Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
I came home one afternoon last week to find a frightening artifact on the kitchen table: a long and thick lock of hair. My four year-old, as many four year olds will do, had started playing the adult scissors, and decided that a first haircut was in order. You are probably wondering why I’ve never had my child’s hair cut, only a few bangs trimmed so he could see. We so adore his hair, and we’ve let it go this far, that now we can’t bear the thought. Plus, its fun to watch him strut down E Street like Samson, shrugging off the comments to me about what beautiful hair my daughter has. When the fateful day of the haircut finally comes, I shall post before and after pictures at https://www.yourquizmaster.com.
The sight of the lone lock on the table almost inspired a poem right there on the spot. Of course, it wouldn’t have been the first time. As any English Major could tell you (and it’s always good strategy to bring an English Major to the Pub Quiz), Alexander Pope wrote one of his most famous poems about such an incident: The Rape of the Lock. If you were fortunate enough to take a Pope class with retired UC Davis professor Max Byrd, you might remember that Pope compares the taking of a single lock of heroine Belinda’s hair to the abduction of Helen of Troy, (the aftermath of which we can read about in long poems by Homer). You might also recall this Pope couplet:
Fair Tresses Man’s Imperial Race insnare,
And Beauty draws us with a single Hair.
Although many enjoyed Pope’s tempest-in-a-teapot humor, I suppose that today a poet might not find success using the central metaphor of this poem, for “rape” is one of those terms that is so charged and inflammatory that one can’t use it in a casual, metaphorical, or certainly humorous way. In 1998 The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda recognized rape during a time of war as a potential crime against humanity, and women’s crisis centers have taught awareness about sexual assault for almost 40 years. Environmentalists once casually used phrases like the “rape of the earth,” but I don’t believe that language is often used today. I suppose words drop from the working vocabulary of most Americans every year, but I’m sure there are ways that we can compensate with new linguistic discoveries. I will do what I can to help you adorn your word choices with new flavors and varieties of diction.
Speaking of language, and poetry, as a poet I enjoy writing these Pub Quiz Newsletter hint paragraphs, for I’m forced to think associatively and analogically, to give the impression of my meaning, rather than to just come out and say it plainly. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to think or write the same way, and compose something of your own. At tonight’s Pub Quiz you will hear questions about cascades, reaching out, The Beatles, flowers, personable and familiar DJs, stomaching jazz, Bristol, our heavy earth, decorations, mammoth caves, famous people born in 1947, Emmy-winning TV shows, the Commonwealth of Nations, The Simpsons, no Betty White (unfortunately), the aforementioned Homer, Scottish culture, pairings of Oscar-winning actors, baseball (two questions!), African-American actors, and a play be Shakespeare!
Last week at the sold-out Pub Quiz we were joined by three celebrity participants. I expect at least two such luminaries this evening. And I hope that you can join us as well tonight for the Pub Quiz!
Your Quizmaster
P.S. This coming October Pub Quiz participant Scott Fischbein is participating in bikeathon to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. If you would like to support him in this effort, please visit http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/scottfischbein .
Friends of the Pub Quiz, and those curious about all the fun and fuss associated with the Pub Quiz, should come to de Vere’s Irish Pub in Davis (217 E Street), the highly esteemed pub and restaurant that fills up every night because of the superb quality of food, drink and company that can be found there. The de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz takes place every Monday at 7pm, though players are encouraged to arrive early to claim a table. As always, find out more about the Pub Quiz by visiting https://www.yourquizmaster.com. For more on de Vere’s Irish Pub, visit http://deverespub.com/.