Category: Essays

ISSUE #43 | DEC 2023, Religion

Shakespeare and the Psalmist: How Hamlet Echoes Psalm 8

“What a piece of work is man, How noble in reason…/ and/ yet to me, what is this quintessence of dust.” Hamlet’s mournful declaration in Act II, scene 2 opens the audience up to his deeply despondent view of human nature.  The prince of Denmark, fresh off his mother’s wedding to his uncle, looks at the world through graphite-colored glasses. Throughout the play, he is … Continue reading Shakespeare and the Psalmist: How Hamlet Echoes Psalm 8

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culture, ISSUE #43 | DEC 2023

History, an Antidote to Narcissim

The story of Echo and Narcissus in the Metamorphoses begins when Narcissus’ mother visits a sage and inquires if her son will live to a “ripe old age.” She receives an ambiguous response: Narcissus will live to a ripe old age “if he knows himself—not” (3.449). The anapest meter of the line emphasizes two key terms of the prophecy: “knows” and “not.” The strong syllables … Continue reading History, an Antidote to Narcissim

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From the Faculty, ISSUE #43 | DEC 2023

Doctor Tripepi in the Multiverse of Memory

A few days after I was asked to contribute an essay to the Forum, one of the editors asked if I could write about my experience of being back at Hillsdale as a professor. In trying to meet this request, it is tempting to title this piece “There and Back Again,” but I think the published title is more appropriate. Perhaps a good place to … Continue reading Doctor Tripepi in the Multiverse of Memory

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ISSUE #43 | DEC 2023, politics

Reflections on Fukushima Water

After a  2011 tsunami, Japan experienced the second-worst nuclear disaster in human history at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The system at the Fukushima power plant detected an earthquake and automatically shut down the reactors as the emergency diesel fuel generators started providing essential energy for the coolant system of the core. However, the tsunami that followed the earthquake disabled all diesel generators, causing the … Continue reading Reflections on Fukushima Water

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From the Faculty, ISSUE #43 | DEC 2023

Priesthood as Craft, Not Science

I remember reading an essay by a fellow ex-seminarian critiquing our former institution and its late rector for alleged failures to provide adequate emotional support to young men, for its rigid notions of masculinity, and other such micro-aggression. Coming from a center-left place, his article only differed in details, but not in essence, from the right-wing critiques of seminaries as dens of sodomy yielding the … Continue reading Priesthood as Craft, Not Science

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culture, ISSUE #42 | OCT 2023

Nineteenth Century French Catholics’ Challenge to Integralism

In 2019, Sohrab Ahmari and David French engaged in an infamous debate that culminated in a discussion of drag queen story hours. Both men agreed that exposing children to drag queens is immoral; however, while French argued that the First Amendment protects drag queen story hours, Ahmari argued that such activities are harmful to society and ought to be suppressed by the government. Whatever your … Continue reading Nineteenth Century French Catholics’ Challenge to Integralism

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ISSUE #42 | OCT 2023, Poetry

Poetic Creation: Illuminating the Mystery of Divine Love

Love is the colossal mystery at the heart of the universe—a mystery that haunts every corner of our lives as we ponder what we see around us. It is the light illuminating the nothingness within the atom and the chorus singing through the darkness between the stars. We often have a utilitarian view of nature, with horses for riding, trees for building and burning, and … Continue reading Poetic Creation: Illuminating the Mystery of Divine Love

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Film Reviews, ISSUE #42 | OCT 2023

How the “Barbie” Movie Subverts Expectations

From the droves of young people flocking to the theaters decked head to toe in pink, to the gushy movie critics, to the conservatives who thought it was based, to the conservatives who thought it was garbage, everyone who watched it has been reacting powerfully to the film Barbie. Such an uproar is a sign that the movie touches something deep in the zeitgeist—but what … Continue reading How the “Barbie” Movie Subverts Expectations

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ISSUE #41 | MAY 2023, Poetry

Cowboy Poetry

Have you ever heard of Henry Herbert Knibbs? Or cowboy poetry? Or a chuckwagon cook? I hadn’t either. At least not until I met John and Randy, who are cowboys. Actual cowboys, as in leather chaps, frisky horses, and open spaces.   The marvelous thing about poetry is that it bursts out of every seam of human experience. Look to the Wild West. Their poetic tradition—heart-wrenching, … Continue reading Cowboy Poetry

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