Category: Uncategorized

A major point of connection that I was able to recognize between Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God and Part IV of Ken Burns’ Country Music Documentary was the theme of having an “us versus everyone” mentality (Burns 0:36). In Chapter 18 of the former work, Janie and Tea Cake are confronted by…

The progression of value systems, especially concerning genders, and this progression’s effect on American society and identity are very visible both when reading Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” and while watching Part III of Ken Burn’s country music documentary. While the two cover completely separate time frames, certain parallels are worth exploring.…

One theme that is consistent across time frames, both in Part III of Ken Burns’ documentary and John Dos Passos’ “The Big Money” is the often-corrupting effect of war. It is recalled early on in the documentary, for instance, that “after the war (meaning World War II in this case) everyone came back supercharged” (Burns…

The story of America is not only one of tradition, but one of traditions formed by melding cultures. As is made apparent in the first episode of Ken Burns’ documentary, this is no different regarding country music. Country, in other words, American folk music, gradually came into its own as a genre over the former…

Frodo listened with naive skepticism as Gandalf recalled the fates of Ringbearers past. The Ring, he explained, desired above all to reunite with Sauron, as torment and treachery awaited anyone with the potential to threaten this one objective. As symbolized by the Ring’s attraction, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy shows that all are…

Note: I accidentally wrote a paragraph about Galadriel, but realized it would be better to start with Gollum. Now a feral creature, Gollum resentfully wandered the Misty Mountains on all fours, banished by his kinfolk. Any notion of “Smeagol” faded from his memory, as the “Precious” continued to chisel away at any remnant of his…

A recurring theme within J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is the emergence of an unexpected event or character that fixes an otherwise doomed situation. Notable examples include: Aragorn’s (or Strider, as he was first introduced) fateful presence in Bree, since the Hobbits would have otherwise met an early demise by Nazgul blade; Gandalf’s…

A broken soul, in the moral sense, is just a few strokes of temptation away. Most of the time, this temptation manifests itself in the pursuit of power — a seemingly noble hunt, but all the while a bane of virtue. All are fallible, whether it’s the corrupted SMERSH officers within Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s momentous exposé…

It is easy to cast aspersions and criticism at those who have suffered without having suffered yourself. This all-too-common phenomenon, known more broadly as virtue signaling, allows for the easiest path towards projecting sound morals and/or decency of character. On a similar vein, it is also rather simple to imagine yourself worthy of power and…

It is during the most desperate of times that people become most susceptible to falsehood. Our minds are set up to rationalize the world around us, and hope is an often underestimated navigation tool, orienting us through figurative wind and tide. When said hope dissipates in the face of hardship and/or adversity, it leaves people…