Benfey examines Kipling’s letters and papers, and those of his contemporaries, and tells the story of the decade in which the author tried to fit in as a nouveau American — and then abruptly abandoned the plan.
Rhetoric Referee: And You’re Another
From schoolyard name-calling to the debate stage, And You’re Another is a rhetorical trick politicians use often.
Rhetoric Referee: Mastering the debate game
American political campaigns have devolved into a great, nationwide reality game show whose two-year seasons seem endless. The winner of the last presidential election was, in fact, the celebrity host and producer of a popular elimination reality game show. Donald Trump knows how to play the game to win. Now …
Humor: Hair today, gone tomorrow
I’ve lost the ponytail. This should come as a surprise to no one. I’ve been losing hair for years, if not decades. But to have a whole fistful of it disappear onto the floor at once? That’s drastic. Friends and former co-workers who haven’t seen me for a couple of …
Writing: Catching the breeze
For me, it was a perfect end of a summer that had seen no time on the water and little pushing a pencil.