Hollywood Satire: His Girl Friday (1940)
His Girl Friday (1940) is about one domineering newspaperman’s attempts to win his ex-wife back before she marries an insurance salesman. But he does not try this through conventional means and sweet-talk. He does this by pulling her back into the world of journalism, which convinces her that she loves the exciting life with him…
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‘The Bad and the Beautiful’ (1951): The Cost of Hollywood’s Studio System
The Bad and the Beautiful (1951) is a film about the rise and fall of a young and ambitious Hollywood producer named Jonathan Shields. On his way to the top, he screws over three people: a director, an actress, and a writer. But even though they hate him, his brilliance and unyielding standards also turned…
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Philip Dru: The Guise of Welfare and the Death of Liberty
Philip Dru: Administrator by Edward M. House follows a brilliant West Point graduate’s rise to political power. From the beginning of the book and throughout all of his conversations with Gloria, who he later marries, Philip Dru shows interest in the greater welfare of society. Unfortunately, Dru rests on the false assumption that salvation can…
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Philip Dru and the 16th Amendment
Edward M. House, an influential advisor during Woodrow Wilson’s administration, wrote Philip Dru: Administrator (1912) during the beginning of the Progressive Era. Rapidly, U.S. politics became dominated by Progressive idealism and the hope for a brighter future. All of the country’s past classical liberal ideals regarding federalism, constitutionalism, limited government, free trade, non-interventionism, etc., were…
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O. Henry: America’s Greatest Writer?
The three most recent authors added to my catalogue of half-decent American writers are O. Henry, Jack London, and Ambrose Bierce. As Dr. Gary North likes to say, we have entered a new regime. In this case, that quote pertains to 19th-century American authors. This section first began with the nonsensical writings of James Fenimore…
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A Place for Mark Twain
A Place for Twain After going through multiple of Mark Twain’s stories for Dr. Gary North’s English class, I have discovered where Twain lies in the catalogue of American authors and whether there is a place for his humorous writings or not. Surely the vast majority of literate Americans—which, in fairness, are far and few…
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Lincoln Mastered the Sound of the King James Bible
Despite its short brevity, the Gettysburg Address has come down as one of the most influential speeches given in American history. It was only three paragraphs long, but it became the North’s creed for the rest of the Civil War. Today, selections from that creed are still remembered and exonerated as the mission statement of…
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Mark Twain thought Cooper Sucked. Was He Right?
Asher K. Sisneros Dr. Gary North American Literature January 2, 2025 Mark Twain wrote a scathing review of his contemporary James Fenimore Cooper, Cooper’s Literary Offenses. Both were 19th-century American fictional authors, but Twain thought Cooper was an embarrassment to the literary profession and said he broke 114/115 rules of good literature in his novel,…
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Irving and the Legend of Detailed Descriptions
Asher K. Sisneros Dr. Gary North American Literature December 23, 2024 Washington Irving was the first American author with international prowess, and he used words masterfully, painting a picture in his readers’ minds. His two most prominent tales are The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. Both, though very different, share light-hearted and…
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Life of Washington: Humorous Embellishment
Upon Washington’s death, interest in his private life—and the man behind the public image—only increased, and Weems answered that demand by writing “Life of Washington.” It immediately became an instant success and retained popularity. Through the 19th century, it was among the most popular books in America, and many of the stories in his biography…
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My Ticket to Wealth, Fame, and Prestige
Asher K. Sisneros Dr. Gary North American Literature December 5, 2024 Note: Dr. Gary North’s writing prompt this morning was amusing. He said, “If you wanted to make money by writing a self-improvement book for Americans, what would you write about?” Well, ol’ North, here’s your answer. If I wrote a self-improvement book for Americans,…
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The Constitution and American Imperialism
Imperialism and liberty cannot coexist within this house we strive to build. Patriotism and nationalism are fine byproducts, but at what cost do we make them our underlying goal? If greatness on the world stage becomes our goal, we will inadvertently sell liberty. Perhaps we will gain international prowess as Hamilton hopes for, but what…
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Thomas Paine and Common Nonsense
Asher K. Sisneros Dr. Gary North American Literature November 18, 2024 Moving to America two years before the Declaration of Independence, as a master of rhetoric, Thomas Paine found himself in the right place, at the right time. The American Revolution had ravaged the thirteen colonies for years now, and prominent lawyers leading the revolution…
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Rebel Farmers: A Song of Revolution
Rebel Farmers: A Song of Revolution, by Asher Sisneros There is George on his rooftop, screaming with glee,As he taxes us down to our knees;Rebel farmes united, rebel farmers we stand, Rebel farmers who fight hand-in-hand. The British are coming with a marvelous force, Because we demand a divorce. Rebel farmers united, rebel farmers we…
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The Archetypal American: Benjamin Franklin
Asher K. Sisneros Dr. Gary North American Literature November 4, 2024 The Founding Fathers laid the seeds that flourished into a new society. Their work resulted in the birth of a new nation, and each of them contributed differently to forming the character of this society. Different people will make arguments that different Founders exemplified…
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