Category Archives: Words

A “peace flag” for the U. S.

Posted on May 31, 2017 by hessd

I learned while we in Ireland earlier this month that the Irish flag expresses a hope for peace between Protestants and Catholics. [1] Orange is a color that has been associated with Protestantism every since William of Orange defeated James … Continue reading →

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North Carolina. First and Last in Flight

Posted on April 11, 2017 by hessd

I was an early fan of the saying, “A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste.” When I was young, my mother thought that I mostly wasted mine and I wouldn’t want to argue that she was wrong. On the … Continue reading →

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What you said is so misunderstandable

Posted on March 22, 2017 by hessd

The current political climate is so polarized and so hostile that “misunderstanding” is almost taken for granted. What I say presupposes not the common context of communication, but only my own or those of the group I belong to. Liberals … Continue reading →

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It’s only natural

Posted on March 10, 2017 by hessd

“It’s only natural” seems like an easy thing to say. I hear it a lot. Most of the time I attend only to what it does–it excuses things– rather than what it means.  Today, thanks to a comment by Scarlett … Continue reading →

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The Re- of Resurrection

Posted on February 26, 2017 by hessd

The argument in this essay is that whoever put the re- prefix on resurrection did us no favors. We’ll see. Despite the imminent onset of the Lenten season, this is not a doctrinal investigation. This is a linguistic investigation. There … Continue reading →

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The Season of Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 5, 2017 by hessd

Bette seems never to have cared about Valentine’s Day one way or the other. I always did: I hated it. As an elementary school child, I ran into the “valentines for everyone in the class” rule. Hated it! Why would … Continue reading →

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Some Rhetorical Similarities in Trump and Hitler Speeches

Posted on January 22, 2017 by hessd

I want to write about Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler today. I know no one is going to like what I have to say, but I feel, nonetheless, some urgency about saying it now. Here is the whole message of … Continue reading →

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A “Resolution” in the new year

Posted on January 14, 2017 by hessd

That really ought to be the same as “new year’s resolution,” shouldn’t it? But the meaning of “new year’s resolution” turns out to be every bit as puzzling as why we make them and why we, mostly, fail to keep … Continue reading →

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Richard and Mildred Loving

Posted on November 22, 2016 by hessd

Peter Debruge in his May 16 review for Variety explains why the film Loving just didn’t have enough pop for him. In addition to the objection I am going to cite, there were other more technical criticisms that I accepted … Continue reading →

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“Oh, the farmers and the cowhands should be friends”

Posted on October 17, 2016 by hessd

One of the nice things about moving to a new neighborhood is that you see new signs. This one is just south of the Starbucks closest to our house. The first time I saw it, I laughed out loud. I … Continue reading →

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