Time was when grammar was king in the public schools. It didn’t seem to matter whether a student’s writing was interesting but whether it was correct. Then came the “process writing movement” and (in the lower grades) the “creative spelling movement.” The design was to unlock the writing energies that were being stifled by an […]
Tag Archives: Richard Wright
Back in the Day, We Parsed Sentences
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "In Memory of W. B. Yeats", Age of Longing, David Adams Richards, Education, Grammar, W. H. Auden Comments closed
Uncomfortable Books that Help Us Grow
Streep and Kline in Sophie’s Choice A recent survey of the Tea Party movement has revealed that the movement is overwhelmingly white, educated, middle class and conservative, and people are now studying what it all means. I love this post Ta-Tehisi Coates, a senior editor for The Atlantic. As occurs in the world of the […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Aruhdhati Roy, Diversity, Emily Bronte, God of Small Things, Human Stain, Native Son, Philip Roth, politics, racism, Sophie's Choice, Tea Party, William Styron, Wuthering Heights Comments closed
Clarence Thomas and Native Son
The focus in this week’s posts is on Supreme Court justices and literature. I notice that, in his New York Times column today, moderate conservative David Brooks endorses Sonia Sotomayor for just that restrained balance that we discussed yesterday as we explored her early love for Nancy Drew novels. Today I’m going to talk about […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Ayn Rand, Clarence Thomas, Eldridge Cleaver, Everybody's Protest Novel, James Baldwin, Nancy Drew, Native Son, politics, Sonia Sotomayor, Soul on Ice, The Fountainhead Comments closed
