Kerri S. Mabee

Last week’s passing of famed writer J. D. Salinger may have stirred a mere blip on our modern day cultural radar. But, there was a time, when Salinger’s 1951 novel, “The Catcher in the Rye” spoke to entire generation of youth to question authority, reject corruption.

Many critics would argue that it was Salinger’s simplistic, yet authentic portrayal of speech in “The Catcher in the Rye” that largely allowed the novel to connect with its readers. The language was real and unassuming. Themes of innocence, fantasy and angst spoke plainly to millions of readers who identified with the teenage protagonist Holden Caulfield-despite the overwhelming presence of profanity.

Thus, ideas from “The Catcher in the Rye” reverberated in classrooms and coffeehouses around the world for generations — ideas so provoking that the fame they brought to Salinger ultimately drove him into life of seclusion.

Such is the power of words.

So, it’s ironic that news of this elusive writer’s death came as the nation debated, once again, the issues of free speech and censorship.

The recent removal and subsequent reinstatement of a dictionary in the Menifee Union School District when a parent objected to some of its content ignited a flurry of opinions that crisscrossed the country last week.

National media reported, pundits questioned, blogs blasted, while school officials defended their actions.

One could argue that the American principles of inquiry, debate and consensus worked precisely as they should have in this matter. And I would have to agree that they did.

However, a nagging worry still persists here for me.

It is the same concern that troubles me when a furor results from a politician’s ill-chosen words, or at the painstaking interpretation of religious doctrine.

It seems to me, that we are in an era when words fly across the airwaves, almost faster than we can form them or wonder where they’ll land. When words are being truncated to accommodate a miniature screen and diminishing language, or when words blaze across a screen to scold or savage before cooler heads can prevail, we need to be mindful of their power.

However, we live in a virtual sea of words. Words that can lift and inspire, wound and humiliate.

And I say let them.

Let them serve as a teacher of lessons, or a warrior for peace. Let them be strident and strong or harsh, then pleading.

Let words urge hope and apathy, even envy or rage.

But, never let them provoke such fear that we seek to strike them from the page.

Because when we fear words and rush to unburden our shelves, we risk abandoning the ideas they convey. We jeopardize clarity. We reject history. We deny truth. And worse, we risk losing the opportunity to speak to future generations, to touch and move them as Salinger did.

Kerri S. Mabee can be reached at ksmabee.swrnn@gmail.com with comments or questions. Follow me on Twitter at SWRNNaelife.

Tags: dictionary, Kerri S. Mabee, Menifee, menifee unified school district, menifee union school district, Merriam's Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, SWRNN

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 31st, 2010 at 1:19 pm and is filed under Blogs, Columns, Education, Education Commentary, Local News, News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.