Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus is a gothic novel that spawned a new genre of horror stories. It tells the story of Frankenstein, a scientist who discovers how to bring inanimate matter to life and, in the process, creates a man-monster. When Frankenstein fails to provide a mate to satisfy the creature’s human emotions, it seeks revenge. Mary Shelley came up with the idea for the novel while vacationing at the home of what famous poet? Discuss
Month: January 2023
Oshogatsu
This is the “festival of festivals” in Japan, and it is celebrated for several days. Government offices, banks, museums and most businesses are closed from New Year’s Day, a national holiday, through January 3. For weeks before New Year’s, people clean house and purchase new clothes for the children. On New Year’s Day, it’s customary to pray at the household altar and to eat special foods, such as small, round, gooey rice cakes called mochi. Herring roe is eaten for fertility, black beans for health, dried chestnuts for success, and porgy and prawns are omens of happiness. Discuss
Chiune Sugihara (1900)
A Japanese diplomat, Sugihara was sent to Kaunas, Lithuania, in the early days of World War II. There, in direct violation of his orders from Tokyo, the consul began issuing transit visas for fleeing Jews. Without such visas, the refugees would not have been permitted to leave the country. In little over a month, he wrote thousands of visas, continuing even as the train removing him from his consulate post pulled out of the station. How did the Japanese government react to his insubordination? Discuss
close the barn door after the horse has bolted
To try to prevent or rectify a problem after the damage has already been done. Watch the video
Castanets
Now used primarily in Spanish dance music, castanets are percussion instruments that were known to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. Of the many kinds, the most common consist of two small matching pieces of hard wood or ivory, joined at the inner edge and used with a thin strap in the player’s hand. They are snapped together between the palm and fingers and used to produce clicks for rhythmic accents, especially to accompany dancing. What is the origin of the instrument’s name? Discuss
dobbin
Definition: (noun) A quiet plodding workhorse.
Synonyms: farm horse.
Usage: The dobbin had been a loyal and faithful worker, and the farmer was sad to see the quiet horse’s health decline.
Discuss