What is the Meaning of Freedom?
During our class discussion about the Declaration of Independence Dwight Chase pointed out the trouble caused by the document's definition of freedom. What exactly do people mean when they use the word freedom? Examine the chronological list of quotations about freedom.
1. Which statement about freedom comes closest to your own beliefs? Explain.
2. Do any of these authors appear to disagree with each other? Explain.
3. Write your own twenty-first century definition of freedom.
Euripides, Greek dramatist (484-406 BC). "Greeks were born to rule barbarians,... not barbarians to rule Greeks. They are slaves by nature; we have freedom in our blood."
Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman statesman (106-43 BC). "Freedom is participation in power."
Christian New Testament, Galatians, 5:1. "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Samuel Adams, American revolutionary leader (1771). "The truth is, all might be free if they valued freedom, and defended it as they ought."
James Madison, United States President (1788). "I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."
Rosa Luxemburg, German socialist (circa 1900). "Freedom is always freedom for the man who thinks differently."
Rabindranath Tagore, Indian philosopher (1861-1941). "He only has freedom who ideally loves freedom himself and is glad to extend it to others. He who cares to have slaves must chain himself to them. He who builds walls to create exclusion for others builds walls across his own freedom. He who distrusts freedom in others loses his moral right to it."
Franklin D. Roosevelt, United States President (1934). "The freedom guaranteed by the Constitution is freedom of expression and that will be scrupulously respected - but it is not freedom to work children, or to do business in a fire trap, or violate laws against obscenity, libel and lewdness."
Franklin D. Roosevelt, United States President (1941). "(W)e look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world. The
second is the freedom of every person to worship God in his own way - everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want - which...means economic understanding.... The fourth is freedom from fear, which means...a world-wide reduction of armaments..."
Theodor Adorno, 20th century philosopher (circa 1950). "People have so manipulated the concept of freedom that it finally boils down to the right of the stronger and richer to take from the weaker and poorer whatever they have left."
Martin Luther King, Jr., American Civil Rights leader (1963). "We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed.... Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro."
Rudolph Giuliani, Mayor, New York City (1994). "Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do and how you do it."
George W. Bush, United States President (2005). "In America's ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. . . . By
making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear and make our society more prosperous and just and equal."
The statement about freedom that came closest to my own beliefs was the one by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963. “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed…Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro.” I chose this speech because I also believe in fighting for your freedom and not just accepting what is. What Martin Luther King Jr. is saying is that when you have no freedom, you cannot just sit back and do nothing. You must fight for your rights, for freedom does not belong to one single man, but to us all. Technically, Martin Luther King Jr. was referring to his race, the African Americans (also known as Negro’s back then). The African Americans were not getting treated very fairly when it came to race. They could not go to the same schools as white children, or live in the same neighborhood or even sit in the front of the bus. If they dared to do these things, they were arrested. Martin Luther King Jr. thought this was unfair, and he wasn’t afraid to go and give speeches about it. Sadly, during one of his speeches in 1968, Martin was shot. Still, his voice was heard.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading, I found two authors who don’t seem to have the same idea (or don’t agree) with another. Euripides, a Greek dramatist thinks that all people are not equal, and those who aren’t as good or don’t have as much power as the others are slaves by nature. Those who have power apparently have freedom in their blood. Martin Luther King Jr. disagrees with this fact and thinks that all people are equal, not matter what their race or nationality is. Martin Luther King Jr. believes that if you don’t feel equal you should fight for it because we are all equal inside, whereas Euripides does not believe that we are born equal.
My definition of freedom: When you aren’t being controlled by another person or being told what to do or held against your will, you are free. When you are in control of your actions and nobody else can control what you do, you’re free. Freedom belongs to everyone, and when you know that you are in control of your life, you have freedom.
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ReplyDeleteThe statement about freedom that came closest to my beliefs about freedom is the statement made by Martin Luther King Jr. He said, "We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed.... Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro." I think Martin Luther King Jr. is trying to say that we need to fight for our freedom if we don’t have it. Everyone deserves at least a little bit of freedom. In Martin’s speech, he brings up the African Americans. They had no freedom what so ever. The African Americans and the whites were segregated. They weren’t allowed to go the same schools or even sit in the front of the bus, but they fought and look at them now. Now the African Americans and the whites are integrated.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all the statements some people had about freedom, I saw that Martin Luther King Jr. and Theodor Adorno disagree. Theodor feels that the right of the richer and stronger should take whatever the poor has left. Martin feels people should fight for their own freedom. He feels people shouldn’t “take” other peoples freedom, everyone should fight and all have freedom.
