“The Tuft of Flowers”
I went to turn the grass once after one Who mowed it in the dew before the sun. The dew was gone that made his blade so keen Before I came to view the levelled scene. […]
A Call to Reform: Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “The Cry of the Children”
Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem “The Cry of the Children” recognizes the injustice of the exploitation of child labor, but her protest is not so much against the eternal class struggle as it is against the failures of her culture to remain true to its long-held beliefs. Her poem is thus a call to conserve culture [...]
“The Clod and the Pebble”
“Love seeketh not itself to please, Nor for itself hath any care, But for another gives its ease, And builds a Heaven in Hell’s despair.” […]
“As Kingfishers Catch Fire”
As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame; As tumbled over rim in roundy wells Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell’s Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name; Each mortal thing does one thing and the same: Deals out that being indoors each one dwells; Selves — goes itself; [...]
C.S. Lewis on Romanticism
Though deeply conflicted about Romanticism, C.S. Lewis believed that the Romantics at least asked the right questions and found the right answers. But he also held that they failed to grasp the greater picture of things, which only Christianity truly understands. Somewhat famously, as described in Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis believed that he had [...]
“The Twilight of the West”
Children of the Sunset Lands, Living in the distant marches of the West, In the innocence of youthful ignorance They worshipped the gods and goddesses, Pouring wine upon the ground for mighty Zeus And dancing round Odin’s sacred oak, Delighting the demons who hid behind those rites. […]
“Artillery”
As I one evening sat before my cell, Methought a star did shoot into my lap. I rose and shook my clothes, as knowing well That from small fires comes oft no small mishap; When suddenly I heard one say, “Do as thou usest, disobey, Expel good motions from thy breast, Which have the face [...]
“The Unborn”
An unborn babe Is a thing of beauty, But handled roughly By white-coat clerisy – For them a lump of cells Brimming with utility. […]
Evelyn Waugh on Style & Substance in Writing
Evelyn Waugh understands that if a writer is to develop, he “must concern himself more and more with Style.” By approaching words with the attention and craft of a tailor, the literary artist not only communicates but also gives pleasure to others. “What do you think you’re doing?” It’s a question I occasionally get from [...]
“After Rereading Sophocles’ ‘Antigone'”
Better and braver, and more rash by far Than all of us, uncareful of the grave, Your voice still lives to shame us that we are Not strong to join you prisoned in the cave. […]
Lessons That Great Poems Teach
Great Christian poetry teaches us many priceless lessons about life. Engagement with the enraptured vision of wonder-filled poets enables students to learn that virtue is the necessary prerequisite for the perception of the fullness of the beauty of reality. I recently taught a short six-class course for Homeschool Connections on “Poems Every Catholic Should Know.” [...]
The Monster and the Christians
Like Beowulf, we can fight the dragons in our lives with joy and hope, for the Great Dragon had his death blow on the original D-Day when a man walked out of a tomb two thousand years ago. The Lutheran theologian Oscar Cullman famously compared the death and resurrection of Christ to D-Day. After the [...]
Why You Should Re-Read “The Great Gatsby”
A good story is worth revisiting. Such beauty requires multiple attempts at comprehension. One must keep coming back, keep expecting more, keep hoping for one more prolonged moment of imagination. And “The Great Gatsby” certainly deserves a re-read. F. Scott Fitzgerald Rosaria Butterfield once said, “Christians aren’t just readers. Christians are re-readers.”[1] This [...]
Brutus: An Honorable Hero?
In his last moments, Brutus voiced a sentiment about the ultimate tragedy of the virtuous life in those evil days, in which the good was punished and the evil rewarded. This does not make virtue worthless for the individual; it just may place him on the losing side. [E]veryone knows that some young bucks among [...]