Sunday, October 26, 2008

If I were a boy ...

This is Beyonce's new single. I really like what they did with the video.



The most obvious message, of course, is that if the roles were switched he would understand how she feels.

On the other hand, the video also seems to say that if the woman was in the position of the man she might not act any better than he acts. Being a woman doesn't make you a better person. (Which kind of mitigates what could be seen as a bit of sexism in the song.)

Beowulf, translated by Maria Dahvana Headley

I never intended to read yet another epic poem immediately after finishing The Iliad .  But I subscribe to the Poetry Unbound podcast and in...