Justifying one’s existence

IN A STATION OF THE METRO
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.

-Ezra Pound

This is one of those poems that a serious scholar can write a book on. Someone probably has. One of my English profs in college spent 2 hours discussing this text in class. And you know what? It was fascinating.

It’s poems like this that English profs use to justify their existence.

I have forgotten the reason for my existence as of late, but I’m sure I’ll find it again. Maybe re-reading Winnie-the-Pooh would help.

Speaking of justifying one’s existence, did you know that I once went to a thesis defense about the use of the word “and” in the Dead Sea Scrolls?

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5 Comments

Filed under academia, literature

5 Responses to Justifying one’s existence

  1. definitely reread W the P – the Moomin tales (Tove Jansson) were a recent gift to us along with some coffee cups. Also delightful

  2. Brian Rush

    You may also be interested in my recent paper _Teleology, Existentialism and Vegetable Twine: Authorial Intent in Hebron’s Titular Typo_

    :)

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