Great Amercian Literature? Hardly!
May I revisit the "culture wars" discussion today?
One of the 3 books on my son's summer reading list for American Lit. is The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. Controversy had surrounded this book for decades. It is less so now, but this is one parent who is still concerned, and I share it with you because I'd like you to be troubled along with me for a moment--especially if you have children in public school.
In this book the Lord's name is used profanely about 300 times, there are multiple uses of the "F" word, along with references to casual sexuality and drunkenness. The 16-year-old main character (Salinger himself, really) has become the icon for teen-age rebellion and defiance.
When I asked for an alternate reading to The Catcher in the Rye I received this reply:
What makes this "an essential element" to the study of American Lit? I guess if a couple of liberal magazines like Time and The New Yorker rave about your book and publicize it for you, and a curious public in the early 1950's begins to buy it, and it winds up on the New York Times best seller list--well, you are a great American novelist... and high school students are doomed to read your second rate work for at least the next 50 years.
I have thought about taking this book into a Board of Education meeting. I could read a few choice selections. I'm quite certain the board members would be squirming in their seats at the end of my 3 minute time allotment. But it's OK to ask our children to read it quietly in the privacy of our homes.
I don't think the educators are saying: "Here kids, read and understand--it's good to rebel; we encourage you to be defiant; it's OK to use profanity; it's fun to experiment with casual sex." And yet the reading itself is an affront to the innocence of youth, and that is worrisome. When I was in high school a parental permission slip was required to read this very same book... apparently it's not needed now, and it seems they may actually be unwilling to excuse our son from reading it!
One wonders what truly great pieces of America Lit are being left off the reading list to make room for The Catcher in the Rye. The book still sells 250,000 copies a year! Who, I wonder is doing all this buying and keeping the book alive? Well, Pineland's Regional High School is doing its part to keep the circulation up.
In his last sermon, Steve Cassarino referred to Satan as "a master strategist and corrupter of the human race..." Satan's strategies are flourishing in the public school, but then, as someone reminded me when I last whined about this, what was I expecting!
One of the 3 books on my son's summer reading list for American Lit. is The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. Controversy had surrounded this book for decades. It is less so now, but this is one parent who is still concerned, and I share it with you because I'd like you to be troubled along with me for a moment--especially if you have children in public school.
In this book the Lord's name is used profanely about 300 times, there are multiple uses of the "F" word, along with references to casual sexuality and drunkenness. The 16-year-old main character (Salinger himself, really) has become the icon for teen-age rebellion and defiance.
When I asked for an alternate reading to The Catcher in the Rye I received this reply:
Hello Mr. Cardillo:
I understand your concern with the profanity. We have had extensive articulation regarding what each grade level needs to be exposed to regarding literature.
After much discussion with all of the high school teachers, as well as the Curriculum Supervisor, we decided The Catcher in the Rye was an essential element to the study of American Literature. If you would like, I could research an edited version for Matthew to use during the study of this novel.
What makes this "an essential element" to the study of American Lit? I guess if a couple of liberal magazines like Time and The New Yorker rave about your book and publicize it for you, and a curious public in the early 1950's begins to buy it, and it winds up on the New York Times best seller list--well, you are a great American novelist... and high school students are doomed to read your second rate work for at least the next 50 years.
I have thought about taking this book into a Board of Education meeting. I could read a few choice selections. I'm quite certain the board members would be squirming in their seats at the end of my 3 minute time allotment. But it's OK to ask our children to read it quietly in the privacy of our homes.
I don't think the educators are saying: "Here kids, read and understand--it's good to rebel; we encourage you to be defiant; it's OK to use profanity; it's fun to experiment with casual sex." And yet the reading itself is an affront to the innocence of youth, and that is worrisome. When I was in high school a parental permission slip was required to read this very same book... apparently it's not needed now, and it seems they may actually be unwilling to excuse our son from reading it!
One wonders what truly great pieces of America Lit are being left off the reading list to make room for The Catcher in the Rye. The book still sells 250,000 copies a year! Who, I wonder is doing all this buying and keeping the book alive? Well, Pineland's Regional High School is doing its part to keep the circulation up.
In his last sermon, Steve Cassarino referred to Satan as "a master strategist and corrupter of the human race..." Satan's strategies are flourishing in the public school, but then, as someone reminded me when I last whined about this, what was I expecting!
Labels: Culture War, Guest Post, Home Schooling
posted by Petros at
12:02 AM
3 Comments:
"The Catcher in the Rye" is junk. Teenagers like it because of its thematic elements which you touched on, but also because its very easy to read. Allan Bloom a university professor who laments the decline of standards in secondary and college education in his work "The Closing of the American Mind" http://bit.ly/4tfU4r points to his freshman students overwhelmingly naming Salinger's work as their favorite as compelling evidence that students are not challenged in secondary education or forced to grapple with what makes literature art. You are fighting the good fight Petros. Bloom was not a Christian by the way just a serious intellectual who knows what's up.
Peter, I remember reading this in High School, and I agree with you.
I like your idea about taking it to the BOE meeting and reading some choice portions. I think I would encourage you to actually do this----it may be the most effective way of getting through to them, if anything can within this culture that is increasingly being given over to its sin under the wrath of God (Rom.1:18-32).
Really appreciate your concern and efforts to be light in the midst of the darkness.
Thank you both for your encouragement. It can feel lonely, with very few in education really seeing the point. They already look at me like a like I'm a dinasaur, or a "flat-earther."
Adam, thanks for bringing Allan Bloom into the discussion. I am amazed that the curriculum advisor feels the work is simply too important to leave off the list! They are stuck in a rut with this book-- and they are helping to corrupt the imagination of high schoolers. Why do they feel that a 3rd grader, or a 6th grader, or even a 9th grader is too young to introduce this literature to? It's written at their level after all! I guess when your in 11th grade they figure you're jaded enough by that time to read this kind of trash?
And Bruce, thank you. I actually would do this in a BOE meeting, but it would mean that profanity from my own lips would fill the room, or maybe I could read the F word a few times and scandalize these good citizens that sit on the board. I just don't know if I could bring myself to do it...
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