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Ashok Karra

Ashok Karra

369 posts published

http://ashokkarra.com https://x.com/akarra https://www.facebook.com/akarra
A Summary of the Responses to the Lesson Plan on the Texas Floods

A Summary of the Responses to the Lesson Plan on the Texas Floods

We can celebrate the original, thoughtful contributions of earnest students.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Aug 28, 2025 • 4 min read
Bashō, "Here, where a thousand captains swore"
basho

Bashō, "Here, where a thousand captains swore"

The only legacy which matters is a space for others.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Aug 25, 2025 • 4 min read
On Plato's Cave
philosophy

On Plato's Cave

Why is Plato's Allegory of the Cave compelling? Why has it captivated readers for centuries?

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Aug 20, 2025 • 6 min read
Yosa Buson, "The old fisherman"
poetry

Yosa Buson, "The old fisherman"

I wonder if this is aging: refusing to look elsewhere, focusing on the object in front.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Aug 14, 2025 • 4 min read
Seamus Heaney, "North"
poetry

Seamus Heaney, "North"

We travel to see history and find dust.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Aug 10, 2025 • 7 min read
Kay Ryan, "Why We Must Struggle"
poetry

Kay Ryan, "Why We Must Struggle"

At some point, the world is in fact a moral order, because it cannot be otherwise.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jul 31, 2025 • 4 min read
On American Nihilism
american politics

On American Nihilism

This is how we have destroyed the world, with an absolute right to "takes."

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jul 29, 2025 • 5 min read
Existentialism and the Concept of Man
philosophy

Existentialism and the Concept of Man

Some turn to philosophy to be able to tell everyone else they're wrong.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jul 22, 2025 • 5 min read
Lesson Plan: The Texas Floods & The Responsibility of Government
american politics

Lesson Plan: The Texas Floods & The Responsibility of Government

What follows assumes that the language of the Preamble, most especially "establish Justice" and "promote the general welfare," is part of the social contract.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jul 18, 2025 • 4 min read
Charles Simic, "In the Street"
poetry

Charles Simic, "In the Street"

Simic's "In the Street" voices a compelling, somewhat hopeless romanticism.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jul 16, 2025 • 4 min read
Lots of projects. They're getting done. Will they be completed?
american politics

Lots of projects. They're getting done. Will they be completed?

I've got notebooks filled with scribbles I barely understand, bookmarks on pages I vaguely remember.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jul 11, 2025 • 6 min read
Brand Blanshard, "On Philosophical Style"
philosophy

Brand Blanshard, "On Philosophical Style"

A thin, orange volume, it got in the way of my mouse when I played computer games or kept the comic books on my shelf company.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jul 9, 2025 • 5 min read
On the Present Ugliness
american politics

On the Present Ugliness

Everything is so ugly nowadays, even as the ugliest scenes are somewhat concealed.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jul 2, 2025 • 5 min read
Re: Imani Perry, "Art Is a Powerful Tool to Fight Racial Injustice"
american politics

Re: Imani Perry, "Art Is a Powerful Tool to Fight Racial Injustice"

Imani Perry's "Art Is a Powerful Tool to Fight Racial Injustice" compels us to clarify our urge to "do something."

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jun 29, 2025 • 4 min read
Why Should You Care About Birthright Citizenship? Also, What's Happening in NYC?
american politics

Why Should You Care About Birthright Citizenship? Also, What's Happening in NYC?

We don't really need to respect the arguments of people who only want to say racist stuff about their neighbors.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jun 27, 2025 • 7 min read
Wisława Szymborska, "Vermeer"
poetry

Wisława Szymborska, "Vermeer"

I've encountered plenty of monsters who have immersed themselves in what they think is a moral vision.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jun 24, 2025 • 5 min read
Emily Dickinson, "I never saw a Moor" (1052)
poetry

Emily Dickinson, "I never saw a Moor" (1052)

You don't have to be a pagan to know that some areas are meant to be wild and untouched.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jun 18, 2025 • 7 min read
Explainer: Who is Stephen Miller?
american politics

Explainer: Who is Stephen Miller?

As of this moment, he's essentially the President.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jun 10, 2025 • 6 min read
Andrea Cohen, "Seaside"
poetry

Andrea Cohen, "Seaside"

It's funny how planning can be the achievement itself.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jun 8, 2025 • 7 min read
Kay Ryan, "We’re Building the Ship as We Sail It"
poetry

Kay Ryan, "We’re Building the Ship as We Sail It"

...you shouldn’t reason the same way in emergencies as you do when things are normal.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jun 3, 2025 • 6 min read
Kay Ryan, "Crocodile Tears"
poetry

Kay Ryan, "Crocodile Tears"

The tropes are in charge, far more than actual people.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra May 31, 2025 • 5 min read
Marcin Świetlicki, "Photograph"
poetry

Marcin Świetlicki, "Photograph"

It is not a loss to recognize how you remember and how you love.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra May 25, 2025 • 5 min read
Robert Creeley, "Small Time"
poetry

Robert Creeley, "Small Time"

Robert Creeley's "Small Time" is a conversational poem.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra May 22, 2025 • 4 min read
Emily Dickinson, "Spring is the Period" (844)
poetry

Emily Dickinson, "Spring is the Period" (844)

You will have your days on Earth and they will be numbered.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra May 21, 2025 • 5 min read
Marcin Świetlicki, "April 1, Wągrowiec, Poland"
poetry

Marcin Świetlicki, "April 1, Wągrowiec, Poland"

Świetlicki grabs you, spins you around, and throws you into a dark, remote place.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra May 19, 2025 • 5 min read
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