Month: March 2022

Gabriel García Márquez (1927?)

García Márquez was a Colombian novelist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982 and is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest 20th-century writers. His two masterpieces, One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera, center on themes of violence, solitude, and the overwhelming human need for love. The former text became a principal vehicle for the surrealist style of magic realism. What career path did García Márquez abandon in order to pursue writing? Discuss

Iambic Pentameter: Shakespeare's Rhythm

Iambic pentameter is a meter in poetry consisting of lines of five feet in which the iamb is the dominant foot. The iamb is characterized by a short, stressed syllable followed by a long, unstressed one. Shakespeare favored iambic pentameter in many of his sonnets and plays. What are examples from Shakespeare’s work that feature this meter? Discuss

Britannia Bridge Opens (1850)

The Britannia Bridge spans the Menai Strait, connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the Welsh mainland. Though the bridge as it now stands comprises two concrete decks—one for trains and the other for motor vehicles—it was originally built as a single-tier, wrought-iron, tubular span reserved exclusively for rail traffic. Designed by British civil engineer Robert Stephenson, son of famed locomotive builder George Stephenson, the original bridge stood for 120 years before who set it on fire? Discuss

Charles Goodnight (1836)

Goodnight was a cattleman known as the father of the Texas Panhandle. As a young man, he joined the Texas Rangers and became a noted scout and Indian fighter. Eventually, he turned to ranching and cattle driving. In 1866, he and Oliver Loving laid out the Goodnight-Loving cattle trail that extended from Texas through New Mexico and Colorado and into Wyoming. He later cofounded the million-acre JA Ranch in Texas, where he crossed Angus cattle with buffalo to produce what animal? Discuss

Suspension Bridges

A suspension bridge, like San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge, features a roadway suspended from vertical cables. Though an early version of the suspension bridge existed in 15th-century Tibet, the first Western design dates back to 16th-century Italy. While suspension bridges are ideal for spanning long distances, their tendency to vibrate during heavy winds can have devastating consequences. Which suspension bridge collapse—caused by severe winds—was caught on film in 1940? Discuss