"Old Ironsides"

So many times we discard that which is no longer of value to us with a casualness that is inappropriate. "Old Ironsides" had served in the U.S. Navy during some of the greatest sea battles that the U.S. had known. However, she was now out-dated and many could not decide what to do with her. In the midst of the public debate, Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote this poem to commemorate her past. I enjoy it because it acknowledges her service and gives her the respect that she had earned. It is that way with people, too. The link will also give you further information on this grand old lady. I hope you enjoy this link.

"Old Ironsides

Man with a Hoe

When I was in high school, this was one of my favorite poems. It spoke graphically of what happens when we destroy the idealism of youth. There must come a time where idealism and realism can coincide in peace one with another but it must be done without destroying the hopes and dreams of the population. The poem was inspired by the painting in this post. It was painted by Jean-François Millet(1814-1875)

Twain/Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc

Mark Twain, author of "Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc"-- his last finished novel---considered it to be his best and most important work, a view not shared by critics then or since. Author George Bernard Shaw, accuses Twain of being "infatuated" with Joan of Arc. Shaw says that Twain "romanticizes" the story of Joan, reproducing a legend that the English conducted a trial deliberately rigged to find Joan guilty of witchcraft and heresy. Recent scholarship of the trial transcripts, however, suggests that Twain's belief may have been closer to the truth than Shaw was willing to accept. ("Joan of Arc: Her Story," by Regine Pérnoud and Marie-Véronique Clin, translated by Jeremy Duquesnay Adams, published by St. Martin's Griffin (New York, 1999) ISBN 0-312-22730-2)


Speaking of his own work, Twain is reported to have said "I like Joan of Arc best of all my books; and it is the best; I know it perfectly well. And besides, it furnished me seven times the pleasure afforded me by any of the others; twelve years of preparation, and two years of writing."

Mr. Twain has an official website that can be found at the following link: Mark Twain

Read the book in its entirety at the following link:
Joan of Arc


I hope you enjoy this work.