INTRO: IS THE PEN STILL MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD? By: Kimberly Thorn

 The media, even writers, get accused of having an agenda or being biased.  But let’s face it, writers, we DO have an agenda!  Whether it is allowing our reader to escape reality for a time, to prove our point of view, to scare the mess out of someone, or to make our reader laugh, we do indeed have an agenda.  I think that as writers, our main agenda, or what should be our main agenda, is to allow our readers the freedom to think for themselves.  It’s our job to help allow them to do that.  As writers, we use our freedom of speech to express ourselves, and in turn, our readers decide for themselves what they think and/or believe of our writing.  Because of this, I believe that we writers have more power than we realize.  If you don’t believe me, just think about how many times you hear someone say, "I read it on the internet, book, magazine, newspaper, Facebook, journal, etc."  The bottom line is that words are extremely powerful and as words are what we work with, writers indeed have power. 

I want to introduce you to a man named Francois Marie Arouet.  What is that you say? You’ve never heard of him before?  But you have.  This man would later become known to the world as Voltaire. You may remember hearing about him in regard to the Enlightenment of the 18^th century.  It is true that he is considered by many, even today, as one of the Fathers of the Enlightenment.  Voltaire was at the forefront of new thinking and the spreading of new ideas in his time.  He knew that things were wrong, and that the world was and could be a better place for all.  He used his writing to help create change for all because the principles of justice and freedom of expression meant everything to him.[1]

In Voltaire’s time, France was run by the king, Louis XV.  There was one religion, one scientist, one theatre, one printing service, and they were all endorsed by Louis XV.  To go against any of those meant you were going against him, who was believed to be divinely appointed.  Thus, the belief was that if you were against the king, you were in essence working against God.  As such, Louis XV was in control of everything. For Voltaire to publish his writing in France, he had to get approval from the king’s authorities.  If there was anything that was perceived to threaten Louis XV’s power, it was banned.  Thus, Voltaire responded in two different ways.  Many times, he would seek his work being published in another country.  Other times he went to another publisher in France (not backed by the king) and had his work published in secret.  Well, it started out as a secret.  It didn’t take long for not only the people, but the authorities to figure out that it was Voltaire and it got him into long lasting trouble.  If the king didn’t have Voltaire’s published work publicly burned by the executioner, he exiled Voltaire or had him imprisoned, in the Bastille.   

We know much about Voltaire because he wrote thousands of letters to his confidantes during his 84-year life.  Luckily, we have many of them still, so we are able not only to catch a glimpse of his life, as it happened, but we can also see truly how he felt, in that fleeting moment.  It is extraordinary as we do not have that luxury with some other notable writers.  Sure, we have their published works, however, it does not give us a real idea of their true thoughts and feelings as we have with Voltaire.  For instance, “Voltaire’s work from this time on became even more outspoken.  His poem on the Lisbon earthquake (1755), is a scathing denunciation of philosophical optimism.”[2]   

A caliph once, when his last hour had come,

This prayer addressed to him he reverenced:

“To thee, sole and all-powerful king, I bear

What though dost lack in thy immensity-

Evil and ignorance, distress and sin.”

He might have added one thing further – hope.”[3]

I have taken the time since my last blog post to delve into getting to know Voltaire more and I'm truly fascinated.  I love the fact that he realized how much power he really had with his writing, and that he used it for the good of the people.  His writing still resonates today, three-thousand some years later.  Talk about some powerful words!  I feel that we, as fellow writers have much to learn from him and those like him, that came before us.  Because of this, I hope two things.  First, that you will allow me to share with you my thoughts on what I learn about some of the worlds’ most momentous, trendsetting writers.  Second, that you will join me on this journey by not only sharing with me what you think on what I share but also by doing your own searching.  

Until we ‘meet’ again, I leave you with Voltaire’s own words on how much power he felt he had as a writer.  “I do not have a sceptre; but I do have a pen.”[4] 

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[1] Davidson, Ian.  Voltaire: A Life: Pegasus Books, LLC.  New York, NY.  2010 p. 261.

[2] McCabe, Joseph.  A Treatise on Toleration and Other Essays: Voltaire.  Great Minds Series.  Prometheus Books, Amherst.  NY. 1994. p. vii.

[3] McCabe, Joseph.  A Treatise on Toleration and Other Essays: Voltaire. Great Minds Series.  Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY.  1994.  p. 7.

[4] Davidson, Ian.  Voltaire: A Life:  Pegasus Books, LLC. New York.  NY. 2010 p. 261.