My definition of freedom is:
“When people are telling you what to do and bossing you around, you don’t have freedom. When you have your own say of something and can do whatever you want without someone stopping you, you have freedom. Everyone deserves freedom and if you don’t have it, you should fight!”
The statement about freedom that comes closet to my beliefs is Franklin D. Roosevelt, United States President (1941). He said "We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression (everywhere in the world). The second is the freedom of every person to worship God in his own way (everywhere in the world). The third is freedom from want which means economic understanding. The fourth is freedom from fear which means a world-wide reduction of armaments". This comes closet to my beliefs because I believe everyone is entitled to freedom. Not just freedom to go wherever you want and do whatever but freedom of speech, expression, religion, worship, freedom of want, freedom of fear and most importantly freedom to be who you are and not be judged by other people.
ReplyDeleteThe authors appear to agree on the topic of freedom. Every author has a different perspective of what freedom means to them. Also, freedom may have a different meaning, input on each author because of the time period they were born in. For example: this is what freedom meant to the Greeks in 484-406 B.C. "Greeks were born to rule barbarians,... not barbarians to rule Greeks. They are slaves by nature; we have freedom in our blood." Then this is what freedom meant to Rosa Luxemburg, German socialist in the 1900‘s. "Freedom is always freedom for the man who thinks differently." They both have the same idea about freedom but two different meanings.
My twenty-first century meaning of freedom is “Freedom is not just free of being a slave or free of working. It’s freedom to be who you are, have dignity and not be judged by other people. Christ died on the cross for us to be free. To have freedom to do what you please(good and bad), freedom of speech, religion, worship, expression and much more. After all, this is a free country and you are free too”.
The statement that comes closet to my own beliefs of freedom is what Martin Luther King Jr said. He says "We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed.... Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro." He is saying freedom is a right that all humans have. So African Negro people must fight for what is naturally theirs. That was why the American Revolution had happened. This was hypocritical that they have freedom but slaves don’t. The authors that seem to disagree are is Euripides, Greek dramatist and Martin Luther King Jr. The Greek dramatist Euripides thinks that some people have freedom in their blood and some don’t. He is saying it is alright to have slaves that don’t have freedom in their blood. He is also saying that some people are born slave by nature. My definition of freedom is “Everyone is born free. Those who own slaves are not free but rely on others to live through life. The right of freedom is to all of Gods creatures to do as they please once the action they do affect someone’s life for the worse.
ReplyDeleteFreedom is not only to be free, but to be your own person. Freedom is used lightly but is heavily meant when it comes to its dictionary definition. Freedom has but 10 terms referring to freedom (philosophical), freedom (political), four freedoms, liberty, and economic, free content, freedom of city, systolic freedom, individual freedom, and state of freedom. From reading I don’t see anyone disagreeing the only differences were that they had different thoughts about freedom some imaginary, futuristic and real. I do think that Euripides, Greek dramatist (484-406 BC) comment contradicts everyone else because he thinks that freedom is our blood and that it is a given/ intuition but its way more then that you had/have to earn it. To me a 21 century definition of freedom is to be able to be yourself and express religion, and etcetera as freely as you choose.
ReplyDeleteThe speech that came closest to my idea of freedom was the one made by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. "We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world. The second is the freedom of every person to worship God in his own way - everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want - which...means economic understanding.... The fourth is freedom from fear, which means...a world-wide reduction of armaments..."
ReplyDeleteIt comes close to my idea that everybody can have religious freedom and be able to speak there opinion and to be able to express what they think.Also the freedom to be able to live well based on your ablities, not on who you are. Finally you should not be not have to be forced to do something by threats or punishment.
They are diffrent in many ways.For example, the Greeks who ruled over those who were not as civilized or educated.They enslaved them. That speech does not reflect the Greeks ideas on freedom. As how Franklin Rosevelt and Martin Luther King jr. had a different perspective. They believed that everyone is equal, and everybody is entitled to relgious freedom and freedom of speech and opinion.
