I just read the essay “It Is Obscene” from https://www.chimamanda.com/ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, whose book “Americanah” I bought but haven’t read yet. And it is such a wonderful essay, in which the author describes a student of her workshop who criticized her unfairly or heartlessly.
People who ask you to ‘educate’ yourself while not having actually read any books themselves, while not being able to intelligently defend their own ideological positions, because by ‘educate,’ they actually mean ‘parrot what I say, flatten all nuance, wish away complexity.’
Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash
The last portion “Part Three” of this essay is the best and I really enjoy reading it. I wonder if the person mentioned in this essay would give a reply–preferably with equally beautiful verses–to this essay, kind of like Sartre vs. Camus, Alexander Hamilton vs. Aaron Burr, Cornel West vs. Ta-Nehisi Coates. These are the kind of literary as well as political fights I would love to witness.
Seriously, I would love to see a big fight between two literary figures, where all the nuances are un-flattened, complexity explored, parroting ridiculed. And two women literary figures fight an epic battle, leaving Sartre and Camus in the dust. That will be fun.
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Haoyan Do 
You forgot Mark Twain vs. James Fenimoore Cooper 😀
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Wow, I know nothing about James Fenimoore Cooper. It must be interesting.
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He’s considered the first American novelist since Last of the Mohicans is the first American bestseller after the American Revolution. He’s not so popular anymore since his novels are difficult to read. Mark Twain is still readable, though.
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Wow, I watched the movie “The Last Of The Mohicans”. LOL. I like it, but I don’t understand a lot of the scenes. Wish I know more of the historical background.
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In this case, I would recommend learning or watching a movie on the “Seven Years War”. It is a series of wars the English and the French over who gets what colonies. Part of the fight happened in North America, which is the background for Last of the Mohicans.
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I would referee. Haha.
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LOL. You will be a wonderful referee.
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I would love to see you as one of the two sharp intellects in a literary fight!
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LOL. I am no fighter unfortunately. LOL, but thanks for the comment. I often imagine a fight but always try to smooth things over when it comes to it. LOL.
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That would be intellectually so stimulating! Two sharp intellects crossing swords with each other😀
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Yes, I want to see that and want to listen to what they have to say. LOL.
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I would love to see that too!
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LOL. Yes, let’s be the spectators together. That will be fun to watch.
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