What is epic poetry? Well, nobody agrees, so this is just Drout’s definition. For me, the epic is the integration of heroic feats into a matrix of real historical, political, and cultural material. Do you consider “The Lord of the Rings” epic? Yes. The difference is it’s set into the political and cultural matrix of...
Throughout the campaign, we heard continuously that the race was about the economy. But if that were true, why did America re-elect a president with unemployment at 8 percent and the national debt over $16 trillion? My suspicion: this race was not about the economy. The results hinged instead on capturing the votes of special...
At the edge of Hillsdale, where the town meets the woods, lies Oak Grove Cemetery. It is a peaceful spot, settled on rolling hills beneath oak trees that litter the ground with orange leaves in the fall and gave the cemetery its name. Oak Grove is an amalgamation of graves. Some are over a century...
In the summer of 2009, The Wall Street Journal published an article entitled “How Hillsdale Beats Harvard.” While the article focused predominantly on Hillsdale’s consistent refusal to accept government funds, the idea that Hillsdale could be better than an Ivy League school always struck me as inspiring and true in many ways. As any incoming freshman...