"I believe that everyone has "inalienable rights" but not to the degree of anarchy. Freedom is bounded by the potential of harming the "greater good".
The statement about freedom that came closest to my own beliefs was the statement made by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963. He said: “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed…Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro.” It is true that fighting and war causes death and sorrow, but fighting is necessary when it comes to freedom. Martin Luther King believes that we shall stand up to the ones who pointed a sword at our freedom and pride. Freedom should be given to everyone in the world, not only to one single mortal. Martin Luther King was referring to his race and his own country, the African Americans. (Back then, “Negro” was another name for African Americans) If we can travel back in time, you will see the many differences between the white and the black. The white can do many things while the black cannot. Martin Luther King didn’t fear them and gave speeches about it, but during a speech in 1968, he was shot and died. Even though he died, his voice and bravery remain in many other people’s hearts.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading, I noticed two authors who doesn’t seem to agree with another. A Greek dramatist named Euripides believes that when people are born into this world, we were automatically judged if we deserve the power. The ones who own freedom were the ones who own power. Martin Luther King Jr. disagrees with this fact and thinks all people shall be equal, not to be judged by religion or anything else. He believes when the time comes, we shall all fight to earn the freedom we deserve.
My definition of freedom: To me, freedom is when you don’t need to obey or doing something against your will. Your heart, will and pride are the things that will control your actions, not when somebody is controlling you like a puppet. The moment a life is born into this world, freedom would be granted to that life. This is what I believe.
The statement that comes closest to my belief of freedom is Martin Luther King Jr. who is the American Civil Right leader in 1963. “We know though painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed….Oppressed people can’t stay oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happen to the American Negro.” This speech is means to fight for your freedom and don’t just sit here while accepting what is happening. You must fight for what you believe in, not just accepting what is happening. Martin Luther King’s race (Negros or African Americans) wasn’t treated fairly when it came to race. They weren’t able to go to the same school as whites, or live in neighborhoods with whites, and even sit in front of the bus. If they tried to do any of this you’ll be arrested. Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t sit back and wasn’t afraid to make speeches. Even though he got shot his voice has been heard.
ReplyDeleteMartin Luther King Jr. and Theodor Adorno disagreed with each other. While Martin Luther King Jr. said you should fight for your rights and don’t sit back and let things happen, Theodor Adorno said if you have power and rich you should take from the poor and weak. As you can see their thoughts of freedom are completely different since Martin Luther King Jr. doesn’t want to take from the weak and poor but to fight for your rights but Theodor does think this way.
My own definition of freedom is you aren’t controlled or bossed around by anyone and your decisions are your responsibility. You have your own say and can do whatever you what without being paused or stopped by anyone then you have freedom but if you don’t then you should fight for your freedom.
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ReplyDeleteI think that the statement that comes closest to my belief of freedom is Martin Luther King Jr. has said. He said “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed.... Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro." Martin Luther King Jr. is trying to say that everybody has equal power even though they may not look the same. Back then people were racist because they thought that negroes had less power then the other kinds of people. I think that Theodor Adorno and Martin Luther King Jr. disagree with each other because what Theodor Adorno is saying is that richer people can take from the poorer and weaker people but what Martin Luther King Jr. is saying is that everybody is equal so there are not weaker or stronger people. Negroes had less money than everybody else back then and if people actually took things from them, the negroes wouldn’t have anything. My definition for freedom is people should have equal power and the right to do anything. It’s like you can do anything you want and you won’t be under anybody’s rule. Freedom also means that you don’t have to fight for your rights and you already have rights.
ReplyDeleteThe statement about freedom that came closest to my own beliefs was the one by Rosa Luxemburg, German socialist (circa 1900). "Freedom is always freedom for the man who thinks differently." I chose this statement because it tells many that freedom is for anyone who thinks they are, no one is a slave, if they were they might not be living and would not do what they wanted to do. Euripides, Greek dramatist disagrees with Franklin D. Roosevelt, because Euripides thinks that Greeks were born to rule while Franklin thought freedom was guaranteed by the Constitution. My own twenty first century definition of freedom is that there is no slaves, everyone is free as long as they could do what their hearts desire.
