“The Battle of the Hymn of the Republic” is one of the most influential set of lyrics in American history–for good and for bad.
Tag Archives: racism
The Glory of the Coming of the Lord
I Am a Part of You and You of Me
Langston Hughes provides an important and humane voice at this point in time.
Sartre Captures White Privilege
Sartre’s “Respectful Prostitute” captures many of the race dynamics of our current situation.
Achebe vs. Trump’s Heart of Darkness
50 years ago, black protesters would have been seen as Conrad sees Africans in “Heart of Darkness,” an undifferentiated mass. Achebe helped change that.
In Aeneid, It’s the Wives Who Riot
The riots in the wake of George Floyd’s death recall for me the wives rioting in the Aeneid–another neglected and long-suffering group who are fed up.
Iago, White Supremacist
To understand Iago’s motivations, think status anxiety–the fear of losing cultural and social dominance over “the Other.”
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.
Use Lit to Combat Racism
My thoughts about a racial book burning at a southern college–and how literature can help.

