Link to Episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-is-history-a-dynasty-to-die-for/id1641568639?i=1000584587895
Dan Jones begins this podcast in the year 1152. Eleanor of Aquitaine is on the run. The introduction caught my attention. After reeling me in and having me wondering why Eleanor is on the run, Jones goes back in time to outline the events that led up to her decision to run.
The podcast is relatively short, so there isn’t much time for a deep dive into all of the events covered in the podcast. It does provide an entertaining listen. While listening I would liked to have had one sentence added at some point in the story to outline what would have happened to Eleanor if she hadn’t run away. Would she have been sent to a convent, murdered, locked away in prison? I would also be curious to know how long after the marriage ended Eleanor decided to run or were they still married when she made her ride to freedom?
The episode ends on a cliffhanger making me want to continue listening to the next episode, which I will probably do right after I write this. After listening to this podcast my biggest complaint is that I wish it was about 5 minutes longer. Overall this is an entertaining podcast that I have added to my library.
Great literature should do more than entertain us. It should provide a roadmap to improving our lives.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens introduced readers to Sydney Carton, one of literature's most compelling and deeply flawed characters. Dickens also gives him an unusual title: the Jackal.
His struggles raise questions that remain relevant today.
Are we defined by our past mistakes? Can we overcome our weaknesses? What separates the people we are from the people we could become?
Lessons From the Jackal is a 25-day character study exploring these questions through Sydney Carton’s life, decisions, relationships, and personal development.
This is not a traditional course on A Tale of Two Cities. Our reading assignments will focus specifically on Carton, with sufficient background provided to understand his story. No previous knowledge of the novel is necessary.
Each day will feature selected readings, historical comparisons, reflection questions, discussions, and practical challenges ...
Lessons From the Jackal will return next week. Based on the first five days are there any thoughts you want to share? Are there any changes you would like to see? What do you like most about the course? What do you like least? Any feedback would be great as a finalize the next lessons in the series.
Five days ago, we began with a simple question: How do you measure potential?
Over the course of this week, Sydney Carton has challenged us to reconsider what potential really means.
We met a man whose careless appearance concealed remarkable intelligence. We watched him make observations that others overlooked, only to receive little recognition for his contributions.
We discovered a man who recognized in Charles Darnay a reflection of what he might have become, yet seemed unwilling or unable to pursue that possibility.
We examined his relationship with Mr. Stryver and considered what it means to become a jackal: someone who possesses the ability to contribute to another person’s success while neglecting the pursuit of his own.
Finally, we learned that Carton’s habits began long before his professional career. Even as a schoolboy, he devoted his abilities to completing the work of others while neglecting his own.
Carton attributes some of his disappointments to bad luck. Perhaps circumstances have indeed worked ...
