Poetry Museum- War

Poetry and Politics:

Poetry often acts as a catalyst for civil action. The poet hopes to  use the condensed wording to punch the hearer with a message full of  impact.  Abolitionist Thinkers of the 1850's utilized poetic forms to communicate their platform.  The enlightened poets of the 1850's felt that the Judges and great men and utilized poetry to move their stoney hearts.
 Herman Melville also used the impact of poetry to communicate his belief in the evil of slavery:

The Portent

By Herman Melville

Hanging from the beam,

      Slowly swaying (such the law),

Gaunt the shadow on your green,

      Shenandoah!

The cut is on the crown

      (Lo, John Brown),

And the stabs shall heal no more.

Hidden in the cap

      Is the anguish none can draw;

So your future veils its face,

      Shenandoah!

But the streaming beard is shown

      (Weird John Brown),

The meteor of the war.

The Best of Jack Vance by Jack Vance




This is a collection of stories by Jack Vance written between 1952 and 1973.  Part II of III
(1958)Ullward's Retreat: (Issues Examined: Utopias)
How much space does one really need?  A whole planet is it enough for one man?  Are we that greedy that even ownership of a planet is not enough? 

(1966)The Last Castle: (Issue Examined: Civil Rights)
The Last Castle, is a short story influenced by Japanese Samurai Culture, and explores the ideas of a closed caste system where it is impossible to alter one's life.  The story highlights the relationships between the gentlemen society and those that work to support it.  Vance poses the quesiton: "Is prospering from slave labor ever okay for the building up of a society?  The men of high means almost always underestimate their servants, "They are a clever, resourceful race, untroubled by qualms or preconceptions, and we have long underestimated their quality."   The gentlemen becoming Wild Animals? or Nomads with out a home? if they are to leave their caste system.    The answer to Vance is clear, "Society need not wither, provided that all of us - you as well as we - toil for it.  There can be no more slaves."pg 112 

(1952)Abercombie Station:
Where is Abercombie Station?

(1961)The Moon Moth:
An anthropological tale.

(1973) Rumfuddle:'
Where is that portal, where does it lead, can you change history?  Can you change history by helping others find their creative calling?  Can Hitler make a good hotel maid?  Can Genghis Kahn make a great catcher on the San Francisco Giants? This is one of my all time favorite short stories. 




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