ReplyDeleteMy ideas are closest to that of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who stated that freedom is made up of four different rights:
ReplyDeleteFreedom of speech, the right to express their feelings about whatever or whomever they want, and in whatever way they want.
Freedom of religion, the right to pray to and believe in whatever beliefs and deities they desire.
Freedom from want, understanding both economic and social necessities and desires alike, and knowing whether you are in the position to acquire them.
Freedom from fear, the right to know that you should not be afraid and obligated to the higher authority.
I believe that the words of Marcus Tulius Cicero contradict that of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, for Cicero believes that freedom is knowing how much power you have, and especially how much power other authorities have over you.
My 21st century definition of freedom is:
"Freedom is the right to do what we desire, power and authority aside"
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ReplyDeleteThe definition that comes closest to my definition of freedom is Christian New Testament’s definition. It means freedom is not to be under someone’s rule or command, not to be a slave to someone else.
ReplyDeleteThe two people that seem to disagree with each other are Christian New Testament, and Euripides. Christian suggests never being a slave or owning a slave. Euripides says that it’s in their blood to rule against the barbarians, not the barbarians to rule Greeks. One is suggesting slavery, while the other protests against it.
My 21st century definition of freedom is being able to do whatever you want as long as it does not hurt, or insult someone around you or breaks the law.
The statement that came close to my belief is one by Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1963, "We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed.... Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro." I chose this speech because I also agree with Martin Luther King. Martin Luther King wanted to prove a point and he did. This speech means that you can't just do nothing while you have no freedom. You have to fight back and let them know you also want freedom. Euripides, Greek dramatist disagrees with Martin Luther King, Jr because Euripides thinks that the strongest wins and rules all the time. My 21st century definition of freedom is that everyone have equal rights and is not treated any differently than one another.
ReplyDelete1. - Out of all the speeches that were given on this page the one that came closest to my perspective on freedom was the one by Franklin D. Roosevelt, United States President (1941) which said, “We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedom. The first is freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world. The second is the freedom of every person to worship God in his own way - everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want - which...means economic understanding.... The fourth is freedom from fear, which means...a world-wide reduction of armaments..."
ReplyDeleteThis speech came the closest to my perspective on freedom because I believe that anyone (both big and small) should have the right to express what they think and what they feel based on who you are as a person…not what you look like or how much power\money your family has.
2. - The authors do in fact seem to appear to agree on the main topic…freedom. Even though they do agree on the main topic it does not mean that there opinions are. The same authors have many different perspectives of what freedom means to them. Freedom may have a different meaning to them. It makes a difference where they are from as well as the time period they were born in. So even thought they both have the same main idea about freedom they have two very different perspectives but many different meanings.
3. – My twenty first century definition of freedom is:
“When other people are making your choices for you that is NOT freedom. When you can express what you feel, believe, and your hopes & dreams for the future to come THAT is freedom. You should always have the right to be free so don’t let anyone take that away from you! Everyone deserves freedom…if you don’t have it by now don’t just sit there... stand up and take it!”
1. The quote that came close to my beliefs is George W. Bush's quote. "In America's ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. . . . By
ReplyDeletemaking every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear and make our society more prosperous and just and equal." In this quote, our former president is trying to say that everyone deserves the same rights, and should be able to set their own goals and what they will do in the future with their lives. And at the same time we will become a more prosperous nation.
2. Euripides seems to disagree with everyone else with his quote. "Greeks were born to rule barbarians,... not barbarians to rule Greeks. They are slaves by nature; we have freedom in our blood." No particular person or group of people is born with freedom in their blood. Everyone, white, black, Spanish, all people have freedom and rights. No one is anyone's property and no one can stop anyone from having rights.
3. My definition of freedom is everyone having the own rights. Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion. All people will be born free and die free, regardless of skin color, nationality, or religion. People are able to get the same jobs and the same education opportunities. Also, people should be able to do whatever they want with their life, like to become a doctor, lawyer, or a CEO.
Frank Roosevelt's statement about freedom comes closest to my beliefs.
