It is a tragedy not to. — Who, being loved, is poor? Oscar Wilde When Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray first popped onto the proper and prissy Victorian literature scene, people saw this masterful work for what it was: a thinly veiled homage to homosexual love. You may say, who cares? Many of you live…

Lessons on self-exploration from a Cuban, Immigrant, and Londoner — Who are you, really? Some of you may never have to ask this question, others may have this question forced upon them. Mario López-Goicoechea falls into the latter group. In his book Cuban, Immigrant, and Londoner, he wrestles with the wrath of this complex question and reaches this conclusion: “I…

Elementary, My Dear Medium Reader — It’s time for you to be like Sherlock Holmes. No, you don’t have to wear a tweed jacket or smoke hash from a pipe. These are superficial aspects of the legendary detective — iconic, no doubt, but superficial nonetheless. What you need to do is adopt the mindset of this…

Lessons on evil from The Master and Margarita. — Look at the picture above. Know what’s terrifying about it? They’re all people — just like you. The atrocities of Nazi Germany were condoned and carried out by human beings. …

Take it from a World War I veteran: Freedom and the destruction it takes to get it are not equally worthy of praise. — Even when it’s necessary, war should never be glorified. Conflict is inherent to human nature, no doubt, but that doesn't mean we should praise it. The destruction of lives and property is generally frowned upon in individual instances. …

Sincerely, Jane Eyre — If you’re a woman or know a woman, read Jane Eyre. Seriously, this woman rocks. The Victorian era must have been insufferable — especially for a woman. With their dopey derby hats and direct sexism, men essentially owned you. Society saw you as a baby machine. And external beauty was…

Great people are still people — and people mess up a lot. — Something near relief comes from learning that Martin Luther King Jr. was fooling around the night before he was assassinated. Infidelity isn’t cool, not by any means. But discovering that even a moral and cultural behemoth like MLK was prone to error and vice should in many ways produce a…

Lessons On Accepting Tragedy From Slaughterhouse-Five. — There’s no choice: You WILL face tragedy someday. The choice comes in how you respond to this tragedy. Imagine your home town is destroyed by a relentless torrent of bombs. It’s turned into a Satanic wet dream of hellfire and brimstone. Neighbors incinerated. Children crushed by falling buildings. …

A Starter Pack For Native American Literature — An intersection means nothing if it isn’t all-encompassing. But trying to encapsulate all Native American cultures is like trying to measure the size of the universe: it’s impossible. Native American culture spans hundreds of tribes and languages — each as fascinating, unique, and beautiful as a snowflake. You may never…