I read a poem written by Anne Sexton that (in my far from expert opinion) should not be ignored by anyone, even those who do not usually read poetry; it should not be dismissed by self-described poetry critics or by pseudo-intellectuals who aspire to ruin that which they can neither appreciate nor even (truly) understand.
The Operation
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Did You Know . . .?
The name Wendy was made up for the book "Peter Pan."
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HISTORICAL EVENT
On this day, November 11 in
1831, Nat Turner, the leader of a bloody slave revolt in Southampton County, Virginia, was hanged in Jerusalem, the county seat. Turner, a slave and educated minister, believed that he was chosen by God to lead his people out of slavery. On August 21, 1831, he initiated his slave uprising by slaughtering Joseph Travis, his slave owner, and Travis' family. With seven followers, Turner set off across the countryside, hoping to rally hundreds of slaves to join his insurrection. Turner planned to capture the county armory at Jerusalem, Virginia, and then march 30 miles to Dismal Swamp, where his rebels would be able to elude their pursuers.
During the next two days and nights, Turner and 75 followers rampaged through Southampton County, killing about 60 whites. The state militia -- consisting of some 3,000 men -- crushed the rebellion. Only a few miles from Jerusalem, Turner and all his followers were dispersed, captured, or killed. Scores of African Americans were lynched, though many of them had not participated in the revolt. Turner himself was not captured until the end of October, and after confessing without regret to his role in the bloodshed, he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. On November 11, he was hanged in Jerusalem.
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WORD FOR TODAY
poetry
noun
1. the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts.
2. literary work in metrical form; verse.
3. prose with poetic qualities.
4. poetic qualities however manifested: the poetry of simple acts and things.
Poetry is a form of literary art which uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language -- such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre -- to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, the prosaic ostensible meaning.
Poetry uses forms and conventions to suggest differential interpretation to words, or to evoke emotive responses.
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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
(born November 11, 1974)
Leonardo DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator (2004).
DiCaprio started his career by appearing in the sitcom
Growing Pains in the early 1990s. He made his film debut in the comedic sci-fi horror film
Critters 3 (1991) and
This Boy's Life (1993). DiCaprio obtained recognition for his subsequent work in supporting roles in
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) and
Marvin's Room (1996), as well as leading roles in
The Basketball Diaries (1995) and
Romeo + Juliet (1996), before achieving international fame in James Cameron's
Titanic (1997).
Since the 2000s, DiCaprio has been nominated for awards for his work in such films as
Catch Me If You Can (2002),
Gangs of New York (2002),
The Aviator (2004),
Blood Diamond (2006),
The Departed (2006),
Revolutionary Road (2008),
Django Unchained (2012) and
The Great Gatsby (2013). His films
Shutter Island (2010) and
Inception (2010) rank among the biggest commercial successes of his career. DiCaprio owns a production company named Appian Way Productions, whose productions include the films
Gardener of Eden (2007) and
Orphan (2009).
(born November 11, 1962)
Demi Moore is an American actress, film producer, film director, former songwriter, and model. After making her acting debut in 1981, she appeared on the soap opera General Hospital and subsequently gained attention for her roles in Blame It on Rio (1984) and St. Elmo's Fire (1985). Her first film to become both a critical and commercial hit was About Last Night... (1986), which established her as a Hollywood star.
In 1990, Moore starred in
Ghost, which was the highest-grossing film of that year and brought her a Golden Globe nomination. She had a string of additional box-office successes over the early 1990s with
A Few Good Men (1992),
Indecent Proposal (1993), and
Disclosure (1994). In 1996, Moore became the highest-paid actress in film history when she was paid a then-unprecedented fee of $12.5 million to star in
Striptease. The high-profile disappointment of that film as well as her next,
G.I. Jane (1997), was followed by a lengthy hiatus and significant downturn in Moore's acting career, although she has remained a subject of substantial media interest during the years since.
(Nov 11, 1925 - April 11, 2013)
Jonathan Winters was an American comedian, actor, author, and artist. With a career spanning more than six decades, Winters appeared in hundreds of television show episodes/series and films combined, including eccentric characters on The Steve Allen Show, The Garry Moore Show, The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters (1972–74), Mork & Mindy, Hee Haw, and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. He also voiced Grandpa Smurf on The Smurfs (1986–89) and Papa Smurf in The Smurfs (2011). Winters’ final feature film was The Smurfs 2 in 2013, which is dedicated to his memory.
(born November 11, 1982)
Brittny Gastineau is an American model, socialite, and reality television personality. In 2004, Gastineau landed a development deal with the E! Network and began production on a reality series which would also feature her mother Lisa Gastineau, the ex-wife of NFL defensive end Mark Gastineau. In 2005 the series, eventually dubbed The Gastineau Girls, premiered on February 15 and became a modest hit for The E! Network.
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A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness.
--Robert Frost
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