ReplyDeleteFranklin D. Roosevelt, United States President (1934). "The freedom guaranteed by the Constitution is freedom of expression and that will be scrupulously respected - but it is not freedom to work children, or to do business in a fire trap, or violate laws against obscenity, libel and lewdness." This comes closest to my beliefs in freedom because I think that some people take advantage of their freedom and they use it to do things that are wrong and abusive.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s quote disagrees with Euripides' quote. Euripides states that freedom is in the Greeks' blood, while Martin Luther King Jr. thinks that people must demand freedom and that they are never born with freedom and are not free their whole lives.
My 21st century definition of freedom is that everybody should have the freedom to be their own person and speak their mind if they earn it by respecting their rights and not taking advantages of their freedom by doing the wrong thing.
The statement about freedom that comes closest to my own beliefs of freedom is the one from Franklin D. Roosevelt, United States President (1941). "(W)e look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world. The second is the freedom of every person to worship God in his own way - everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want - which...means economic understanding.... The fourth is freedom from fear, which means...a world-wide reduction of armaments..." I chose this definition of freedom because I also believe that there is more than one part to being free. There is freedom of speech and expression, freedom of religion, and the freedom that makes us extremely lucky to be living in this country. We are not ruled by a king or a dictator. America is all about freedom and letting your own voice be heard. Foreign countries wouldn’t be so jealous of America if it didn’t prosper the way it does. This jealousy revolves around freedom. Freedom belongs to everyone, not just one person. Freedom is not being reckless, committing crimes, and doing unjust things. Freedom is about being able to believe in what you believe in, and be different without anyone questioning you or punishing you. President Franklin D. Roosevelt seems to describe freedom in this country as it is.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though some authors are disagreeing with each other. Theodor Adorno was a 20th century philosopher. His definition of freedom is different from Martin Luther King Jr.’s definition of freedom. Adorno believes that the definition of freedom has been manipulated so much that it has been boiled down to the stronger and richer taking whatever the weaker and poorer have left. Martin Luther King Jr. said that all men are created equal, so, this is much different from Adorno’s belief. According to Adorno, the stronger and richer are dominating the weaker and poorer.
My definition of freedom is a cross between Franklin D. Roosevelt’s and Martin Luther King Jr.’s definitions:
Freedom- when you have the right to live the life you want. Nobody will ever stop you, criticize you, or punish you because you have this right. Freedom is the right to be whoever you want to be, as long as you are following the laws of this country.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, United States President (1941). "(W)e look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world. The second is the freedom of every person to worship God in his own way - everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want - which...means economic understanding.... The fourth is freedom from fear, which means...a world-wide reduction of armaments..." is what I believe came closest to my religion. Everyone should be able to give speech and expression. People should worship in their own way and not force people to believe this or that. The non-reduction of fights is not acceptable in the religion so they should re duct armaments.
ReplyDeleteNo I don't think they are trying to disagree with each other. What I think is that they are trying to say part of freedom and think of it as whole. They have different perspectives and talk about one different idea. For example Martin Luther King gave a speech about Negroes being equal with others. While Franklin D. Roosevelt (1941) talks about the planet letting everyone have freedom for example let everyone worship in their own way.
The definition of freedom to me is to be free of religious practice. Also fair laws. Everyone treated equally. To have fair governor. Fair economic, social and political life.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, United States President (1941). "(W)e look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world. The second is the freedom of every person to worship God in his own way - everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want - which...means economic understanding.... The fourth is freedom from fear, which means...a world-wide reduction of armaments..." is what I believe came closest to my religion. Everyone should be able to give speech and expression. People should worship in their own way and not force people to believe this or that. The non-reduction of fights is not acceptable in the religion so they should re duct armaments.
ReplyDeleteNo I don't think they are trying to disagree with each other. What I think is that they are trying to say part of freedom and think of it as whole. They have different perspectives and talk about one different idea. For example Martin Luther King gave a speech about Negroes being equal with others. While Franklin D. Roosevelt (1941) talks about the planet letting everyone have freedom for example let everyone worship in their own way.
The definition of freedom to me is to be free of religious practice. Also fair laws. Everyone treated equally. To have fair governor and laws. Fair economic, social and political life would be the main point.
