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Honest Literature

The Importance of Being Honest

Literature around the world incorporates common themes that run true throughout the ages: acceptance, preparedness, courage, kindness, cooperation, resourcefulness, compassion, perseverance, friendship, and honesty. Classic literature extols the virtue of honesty, which preoccupies writers even today, and especially in times of political and corporate corruption.

Stuck in the Middle

For decades, economic forecasters have been predicting the demise of America’s middle class. Even as far back as the 90s, the media reported on the emergence of the income gap between rich and poor, and growing inequality.

Decades later, the Recession of 2008 certainly exasperated the situation. Many working-class Americans grew even more frustrated as wages remained stagnant or declined as unemployment rates escalated.

Driving the Future

Several decades ago, it may have been difficult to fathom the everyday use of “futuristic” gadgets such as cell phones and laptops. Since then, these modern devices have become such an integral part of our daily lives—it’s now incomprehensible to imagine navigating life without them.

In Bloom

In destinations around the globe, many people are eager to celebrate the arrival of spring. After a long, dark winter they’re stepping outdoors to welcome the sunshine. Many cultures have their own ceremonies and festivals to mark this joyous time—a season synonymous with rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection, and regrowth.

Nature Reigns

Greenery Day, which is also known as “Midori no Hi” is a national holiday in Japan that is currently celebrated on May 4th.

Symbols in Literature

“Flowers are the friends of all, and we look with amazement at the person who cannot find some amount of pleasure in their study,” begins Hilderic Friend’s book Flowers and Flower Lore. Indeed, flowers have always held a special place in the heart of humanity. They have remained evocative and highly symbolic for many different reasons to peoples throughout the ages.

Identity and the Convergence of Cultures

Junot Diaz, a Dominican American writer, is a master of the combinatorial, the high and low brow, the bridge between intellect, crudeness, colloquial, and many silent histories. He’ll have characters using two or more registers of banter, and flip through Spanish and English, and then throw in a region-specific reference as well. He is an utter and quintessential confluence whose books have redefined how we look at identity, homeland, the lasting effects of the convergence of culture and history.

Forever and a Day

Is it possible for something or someone to be so ubiquitous that it is near negligible, like the air we breathe? Is it merely a sign of the times to know so many a person by name but not by substance? Are we the era of jack of all trades, but master of none?

Nature of Yesteryear

April 22 is Earth Day, a worldwide event that celebrates our stewardship of Earth. It was devised in 1970 by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, and spurred on by a recent oil spill in Santa Barbara and the gathering public consciousness of anti-war protests. It became more popular and meaningful every year since.

Savage Traditions and their Detectives

A look at the sonnet through The Savage Detectives.

Lace in Literature

The socioeconomic symbolism of lace throughout much of fashion history cannot be underestimated. Readers of historical romance understands the significance of any mention of a four-inch lace hem, lace-trimmed ruffles, or a froth of lace at throat and cuffs.

World Rat Day

April 4 is World Rat Day. The very thought of celebrating vermin detested the world over makes one shiver with loathing.

BS Murthy

BS Murthy was born in 1948, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, India. He has worked as a Hyderabad-based insurance surveyor and loss assessor since 1986. He is married with two sons, the elder one holding a Ph.D. in finance and the younger a master’s degree in Engineering.

African American Stories

Racial inequality in the United States underlies a wide range of societal issues that affect the life chances of different groups disproportionately by race. There are vast differences in wealth across racial groups in the United States. There are many causes, including years of home ownership, household income, unemployment, and education, but inheritance might be the most important.

http://worldheritage.org/articles/Racial_inequality_in_the_United_States

Novelist Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, and designer. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1927, 1928 and 1930. Wharton combined her insider's view of America's privileged classes with a brilliant, natural wit to write humorous, incisive novels and short stories of social and psychological insight. She was well acquainted with many of her era's other literary and public figures, including Theodore Roosevelt.

citation link: http://worldheritage.org/articles/Edith_Wharton

Whetting the Appetite

Foodies are a distinct hobbyist group. Typical foodie interests and activities include the food industry, wineries and wine tasting, breweries and beer sampling, food science, following restaurant openings and closings and occasionally reopenings, food distribution, food fads, health and nutrition, cooking classes, culinary tourism, and restaurant management.

Works on Gastronomy

There have been many writings on gastronomy throughout the world that capture the thoughts and aesthetics of a culture's cuisine during a period in their history. In some cases, these works continue to define or influence the contemporary gastronomic thought and cuisine of their respective cultures.

Apicius: A 5th Century collection of Roman recipes by the gourmet Marcus Gavius Apicius. Contains instructions for preparing dishes enjoyed by the elite of the time.
Suiyuan shidan (隨園食單) : An 18th Century manual on Qing dynasty Chinese Cuisine by the poet Yuan Mei, which contains recipes from different social classes at the time along with two chapters on Chinese gastronomic and culinary theory.
The Physiology of Taste: A 19th Century book by Chef Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin that defined classic French cuisine. The work contains a large collection of flamboyant recipes from the time, but goes into the theory on preparation of French dishes and hospitality.

http://worldheritage.org/article/WHEBN0001071756/Gastronomy

Banned Books

Banned books are books or other printed works such as essays or plays which are prohibited by law or to which free access is not permitted by other means. The practice of banning books is a form of censorship, from political, legal, religious, moral, or (less often) commercial motives. This article lists notable banned books and works, giving a brief context for the reason that each book was prohibited. Banned books include fictional works such as novels, poems and plays and non-fiction works such as biographies and dictionaries.

citation link: http://worldheritage.org/articles/List_of_books_banned_by_governments

Based in the Classics

Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are enjoyed by children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.

Children's literature can be traced to stories and songs, part of a wider oral tradition, that adults shared with children before publishing existed. The development of early children's literature, before printing was invented, is difficult to trace. Even after printing became widespread, many classic "children's" tales were originally created for adults and later adapted for a younger audience. Since the 1400s, a large quantity of literature, often with a moral or religious message, has been aimed specifically at children. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries became known as the "Golden Age of Children's Literature" as this period included the publication of many books acknowledged today as classics.

http://worldheritage.org/articles/Children's_literature

Celebrating Rebellious Women

International Women's Day (IWD), is celebrated on March 8 every year.

In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation, and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political, and social achievements. Started as a Socialist political event, the holiday blended the culture of many countries, primarily in Europe, especially those in the Soviet Bloc. In some regions, the day lost its political flavor, and became simply an occasion for people to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. In other regions, however, the political and human rights theme designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner. Some people celebrate the day by wearing purple ribbons.

http://worldheritage.org/articles/International_Women's_Day

A Look Back

Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month in America, is an annual observance in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom for remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in February and the United Kingdom.

citation link: http://worldheritage.org/article/WHEBN0001030599/Black%20History%20Month