In Defense of Thoreau
Source: The Atlantic
Duke professor Jedediah Purdy makes a counter-argument to Kathryn Schulz’s “Pond Scum” essay in The New Yorker, which criticized Henry David Thoreau both as a writer and as a person.
Arts & Entertainment
Aaron Douglas’s Magisterial Aspects of Negro Life
Source: New York Public Library
This text provides an overview of Harlem Renaissance painter Aaron Douglas. Click the images on the left to view some of his work in more detail and watch the video at the bottom for more background.
How Animal Farm Gave Hope to Stalin’s Refugees
Source: The Atlantic
Ukranians oppressed by the Soviet Stalin regime managed to smuggle in a translation of George Orwell’s indictment of Stalinism.
Up, Up, and Oy Vey!
Source: Aish
An old joke goes that if you meet a guy whose name has “man” at the end, either he’s from a Jewish family or he’s a superhero. A rabbi digs into the Jewish roots of our most popular superheroes.
Robert Frost’s Christmas Cards
Source: Academy of American Poets
Although these greeting cards started as a way to celebrate the winter season, poet Robert Frost was encouraged to continue them as an annual holiday tradition. Find out which of his famous poems were used as the verses for these unique cards that are collectors’ items today.
What Is Fashion?
Source: PBS News Hour
Why do we wear what we wear? How is fashion a way of making your voice heard? This article on fashion provides insights into these questions.
Modern day Canterbury Tales refreshes Chaucer to tell the lost stories of refugees
Source: The Conversation
In June 2015, a group of academics set out to re-create The Canterbury Tales by walking 80 miles across the North Downs in England and telling the stories of refugees along the way. Their goal was to give a voice to those who are often unheard.
Mark Twain’s Eternal Chatter
Source: The New Yorker
Author Ben Tarnoff analyzes the celebrity of Mark Twain and critiques the writer’s autobiography, which was published in several volumes starting in 2010.
A Wild, ‘Burning’ Journey Back To Old Mexico
Source: NPR
Author Oscar Casares reviews the work of Juan Rulfo, who covered themes of violence and how it affected the behaviors of individuals in his writing. An excerpt from Rulfo’s The Burning Plain and Other Stories is included.
The Life of the Buddha
Source: Asian Art Museum
Read about the events of the Buddha’s early life that lead him to preaching about a different way of living.