Illustration by Brandon Celi, New York Times illustration published here. I celebrate illustration that has a painterly flair. Brandon Celi’s playful take is a specimen of good-natured ribbing. It’s well known that the president enjoys assuming various roles and costumes vicariously via A.I.-assisted depictions of himself. Caesar in all but name, Mr. Trump has a nimble sense of humor, and will savor Celi’s piquante tribute, as well as the instructively ironic juxtaposition of his eminence, who is highly literate, with the quip attributed to King Henry I of England: “An illiterate king is a crowned ass.”
“Processing Nolan’s “Odyssey” is its own odyssey.”
(Frank Bruni)
It’s a family-friendly audiovisual spectacle, like an elaborate Fourth of July fireworks display — and with about the same level of narrative and emotional depth… It lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth. Its narrative structure is gimmicky. The writing is abysmal.
(Emily Wilson)
… [Wilson’s] tone of dismissal & haughty superiority strike a sour note… Rather than disagreeing with interpretations of Homer in a collegial manner, this person, who has benefited enormously from Nolan’s film, speaks in the crude language of MAGA folks attacking someone with ideas that differ from hers.
(Joyce Carol Oates)
(I would write “strikes a sour note” because “tone” is singular, but Oates is writing on X, where neither fact nor grammar reigns.)
I endorse the heroic approach to classics: Skip the flicks, learn their language and read them in the original.
(Except for Bruni, quotations are from Neil Vigdor, “How Emily Wilson’s Takedown of ‘The Odyssey’ Ignited a Debate,” New York Times, 7-31-26)
(c) 2026 JMN — EthicalDative. All rights reserved
EthicalDative 
Confession
An early attempt of mine to reflect distress in the face of a young Yazidi refugee in Syria’s civil war under Assad. Unskilled though it is, it showed me the fine line that can exist between mirth and anguish in the human visage.
I confess to a proclivity (morbid?) for depicting faces in various states of contortion. A face at rest, unless it’s grizzled or reflective of a corrupt soul, has bland contours. States of agitation are what lay bare the deserts, mountains and swamps of the human physiognomy.
I cruise journalism and clip photos (jpegs) of mass rallies.
Often they’re filled with the faces of men who exhibit rage in their demeanors. All my life, Iran has chanted, Death to America, the great Satan!
Persian uses the Arabic alphabet. I’ve studied only Arabic.
Trump’s useless rejoinder referencing Iran has been, They’re scum.
From image of reporting on a demonstration against removing Confederate statuary. It illustrates contempt.
The two extremes, Satan and scum, do violence to the lived reality, complexity and vitality of two worthy populations duped into senseless contention by bad leaders. Most citizens of both countries deserve a better life than they’ve got.
As I zoom the photos and study the men’s expressions, I often imagine sitting with one in his living room, taking tea and conversing. Maybe arguing, maybe disagreeing, but not with violence. Parting with a handshake, or, better, a fraternal embrace.
(c) 2026 JMN — EthicalDative. All rights reserved