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ReplyDelete“The truth is, all might be free if they valued freedom, and defended it as they ought.” This quote was said by Samuel Adams, an American revolutionary leader (1771). This quote is the closest to my belief about freedom. This quote explains that if you value freedom enough and fight for it because you believe it is your right, you can be free. I believe that everybody has the right to gain freedom. It depends if you are going to fight and defend the freedom you think you deserve.
ReplyDeleteI think that Euripides’s, and Marcus Tullius’s quotes are different from the other author’s quotes. Euripides stated that "Greeks were born to rule barbarians... not barbarians to rule Greeks. They are slaves by nature; we have freedom in our blood." His quote stated that Greeks had freedom in their blood and were born, to rule “barbarians”. His quote went against the authors who thought that freedom was for all. Marcus Tullius stated that "Freedom is participation in power." I believe his quote meant that if you had power/if you were rich you had higher freedom then other people who didn’t have as much as you did. His quote went against authors who believed that everybody was equal and had the same amount of freedom.
My 21st century definition for freedom is being able to do what you want for yourself and doing it no matter how many obstacles are in the way, and having your own personal rights.
1. The statement about freedom that comes closet to my own would be Marcus Tullius Cicero’s; “Freedom is participation in power.” This statement is similar to my beliefs because I believe that freedom isn’t given. You need to prove that you deserve it, or in most cases, demand it. Freedom is participation in power. You need to participate in power, whether you are wanted there or not. Those who do not participate in power have no freedom, and therefore no power.
ReplyDelete2. Yes, some authors appear to be disagreeing with each other. Samuel Adams said, “The truth is, all might be free if they valued freedom, and defended it as they ought.” Martin Luther King said, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed....Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro.” As you can see, Samuel Adams said that if everyone valued freedom and defended it, we would all have it. African Americans struggled for freedom, and as Martin Luther King mentioned, they did not get their freedom for a while. African Americans valued freedom, and defended it as best they could; according to Samuel Adam’s theory, why didn’t they get their freedom sooner?
3. “Freedom is not the ability to act freely, but the ability to act within a diminutive amount of restraints or restrictions, so diminutive that oblivious people don‘t notice them, nor even consider them to be there.”
The statement about freedom that came closest to my beliefs about freedom is the statement made by Martin Luther King Jr. He said “We know that through painful experience that freedom is never given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed… Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The wanting for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the African Americans.” I think what Martin Luther King Jr. is trying to say to us is we have to fight for our freedom we have to earn it, because it isn’t going to be a special delivery on our door step. In his speech he told about African Americans not having a bit of freedom that the whites get everything and they only got the scraps and crumbs left over. They had to sit at the back of the buses, they were not allowed in public places, there were signs in store windows WHITES ONLY in bold letters. But through the years of this troubling life they received there freedom and stores became integrated.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all of these statements
s some people had about freedom, I saw that Martin Luther King Jr. and Theodore Adorns disagree. He said that the blacks shouldn’t have any freedom and if they did that the whites should take it away. That the richer should take all the poor has all of their money. But Martin thought that the African Americans should fight for their freedom that people can’t just take their freedom away. Those people earned it and will keep it.
My definition of freedom is…
“We have our own things to do we have places to go people to see. But if we didn’t have our freedom we wouldn’t be able to do all of those things we do now. What freedom means to me is the right to do something. Our divine right to go anywhere we want any time. Freedom is taken for granted everyday but once we don’t have it god forbid people will be wanting it and loving it even more. Freedom is what those soldiers are fighting for out in Afghanistan giving there lives to protect our freedom. That is what I think freedom means.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s statement in 1941 matches my opinions on freedom. He states that we have four essential freedoms. The freedom of speech, and expression, the freedom of religion is another one. The third freedom is the freedom that if we want something we can work for it. The last freedom, is the freedom of safety from guns, bombs, etc. This is also my definition.
ReplyDeleteThese statements don’t seem to disagree with each other. They don’t seem to agree with each other either. All of these people have a different way of stating their opinions. They all are not talking about the same exact thing.
My 21st century definition of freedom is the four freedoms that are in Roosevelt’s statement. One, freedom of speech and expression, to be able to say what you believe. Two, the freedom of religion, to be able to believe in my g-d. Three, the freedom of want. If I want something, I can work to get it. Four, the freedom of safety, I should be able to feel safe wherever I go.
