In reflecting upon primal race hatred, I find a parallel hatred–of coyotes–in Kingsolver’s novel “Prodigal Summer.”
Tag Archives: racism
Iago, White Supremacist
To understand Iago’s motivations, think status anxiety–the fear of losing cultural and social dominance over “the Other.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Fascism, Othello, status anxiety, William Shakespeare Comments closed
How Literature Saved Richard Wright
In his memoir, Richard Wright describes how literature gave him a framework and spurred him to action in the segregated south.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Black Boy, Jim Crow, Richard Wright, segregation Comments closed
Use Lit to Combat Racism
My thoughts about a racial book burning at a southern college–and how literature can help.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged book burnings, Jennine Capo Crucet, Make Your Home Among Strangers, privilege, Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison Comments closed
Beowulf Transcends Tolkien’s Racism
“Beowulf” and “Lord of the Rings” have blind spots but they are transcendent works for all that.
What Trump Means by Infestation
Tuesday Following Donald Trump’s latest racist tirade, this one targeting Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings and his “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” of a Baltimore district, I’m reposting an essay I wrote a year ago May. At the time, commentators had begun noticing that Trump frequently opts for images of infestation when talking about brown […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Donald Trump, Elijah Cummings, images of infestation, Lucille Clifton Comments closed
A Dream of Black and White Together
Spiritual Sunday My mother and I went to hear St. Olaf’s sublime choir at Sewanee’s All Saints Chapel Thursday night. (This in spite of the fact that we both attended St. Olaf’s archrival, Carleton College.) Amongst the program’s “peace on earth” offerings was an arrangement of Langston Hughes’s “I Dream a World.” I share it […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "I Dream a World", Black History Month, Civil Rights, Langston Hughes Comments closed
Light & Dark Wrestle for America’s Soul
An image of darkness and light grappling for ascendency in Silko’s “Ceremony” sums up my view of America at the moment.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Ceremony, election 2018, GOP, Leslie Marmon Silko Comments closed
