Freedom is something that we associate with our country. However, we can also associate it with our personal lives as we can find our own freedom. Along with freedom comes personal responsibility, which is portrayed in the following musicals. Sometimes in life we feel pressured to become something that others want us to be. In the musical Wicked, the main character Elphaba faces the struggle of fitting in. Her roommate Galinda wants to turn Elphaba into a popular girl so that Elphaba will fit in. Elphaba has green skin and doesn’t look like everyone else, so she is viewed as an outsider. Elphaba decides that Galinda’s views don’t matter and she decides to become her own person. She embraces her powers and decides to defy those who she disagrees
What is freedom? This question is easy enough to answer today. To many, the concept of freedom we have now is a quality of life free from the constraints of a person or a government. In America today, the thought of living a life in which one was “owned” by another person, seems incomprehensible. Until 1865 however, freedom was a concept that many African Americans only dreamed of. Throughout early American Literature freedom and the desire to be free has been written and spoken about by many. Insight into how an African-American slave views freedom and what sparks their desire to receive it can be found in any of the “Slave Narratives” of early American literature, from Olaudah Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustav Vassa, the African published in 1789, to Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself which was published in 1845. Phillis Wheatley’s poetry and letters and Martin R. Delany’s speech Political Destiny of the Colored Race in the American Continent also contain examples of the African-American slaves’ concepts of freedom; all the similarities and differences among them.
In sum, the film represented the true meaning of this nation’s independence in an eloquent, musical, and memorable
She always wanted to be the center of attention, she was prejudiced and believed things should stay the same, and she was very selfish. While she thinks she’s above everyone else, she feels that the world revolves around her.
Likewise, straying from the expected path of her family, Dorothy Allison was determined to become the person who she wanted to be. Expressing who she is
Have you ever thought about what it would be like not to be free? What would it be like not to be able to make choices? What would it be like not to be able to do what you want? It's scary to think about not being free, but even in the world today some people don't even have basic human freedoms. Lois Lowry shows us in her books The Giver and Gathering Blue what it would be like not to have freedom and how important it is that we have it.
When Elphaba was born, she was expected to be a curse to her family. For example, her father, Frex said, "It's the devil," and "The devil is coming" (Maguire 10). He is very unhappy, cruel, and neglected her ever since birth because of her physical appearance. She gets the center of attention from everyone because of uncommon characteristics such as having green skin, allergenic to water, and having razor-sharp teeth. Even though she portrays a role being the Wicked Witch of the West, she can still be a caring and loving person. When she was a college student, she deeply cares about all animals in the land of Oz and is willing to endanger herself to save them. She saved a monkey from drowning in the w...
In the book, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, almost everyone has their own expectations to what they’re supposed to be or that they can’t change who they already are.
According to Dictionary.com freedom means “the state of being uncontrolled by another, or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint.” Freedom. What does freedom mean to you? Even though freedom means the state of being uncontrolled by another, or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint, I believe that freedom means being able to accomplish what you desire and when you desire it without anyone saying anything, by reason of the comparison and contrast of our society and the society in the book Anthem by Ayn Rand, the negation of the word freedom, and synonyms of the word freedom. I believe that you should accept the consequences of the actions you take when you have your “freedom” as well.
The Freedom Writer tells a story that taken place among a first year teacher and a group of different students that own all kinds of origin, color of skin and background. Erin Gruwell came from Newport Beach while the students came from East Los Angeles. In the movie, racism is a problem that cannot be neglected. It is the root cause of hatred, as well as a global issue.
If there is one thing people fear is being part of the norm. We like to think we are special and different from everyone else therefore, we aim for goals that would make us stand out. In Michael Shapcott’s painting Auburn we see the face of a unique girl with bright red hair and a strong clear gaze who looks like she is being engulfed little by little. In fact, it almost looks like the page is being burnt and the girl is disappearing. The truth is nothing lasts forever and when someone is too different they find themselves being treated like outcasts due to jealousy. In school kids are bullied when they are different from everybody else and rejected when someone actually gets to know them and then realize that while they look different they are still like everyone else. We cannot go around pleasing everyone, it’s just not possible because everyone always wants and expects someone different. The gaze of the girl in Shapcott’s painting seems to say that she experienced all the expectations that people automatically had of her due to her appearance but that they weren’t the ones that mattered, she was. In a way Amanda Palmer is similar to the
In the novella The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the main character Edna Pontellier “becomes profoundly alienated from traditional roles required by family, country, church, or other social institutions and is unable to reconcile the desire for connection with others with the need for self-expression” (Bogard). The novella takes place in the South during the 1800’s when societal views and appearances meant everything. There were numerous rules and expectations that must be upheld by both men and women, and for independent, stubborn, and curious women such as Edna, this made life challenging. Edna expressed thoughts and goals far beyond her time that made her question her role in life and struggle to identify herself, which caused her to break societal conventions, damage her relationships, and ultimately lose everything.
In today’s society, these themes are still dominant. While some view freedom as a responsibility, others take advantage of the privilege. Those with a survival of the fittest attitude do what they want, when they want, in order to get what they want. People with individual conscience believe they have the privilege to do what is right, whether it be for themselves or for others. Unfortunately, those who search for freedom are usually seeking it from those who take advantage of it. While freedom comes with a cost, every American should be able to enjoy their own freedoms and liberties without anyone restricting them.
To a fourth grader at Fishing Creek Elementary School, freedom means, “Free to wear fake mustaches” (Curtis, 2011). Freedom, to a first grader at Dysart Elementary, means, “Not having to do work inside a little room. Instead we should go out and do the stuff we are learning” (Travis, 2014). The word, freedom, defines many things in each of us logistically, in our physical health, our spiritual walk, and our finances. To entire ethnicities it means absence from cruelty or death. In this essay we discuss the word as it affects a civil/social level which encompasses people in relationship to one another and in society.
To conclude: Through these characters, conflicts and film techniques, Richard La Gravenese has clearly portrayed that education, is vital to unlock opportunities, break stereotypical perceptions, overcome certain obstacles and find fulfillment. He plainly underlines that a person’s ethnic background, financial situation and personal or familial obligations should not determine the level of education received or the resources given for educational usage. In many ways the film and story of The Freedom Writers recognises, analyses and conveys how various concerns frequently supersede the strong need for an acquirement of education.