Joe Diffie: An Essay in Appreciation
Here is another essay I wrote as an example for my students some time ago. It included for reference the lyrics to the song being considered in an appendix, but I’m sure anyone accessing this blog can also find the lyrics online with ease. My goal here, as always, was to show that, popular culture, or classic literature, it matters not: the type of close reading of a text you learn in a literature class can enhance your enjoyment of just about whatever you find out there to read, see, or sing. With the passing of Joe Diffie last year in the course of the Pandemic, this essay and the song it examines take on a new poignancy of meaning. We Orthodox say of those who have passed on, “May his memory be eternal.” Given the imagery of this song, let us envision a memorial flame, and let us say with the song, “Just let it burn...