Wordsworth’s “Prelude” captures both the hopes and disillusion that many have felt about the Egyptian revolution.
Tag Archives: William Wordsworth
A Light Exists in Spring
Emily Dickinson captures magical light of spring–and its transience.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "A Light Exists in Spring", "Spring", Emily Dickinson, Intimations of Immortality, Nature Comments closed
My Heart Leapt Up
A rainbow sighting led to a discussion about how humans often turn to nature for guiding metaphors.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "My Heart Leaps Up", "Tables Turned", Bible, Genesis, Nature, rainbows, William Blake Comments closed
All Which We Behold Is Full of Blessings
Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey” provides us with passage that functions as a Thanksgiving poem.
Such Singing in the Wild Branches
On a beautiful spring morning when she is startled by birdsong, Mary Oliver describes a merging with nature where she “began to understand what the bird was saying.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Spring", "Such Singing in the Wild Branches", Intimations of Immortality, Mary Oliver, Nature Comments closed
Once We Memorized Poetry
Memorizing poetry used to be standard classroom practice and poetry was widely popular before the snobs came in.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud", "Ozymandias", "Trees", Alfred Lord Tennyson, Cleanth Brooks, Gunga Din, Joyce Kilmer, Memorizing poetry, Percy Shelley, Robert Penn Warren, Rudyard Kipling, Ulysses Comments closed
The Moment Kindheartedness Walks In
Sometimes when I get depressed about the state of the world, I do two things. First, I remind myself that too often I allow myself to be stampeded into fear by media headlines, which use adrenaline to hook us. Second, I recollect the many generous and kind people in my life and in the world. […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Kindness", Tintern Abbey, violence, Yusef Komunyakaa Comments closed
With Aging, Abundant Recompense
In a follow-up to yesterday’s post where I talked about my cancer-ridden friend Alan, I examine another passage from The Brothers Karamazov. This one is focused on aging generally, not just death. If you ever find yourself getting depressed about getting old, check it out. And check out as well William Wordsworth’s Intimations […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Aging, Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Intimations of Immortality, Nature, Tintern Abbey Comments closed
Essay Grading and the Great Wall of China
At this time of year, I sometimes wonder why I signed up for this gig. Stacks of ungraded essays are strewn “far and wee” across my study, and only the knowledge that I have completed my student essays in the past assures me that I will make it through this batch. In my hour of […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged After Apple-Picking, Franz Kafka, Great Wall of China, Robert Frost, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, teaching, Work Comments closed
