This week in class, we’re reading “God Sees the Truth, But Waits” by Leo Tolstoy translated by Aylmer Maude. In Leo Tolstoy’s short story, “God Sees the Truth, But Waits”, a man is convicted of a crime that he didn’t commit. As we read, we will be discussing the themes of Justice, Freedom & Equality…

This week in class, we’re reading “When You Are Old” by William Butler Yeats. In William Butler Yeat’s “When You Are Old,” a speaker asks someone to reflect on their life and on lost love in their old age. As we read, we will be discussing the themes of Growing Up, Loneliness & Isolation, and Love…

This week in class, we’re reading “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats. In this famous poem, William Butler Yeats paints a terrifying, apocalyptic scene in order to describe the atmosphere of Europe following World War I. As we read, we will be discussing the themes of Technology, Progress & Industry and War & Peace…

This week in class, we’re reading “Easter 1916” by William Butler Yeats. “Easter 1916” is a famous poem by William Butler Yeats that deals with themes of war and loss of innocence. Although Yeats was an Irish nationalist, in the poem he describes conflicting emotions about the Easter Rising, an armed rebellion against British rule…

This week in class, we’re reading “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner. William Faulkner (1897-1962) was an American writer and Nobel Prize laureate. This story takes place in Mississippi around the turn of the 20th century. After the death of Miss Emily Grierson, the people of Jefferson, Mississippi, uncover a dark history in this…

This week in class, we’re reading “Araby” by James Joyce. “Araby” (1914) is a classic coming-of-age story written by James Joyce. It touches on themes of disillusionment and the consequences of idealism. As we read, we will be discussing the theme of Growing Up as it relates to the text. We are trying to answer this big…

This week in class, we’re reading “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury. In Ray Bradbury’s short story “A Sound of Thunder,” a man goes back in time to hunt a Tyrannosaurus rex and inadvertently changes the future. As we read, we will be discussing the themes of Fate & Free Will, Man vs. Nature,…

This week in class, we’re reading “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty. In Liam O’Flaherty’s “The Sniper,” a sniper during the Irish Civil War survives a brief conflict but suffers a terrible loss. As we read, we will be discussing the themes of Comedy & Tragedy, Death, and War & Peace as they relate to the…