Browse Items (32 total)
- Type is exactly "Newspaper column"
Sort by:
"Writer and Feminist" John Fitch IV Column
In this John Fitch IV column Cormier profiles Norma Klein, a writer for both children and adults and a self-avowed feminist. Cormier praises her character, sums up her writing career, and shares a bit about her personal background, which he notes…
"Words that Linger" John Fitch IV Column
In this John Fitch IV piece, Cormier shares a conversation he had with his 6-year-old daughter about his 10 favorite words in the English language. Their conversation was spurred on by Cormier's reading of several such lists of beautiful and ugly…
"Where Are The Heroes" John Fitch IV Column
In this John Fitch IV column, Cormier laments the commodification of our heroes. Citing the example of the legendary Joe DiMaggio selling coffee makers, he argues that this consumerism robs our heroes of their mystery and mystique and that television…
"When It's Time To Say Goodbye" John Fitch IV Column
In this column Cormier writes about saying goodbye to his son after settling him in at the college dormitory. He ponders the differences between saying goodbye to a son than to a daughter, who allows for more sentimentality. He comes to realize that…
"Trying To Convince My Heart" John Fitch IV Column
In this column Cormier shares the bittersweet feeling of a parent saying goodbye to his child, over and over again, as she grows up. Even in the happy moments of children's summer trip to camp, the Cape, or their first crushes, he feels a pang of…
"The SOS Signals Not Always Noticed" John Fitch IV Column
Robert Cormier's adopted persona, John Fitch IV, articulates in this bi-weekly column, how closely related specific positive or neutral qualities are to those that are destructive. He claims that we misunderstand distress signals that reveal…
"The Sexes And The Guidelines" John Fitch IV Column
In his column, Cormier rails against the suggestions of publishers that writers be more mindful of gender-linked language - a trend he sees as ridiculous and potentially dangerous to creativity as it could trigger excessive self-censorship. While he…
"The Santa Problem" John Fitch IV Column
As with many of his Christmas columns, Cormier addresses the idea of Santa, Christmas magic, and the innocence of childhood. He admits never telling a child that Santa is not real but cannot defend his existence, just as faith or a joke cannot be…
"The Last Party" John Fitch IV Column
In this John Fitch IV column, Cormier explores the growth trajectory of his daughter from childhood to adolescence, this time through the lens of her last Christmas party and her evolving views about Santa Claus. Ironically, the writer seems to be…
"The Hair Cut" John Fitch IV Column
In this John Fitch IV column, Cormier tells the story of his daughter's haircut experience, with all the excitement and anxiety that entails for a young girl. He touches on his own barbershop anxieties and his opinions on women's hairstyles. He is…
"The Good Word" John Fitch IV Column
In this column, Cormier discusses the new style guide released by the New York Times, particularly their recommendations related to gender-linked language. Of particular offense to him is the substitution of person for man and the use of the pronoun…
"The Days of Sweet Innocence" John Fitch IV Column
In this bi-weekly column written under the name "John Fitch IV", Cormier blends verse and prose to poke fun at our naïve innocence of the world as viewed through the lens of movie clichés. Amongst the roughly three dozen clichés are some on female…
"That Quiet Agony" John Fitch IV Column
In this piece, Cormier considers three states - loneliness, shyness, and boredom - and the role they play in our lives. While loneliness has gotten more popular attention, boredom and shyness rarely appear in popular music or receive recognition as…
"That Certain Child" John Fitch IV Column
This piece shares Cormier's daughter's reaction to her father's column that focused on her figures and arithmetic. When she tells him how embarrassed she felt, he thinks about how this would not have happened when she was younger and less aware of…
"Not Exactly Speaking 'Personally'" John Fitch IV Column
This column is one of a handful that deals with Cormier's thoughts on gender-neutral language. On the whole, he seems to think such language is "ridiculous." In an especially telling paragraph, he shares how he wants equal rights for women, in the…