American Scholar

AT LARGE AND AT SMALL.

Knowledge and literacy The author analyzes the state of American literacy and levels of knowledge and concludes that many do not care about being ignorant to the many facets of Americana. There are levels of ignorance and expectations when it comes to knowledge, with what seems to be a mere handful of people who go out of their way to absorb as much knowledge as possible.

COMMONPLACE BOOK.

My Father and the Weak-Eyed Devils.

Recounting a father's life The author recounts the various aspects of his late father's life. Many things were learned from the father over the years, but he had succumbed to cancer before he could publish his memoirs or write more fictional pieces.

To a Skylark.

Poem - Brief Article

Marine Hotel, North Berwick, Scotland, May 1998.

Brief Article

Midway Through a Now Familiar Passage.

Poem - Brief Article

The Lions of Venice.

Lion statues in Venice The city of Venice in Italy has a myriad of lion statues throughout, many of which date back many centuries. The lions have evangelical symbolism from as far back as the year 828 when the gospel mark was brought back to the city following his death.

Eurydice.

Poem - Brief Article

When Germs Travel.

Diseases and epidemics The United States has experienced a number of deadly diseases and epidemics throughout its history, including typhus fever, smallpox, and diphtheria. Immigrants seeking to enter the country in the 1800s brought many of the diseases with them to the new country, which later lead to the scrutiny of those newcomers.

A Verb from the Earth.

Poem

Deputy Finds Dean's Tombstone on Highway.

Poem

The Plastic Pink Flamingo.

The pink plastic flamingo lawn ornaments invented at Union Products in 1957 is part of a long history of garden ornamentation that dates back hundred of years. It was a product of post-World War II consumerism and the rise of the plastics industry and has a special place in US popular culture.

Jane Austen Changes Her Mind.

The novels of Jane Austen have been variously interpreted as supporting conservative or feminist views. These views are generally characterized as unchanging throughout Austen's body of work. However, 'Persuasion,' her final novel' is a departure from her previous books that offers a wider view of the world.

My Aunt Faith.

Poem

Half-Answered Prayers.

A man raised as a Baptist describes what prayer has meant to him throughout his childhood and adult life. He continues to pray regularly even though he is not sure he believes in God. On three occasions he believes he heard God speaking directly to him.

After the Flood.

Relationship between man and nature A resident of New Orleans describes the disruption caused by the floods that the city frequently experiences and the irony of the way man's need for water must be balanced with its destructive powers. The scope of human needs is a narrow one that should remind humans of the need for moderation.

THE UNCERTAIN ART.

Medical education The report on American Medical schools that Abraham Flexner wrote for the Carnegie Foundation in 1910 emphasized the need for a strong basis of science in medical education. His philosophy of caring for the whole man or woman is gaining renewed emphasis in medical schools in the 1990s, but more progress is needed.

JOURNAL.

College teaching narrative A Harvard graduate who took a job teaching English at Texas Tech University in 1978 presents excerpts from his diary of his first year in the position. He details the culture shock he experienced as a resident of Lubbock, TX, that he now views as snobbish.

REREADING: A Small Note About Big Red.

A man who first read Jim Kjelgaard's 'Big Red' as a 10-year-old describes the pleasure he found in rereading it 30 years later. On this second reading he found new themes in Kjelgaard's story and its two sequels, including a love of hunting action and the maturation of Danny's character.

HOW TO READ A POEM AND FALL IN LOVE WITH POETRY.

Review

THE SOUNDS OF POETRY: A BRIEF GUIDE.

Review

OF FLIES, MICE, AND MEN.

Review

COLE PORTER: A BIOGRAPHY.

Review

THE VIEW FROM THE TOWER: ORIGINS OF AN ANTIMODERNIST IMAGE.

Review

ISAIAH BERLIN: A LIFE.

Review

Riding Uphill Through the Jungle.