Category Archives: Pop Culture

Samurai, Ronin, Accountant?

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Sharyn

I recently watched Kenji Mizoguchi’s film The 47 Ronin, released in two parts in 1941 and 1942, and based on a play cycle written by  Seika Mayama. The film tells the historical tale of 47 (or 46, depending on the … Continue reading →

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Terrace House & the Promise to Work Hard

Posted on June 4, 2019 by Sharyn

I’ve been somewhat captivated by the Japanese reality show Terrace House over the past year or so, and its popularity here in the US seems to keep growing. Since a few of the seasons dropped to US Netflix, lots of … Continue reading →

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Critical Thinking & Source Evaluation: It’s Sexier Than You Might Think!

Posted on February 24, 2018 by Sharyn

First, let me say that it has been a real struggle this semester, and I have pushed blogging way down my “next actions” list. I should be committing to write here much more, and I intend to get back on … Continue reading →

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A Twitterary Approach to Poetry

Posted on December 26, 2017 by Sharyn

Sometime earlier this year, William Carlos Williams’ poem “This is Just to Say” became something of a phenomenon on Twitter. The 1934 poem, simple in its Imagist style, is now a funny meme, getting remixed, reinterpreted, and set to music … Continue reading →

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The Theft of Marsha P. Johnson

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Sharyn

Over the past few weeks, it has come to light that a new documentary about the legendary transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson was made in a highly unethical fashion. The still-developing story about The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson is a sad … Continue reading →

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Angels in America at the Actors Theatre

Posted on September 25, 2017 by Sharyn

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to see Part 2, “Perestroika,” of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. As I have mentioned several times in this blog, I teach Angels regularly as part of my 20th century … Continue reading →

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Alt, Schmalt

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Sharyn

You may have heard about the new show concept announced from the creative team behind the HBO hit Game of Thrones. The new show, to be produced for HBO, is called Confederate and is set in a “grisly dystopian future” in which the … Continue reading →

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Are You Ready for Some Rhetorical Analysis??

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Sharyn

American football is inescapable. And though it is the off season, I’ve been thinking about football and rhetoric quite a bit. This was brought on by watching the second season of Amazon Studios’ documentary-series, All or Nothing, which follows an NFL … Continue reading →

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Mime Field

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Sharyn

      The internet anger machine has finally discovered the San Francisco Mime Troupe (SFMT), a political theatre group that has been active since 1959. Over the July 1 weekend, the Troupe premiered their new play, Walls, about an unlikely … Continue reading →

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Fences…Meh?

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Sharyn

This is going to sound awfully petty, or snobbish, but I finally got around to watching Fences, the filmed adaptation of the August Wilson play from 2016. Directed by and starring Denzel Washington, it essentially adapts the 2010 Broadway revival in … Continue reading →

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