Philosopher Martha Nussbaum argues that literature is essential for creating good citizens in a diverse society, turning to Sophocles’s “Philoctetes” and Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” to make her point.
Tag Archives: racism
Lit Opens Minds to Suffering of the Other
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Invisible Man, Marcus Aurelius, Martha Nussbaum, Philoctetes, racial justice, Ralph Ellison, Sophocles Comments closed
We Must Revisit Slavery To Find Healing
After attending some remarkable reconciliation events dealing with America’s history of slavery, I now have a better understanding of Octavia Butler’s time travel novel about slavery–and about why the protagonist doesn’t escape back to the present unharmed.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Kindred, Octavia Butler, racial reconciliation, slavery Comments closed
Poetry Turns Prisoner’s Life Around
Reginald Dwayne Betts’s life was turned around when he encounter an anthology of African American poetry in prison. Today he is a graduate of Yale Law School and an accomplished poet in his own right. I share a poem written about Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old shot by Cleveland police.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged police shootings, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Tamir Rice Comments closed
Trump as a Haruki Murakami Villain
Donald Trump has an uncanny resemblance to the villain Noboru Wataya in Haruki Murakami’s masterful novel “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” (1998). Both have a similar hollowness and both have the ability to separate people from the higher instincts and put them in thrall to their lower ones.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump, GOP, Haruki Murakami, Jonathan Bernstein, politics, Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, xenophobia Comments closed
Robinson Ran Against Walls, Never Broke
A Ken Burns documentary on Jackie Robinson gives me an excuse to run this short, powerful Lucille Clifton poem honoring the player who broke baseball’s color line.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Baseball, Jackie Robinson, Lucille Clifton, segregation, Sports Comments closed
Lit for Handling a College’s Race Problems
After a series of arson fires and racist incidents, I turned to works in each of my courses to address the situation. In Intro to Lit, Lucille Clifton’s poetry; in Early British Literature survey, Aphra Behn’s “Oroonoko”; in British Fantasy, “Perdido Street Station.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "wishes for sons", Aphra Behn, China Miéville, college life, Lucille Clifton, Oroonoko, Perdido Street Station, race tension, St. Mary's College of Maryland Comments closed
Lucille Clifton’s Song of Myself
Lucille Clifton’s Whitmanesque “won’t you come celebrate with me” will inspire anyone who has gone through hard times.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Song of Myself", "won't you celebrate with me", Lucille Clifton, self affirmation Comments closed
Black Students Find Strength thru Clifton
Our college last night held a celebration of the poetry of Lucille Clifton, who taught for 16 years here. A particularly powerful moment occurred when two African American students read Clifton poems and explained how they drew strength from them.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "dream about being white", "dream of foxes", Lucille Clifton Comments closed
The Wife of Bath & U.S. Race Wars
A racial flair-up at our college has given me an opportunity to stress the relevance of the Wife of Bath’s prologue and tale. Like our African American students, she too feels disrespected. One has to dig beneath her seeming confidence to realize how vulnerable she feels, however.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Confederate flag, Geoffrey Chaucer, microaggressions, Wife of Bath Comments closed
