In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which I am about to start teaching, we learn that Gawain has a shield bearing a pentangle or five-pointed star. The star is the symbol of a balanced life, and we can continue to use it today. The Middle Ages loved numerology, and the poem details the significance […]
Tag Archives: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
So You Screwed Up–No Big Deal
Ten members of the Scott Bates clan have gathered in my parents’ Tennessee house, and two more, along with two beagles (Kipling and Beckett), are on their way. While the Christmas festivities have for the most part been joyous, we have had one moment of friction. Luckily, literature came to our aid. I keep the […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged C. S. Lewis, Family, Perfection, Voyage of the Dawn Treader Comments closed
Sir Gawain through the Eyes of a Marine
One of the most interesting essays I received in my just completed early British Literature survey came from a young Marine. Jon Gott was fascinated by what he calls Camelot’s “band of brothers.” His essay was about how Gawain handles the tests that he is subjected to in the 14th century romance Sir Gawain and […]
Expressing Gratitude for Nature’s Feast
Thanksgiving may be my favorite holiday because it involves holding a feast in the face of on-coming winter. I read this as a sign that we believe the harvest bounty can carry us through the hard times. To accentuate the symbolism, I like my Thanksgivings to be cold and even a bit wet. Sir Gawain […]
The Perfect Game that Wasn’t
Armando Galarraga Sports Saturday Even as we stand on the precipice of the World Cup—tragically I will be traveling cross country today when the U.S. is playing England—something has been happening in the world of baseball that invites comment. Perfect games are breaking out all over. A pitcher pitches a perfect game if no runner […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Luxury Boxes", Baseball, Bruce Cohen, Great American Novel, Perfection, Philip Roth, Sports Comments closed
Interpreting Lit Makes for Better Citizens
Eugene Robinson Our Commencement speaker two weeks ago was the Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson, 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner and one of my favorite columnists. He delivered a message to our graduates with which I fervently agree: THINK! Robinson told us that he is tired of seeing politics conducted with bumper sticker simplicity. The real problems […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Critical thinking, politics, William Shakespeare Comments closed
On Lent, Faustus, and the 7 Deadly Sins
Dr. Faustus, Rembrandt etching Here we are in the midst of Lent with less than a month to go until Easter. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight describes the season as follows: After Christmas there came the cold cheer of Lent, When with fish and plainer fare our flesh we reprove . . . The […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged 7 Deadly Sins, Christianity, Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus, Lent, Religion Comments closed
