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Ashok Karra

Ashok Karra

356 posts published

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Onur Karamercan, "Heidegger's Antigone: The Ethos of Poetic Existence"
philosophy

Onur Karamercan, "Heidegger's Antigone: The Ethos of Poetic Existence"

...authenticity, especially in this age of relentless fandom, is something we yearn for but don't realize it.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Mar 28, 2025 • 6 min read
Natalie Diaz, "From the Desire Field"
poetry

Natalie Diaz, "From the Desire Field"

"From the Desire Field" is most certainly living in the fullest sense, a sense I want.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Mar 22, 2025 • 9 min read
We Grow Together, or Year in Review for Sigma Kappa Delta, Psi Alpha Chapter AY 2024-25
education

We Grow Together, or Year in Review for Sigma Kappa Delta, Psi Alpha Chapter AY 2024-25

I should preface this year in review by saying we're not done yet.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Mar 20, 2025 • 5 min read
What does it mean to be Texan?
american politics

What does it mean to be Texan?

Our guide for this question will be Steve Lovelace's fantastic meditation in a blog post aptly titled "What Does It Mean to Be a Texan?"

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Mar 17, 2025 • 8 min read
Carol Snow, "Tour"
poetry

Carol Snow, "Tour"

The recognition that everything is sacred means recognizing the beauty and necessity of the fallen blossoms.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Mar 15, 2025 • 3 min read
Emily Dickinson, "When I have seen the Sun emerge" (888)
poetry

Emily Dickinson, "When I have seen the Sun emerge" (888)

Dickinson's "When I have seen the Sun emerge" is an easy poem to indulge.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Mar 12, 2025 • 5 min read
Carolina Ebeid, "letter to the Corinthians"
poetry

Carolina Ebeid, "letter to the Corinthians"

She lets "magnificent" sit on a line all by itself, as if the word alone deserves as much space as it can get.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Mar 10, 2025 • 7 min read
Elitism, Pluralism, & Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò's "Elite Capture"
american politics

Elitism, Pluralism, & Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò's "Elite Capture"

Politics isn't a game, even though parts of it play like one.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Feb 27, 2025 • 7 min read
On The American Presidency
american politics

On The American Presidency

In short: the Presidency does not seem like a serious institution.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Feb 23, 2025 • 7 min read
Kevin Young, "Resume"
poetry

Kevin Young, "Resume"

The poem is not shy about life emerging from dirt. Worse than dirt, truth be told.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Feb 22, 2025 • 4 min read
On the "pursuit of Happiness"
american politics

On the "pursuit of Happiness"

What does "the pursuit of Happiness" mean? What is this "Happiness" we are chasing?

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Feb 3, 2025 • 4 min read
Quick Political Explainer: What do "Oligarchy," "Authoritarianism," and "Kleptocracy" mean? Why might someone use these words today?
american politics

Quick Political Explainer: What do "Oligarchy," "Authoritarianism," and "Kleptocracy" mean? Why might someone use these words today?

Senator Sanders says we should take all three of these threats seriously.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Feb 2, 2025 • 4 min read
An Open Letter to All Dual Credit Students
education

An Open Letter to All Dual Credit Students

...higher learning isn't about grades and rank. It's about the courage you develop to use your curiosity.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jan 31, 2025 • 4 min read
Lorine Niedecker, "Transition"
poetry

Lorine Niedecker, "Transition"

There are supple lines in poetry, lines with a breezy flexibility and realized grace.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jan 30, 2025 • 3 min read
On Motivation
education

On Motivation

...no less than Socrates argues anger and fear are perfectly fine motivators if the time is right.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jan 27, 2025 • 4 min read
The California Wildfires, Government, and Necessity
american politics

The California Wildfires, Government, and Necessity

How do we explain to someone who believes amazon.com can replace a public library that a library is so much more than books?

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jan 20, 2025 • 6 min read
Emily Dickinson, "A Thought went up my mind today" (701)
poetry

Emily Dickinson, "A Thought went up my mind today" (701)

Dickinson says she had a thought – "A Thought went up my mind today" – and then narrates its unique horror.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jan 14, 2025 • 5 min read
The Opening of Ta-Nehisi Coates' The Message
education

The Opening of Ta-Nehisi Coates' The Message

A letter means to break through this. All of this.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Jan 5, 2025 • 5 min read
The need for sensitivity to community in Texas
american politics

The need for sensitivity to community in Texas

I lived in Dallas 20 years and I thought I knew a lot about Texas.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Dec 29, 2024 • 7 min read
Emily Dickinson, "Pain — has an Element of Blank" (650)
poetry

Emily Dickinson, "Pain — has an Element of Blank" (650)

Dickinson claims "Pain – has an Element of Blank." I can't help but think how uncomfortable we are with that notion.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Dec 23, 2024 • 3 min read
Texan Constitutionalism, if you will, and a Short Introduction to Civil Rights and Liberties
american politics

Texan Constitutionalism, if you will, and a Short Introduction to Civil Rights and Liberties

One of the best ways to understand the law is to understand the political debates adjacent to it.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Dec 22, 2024 • 6 min read
Emily Dickinson, "I worked for chaff and earning Wheat" (J 1269)
poetry

Emily Dickinson, "I worked for chaff and earning Wheat" (J 1269)

The question for us is our devotion to the worthless.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Dec 18, 2024 • 3 min read
Intro to Texas Government: What does it mean to be Texan? What does it mean to be an American?
american politics

Intro to Texas Government: What does it mean to be Texan? What does it mean to be an American?

I want to start with the question that's the heart of the course: What does it mean to be Texan?

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Dec 17, 2024 • 3 min read
bell hooks' Definition of Love and our Present Political Moment
american politics

bell hooks' Definition of Love and our Present Political Moment

If we're going to have a better politics, someone has to stand for something real.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Dec 15, 2024 • 5 min read
Graham Foust, "The Only Poem"
poetry

Graham Foust, "The Only Poem"

I'm staring at Foust's last lines of "The Only Poem:" Even in danger, / you're a writer, liar.

  • Ashok Karra
Ashok Karra Dec 4, 2024 • 4 min read
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