to consider other views.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "note to self", "grandma we are poets", Critical Race Theory, Liberal arts education, Othello, rightwing radicalism, William Shakespeare Comments closed
The Lesson of the Falling Leaves
Clifton has written simple but powerful poems about letting go, including this autumnal poem.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "lesson of the falling leaves", Autumn, letting go Comments closed
Remembering 9-11 in Poetry
On September 11, 2001 and for six days after, Lucille Clifton wrote a series of poems reflecting on the meaning of the attack.
Plantations that Bury Their Black Past
Two black authors (Clifton, McQueen) report similar experiences when visiting southern plantations: the erasure of slave history.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "at the cemetery walnut grove plantation", LaTanya McQueen, slavery, When the Reckoning Comes Comments closed
Real Teaching Is Always Uncomfortable
In the current debates over teaching race history, Lucille Clifton has important things to say.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "note to self", "why some people be mad at me sometimes", Critical Race Theory, teaching race Comments closed
A Poem for Guilt-Ridden Witnesses
Some of the first-hand witnesses at the Derek Chauvin trial felt guilty for not having done more. Lucille Clifton has a poem to reassure them.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "poem with a rhyme in it", Derek Chauvin trial, George Floyd murder Comments closed