The statement about freedom that came closest to my own beliefs was the one by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963. “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed…Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro.” I chose this speech because we the people can not earn freedom as quick as the blink of an eye, we have to fight for our freedom, like we fight for our life and health. What Martin Luther King Jr. is stating is, that if you want freedom you can just sit back and wait for someone to hand it to you, you have to fight for it if you want it. And freedom is the center of life, you need freedom as much as you need health. I believe freedom is not an option, its a gift you fight for, a gift you deserve.
ReplyDeleteAs I read all of the quotes, I noticed that 2 authors disagreed with each other. Euripides, a Greek dramatist thinks that all people are not equal, and those who aren’t as good or don’t have as much power as the others are slaves by nature. He believes that those who have power and have control over people apparently have freedom in their blood. Martin Luther King Jr. completely disagrees with this belief, he believes that people are created equal and everyone shall fight for there freedom, and not be rated on how much power they have and then get it or not.
Freedom is the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints. Freedom is not to be rated on your power and then be given freedom or not, freedom is a objective that everyone needs to fight for, and be handed the gift of freedom if they well deserve it. Freedom decides the rest of your life.
The definition of freedom can is a question that puzzles my classmate Dwight Chase. I also do not know exactly what it means in the Declaration of Independence. The freedom quote that is closest to my beliefs is the quote by Rudolph Giuliani, Mayor (1994) “Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do or how you do it.” This quote is closest to my beliefs because I believe that human beings have the will to do what they want if it is lawful. The government does not care what you do as long as you do not break the law. No human being has authority over another.
ReplyDeleteThe authors of the freedom speech have different opinions about freedom. In the times of the Greeks they believed they had freedom in their blood. If you are born a slave, you cannot be free. The Romans thought freedom had to do with power. If you had power, you had more freedom. On the contrary, Rabindranath Tagore, an Indian philosopher thinks that you will have freedom and are deserving of it if you extend it to others. This means if you enslave someone, you are also enslaving yourself and are not worthy of freedom.
My definition of freedom is all human beings no matter race or religion can participate in any event or occupation. No one is segregated and human beings can do what they want as long as it is lawful. Freedom should not be measured in power but in equality.
After reading the quotes of the famous historic figures I agreed with only one of them. I agreed with Martin Luther King, Jr.’s statement the most because he had the closest statement of freedom that came to my own, Martin Luther King, Jr. said “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed.... Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro." I agree with him because, as he said, people must fight for freedom and the fighters always win. And to win freedom you have to demand freedom.
ReplyDeleteI think that not all the historic figures have the same definition of freedom. I noticed that Euripides has completely the opposite idea of freedom than Martin Luther King, Jr. Euripides thinks "Greeks were born to rule barbarians... not barbarians to rule Greeks. They are slaves by nature; we have freedom in our blood." This statement is opposite of the statement of Martin Luther King, Jr. because Martin Luther King, Jr. believes that those who want freedom deserve it, but Euripides believes that the Greeks were born to rule others.
My definition of freedom today is “Freedom is everyone’s privilege, if you do not treasure it you will miss it most of all, and the people that don’t have freedom should fight for it and win. There are many people in trouble around the world that are forced to do everything their ‘leader’ tells them to do, and as we sit here on our bottoms and do nothing there are actually people making a difference to those people that are living without freedom. And those are the people we should treasure most.”
The statement that comes closest to my beliefs is Christian New Testament. The Christian New Testament said "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. This is the closest statement that comes closest to my beliefs because the statement is saying we are free and we are not slaves. I believe that freedom is not when your being a slave for someone and how the rights make my own choices.
ReplyDeleteYes some of the authors do disagree with each other. Not everyone agrees with everyone. Everyone has their own thoughts on what freedom means. For example Euripides, Greek dramatist (484-406 BC) and Christian New Testament have different thoughts on what freedom is. Euripides, Greek dramatist (484-406 BC)’s statement is "Greeks were born to rule barbarians... not barbarians to rule Greeks. They are slaves by nature; we have freedom in our blood." Euripides, Greek dramatist statement is not the same as Christian New Testament.
My definition of freedom is: When you are not a slave or being told what to do you are free. When doing what you want to do without anyone telling you not to you are free. The only way to be free is not being a slave or being told to do something.