In this Marge Piercy Rosh Hashanah poem, the poet asks how she has contributed to peace.
Tag Archives: Percy Shelley
Let My Words Turn into Sparks
My “Last Lecture”
I share here my “last lecture” from my retirement ceremony. (But rest assured: I will not be retiring from this blog.)
When Science Clips an Angel’s Wings
Scientist and atheist Richard Dawkins disagrees with Keats and Poe in their attacks on science. I think he loses the argument.
Theories about Lit’s Impact
A transcript of a talk given at the University of Ljubljana on “how literature changes lives.”
In Defense of The Merchant of Venice
Percy Shelley believes that great art transcends the prejudices of its time, even when it is cloaked in them. If he is right, then “Merchant of Venice” is less of a problem play than many people consider it.
Can Lit Also Be a Force for Evil? A Debate
The classics are capable to doing great good but can they also do harm? Even as they powerfully open up the mind to new possibilities, can they also close it down? A debate.
How Poets Are the Legislators of the World
Shelley saw great literature as changing the way we see reality. Sometimes, however, it takes hundreds of years for this to be evident.