23 January 2018: "He is taller by almost the breadth of my nail, than any of his court, which alone is enough to strike an awe into the beholders." --a proclamation describing the Emperor of Lilliput, in Gulliver's Travels.
Although just about everything about or current political situation makes me sad, I am grateful (again and again) for reminders of just how relevant classic literature is for our current times. Today we took on Gulliver's Travels in ENGL 311. It wasn't lost on the students how much the petty, malicious Lilliputians remind us our worst selves (and worst presidents, though I let them make that leap on their own). One student rolled her eyes and mentioned the infamous "my button is bigger." And, of course, the kind of behavior Swift satirizes isn't confined to one party or worldview.
So the short version of this post? The humanities matter. (Duh.)
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