What is the Meaning of Freedom?
During our class discussion about the Declaration of Independence Josefina Perez 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."
1. I think that Franklin D. Roosevelt’s statement in 1934 comes closest to my beliefs. He said that freedom does not mean that you can break the law or do things that are wrong. He said that it gives you freedom of speech, and that it should be respected. I think Roosevelt means that we have the freedom to say and do what we believe to be true, as long as it isn’t something wrong, such as violating laws.
ReplyDelete2. Yes, I feel that Franklin D. Roosevelt and Marcus Tullius Cicero disagree with each other. While Roosevelt described that freedom is to be able to say or do what you believe, Cicero thought that freedom is just participation in power. I feel that Roosevelt better described freedom, and the Cicero was incorrect about freedom involving power.
3. Daniel V. Luca, Cunningham I.S.234 Student (2009). “Freedom allows us all to say or do what we like. We can criticize the president, or hate a ruler from a different country, and we will not be in trouble. We may also protest, but authorities will not arrest us. We may do what we feel is right. As long as no one is hurt mentally or physically from your believes, I believe that it is okay and people should listen and respect them.”
1}I think Theodor Adorno the 20th century philosopher's definition comes closest with my beliefs. He wrote "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." This is saying that people over use the concept of freedom to the point that they have to much or to little left. When you over use your freedom you can gain things with it or you can lose it. People think with freedom of speech you can say anything you want but you really can't if you say something rude to a friend you might lose a friend but if you are nice and talk nice to someone you will gain a friend. So don't over use your freedom. Freedom does not mean do anything you want you still have to remember to think of there people and don't do things you would not do if we did not have freedom of speech.
ReplyDelete2} I believe that Franklin D. Roosevelt and Theodor Adorno completely disagree with each others definition of freedom. Roosevelt says that since we have freedom of speech don't be afraid to use it. Do hat you want. Theodor says that people over use their freedom to the fullest, we should be using are freedom for good not for bad.
3} Kaitlin P. Sullivan, 12 year old student [2009]. “ Freedom is the right to do want to do without doing things wrong or with to much freedom that will get you into trouble. Do what you think you would do if we never had freedom of speech or press. Do what is right.”
1) The statement about freedom by Marcus Tullius Cicero comes closest to my own beliefs. This is because the statement is true. Freedom is not when someone tells you what to do. You should have the power to do what you want and should not have someone tell you what to do. This is what you call freedom.
ReplyDelete2) I feel that the authors seem to disagree with each other. Marcus Tullius Cicero disagrees with Euripides. Marcus Tullius Cicero thinks freedom is participation in power and Euripides thinks Greeks were born to rule barbarians, not barbarians to rule Greeks. They are slaves by nature; we have freedom in our blood. So they both believe in different things. Marcus believes freedom should be when you can do anything you want and Euripides thinks freedom is that you should either be born a slave or with freedom.
3) Yun Mei, 21st Century 7th grader (2009). “I believe freedom is the right to do what you want when you want, but it shouldn’t be doing something that will hurt someone or something. Everyone would be equal no matter what color or race they are. There should be no leaders or followers. You should be your own leader.”
1- The statement about freedom that came closest to my beliefs was Franklin D. Roosevelt, United States President (1941). Franklin D. Roosevelt explains freedom differently. As in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom from fear. When Franklin D. Roosevelt said everyone has a freedom of speech he meant that we were aloud to say anything. Not to swear, but talk in a way we want to. When Franklin D. Roosevelt said we have freedom of religion, he said “every person to worship God in his own way - everywhere in the world.” What he meant by saying these words was we could have any religion and live in the world. We just didn’t have to be Christian or Jewish to live we could believe anything we wanted. And lastly what Roosevelt meant by saying freedom from fear which means...a world-wide reduction of armaments
ReplyDelete2- I believe that Theodor Adorno and Franklin D. Roosevelt completely disagree on there beliefs on what Theodor Adorno says that people over use their freedom to the fullest; trying to say not use freedom in a bad way. Roosevelt is trying to say how many different ways freedom is used and how to use it.
3- Mateen Yousaf, 12 Years Old: Cunningham Student (2009). “Freedom. Many ways to be described. Many ways to be used. Freedom of Speech. Freedom of Religion.
It gives a human strength to be sure that he or she can do or say some thing without getting in trouble. Being violent, cursing, anything that the law says we cant do we have to follow. We should not take advantage of this. FREEDOM. Do what is right not wrong!!!
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ReplyDelete1."Freedom is always freedom for the man who thinks differently." Rosa Luxemburg. I think that was a great speech it explained a lot to me and it’s my own belief because freedom is what is your command not anyone else’s but you must follow the laws that other people think it’s right. So the outcome of this is you are your own leader and it’s your own freedom but you do have to follow what other people say but if you choose to.
ReplyDelete2. Not a lot of them disagree but most of them do since they all have different perspectives on life and people and they all lived in a different time with a different life because if you lived in B.C. your speech may be far more different than a speech in 2009 because life changes over time. Also you might be kind of crazy and kind of smart you may be king or you may be a plain person, and I think all of these speeches matter because of which perspective their on.
3. Aleksey Stanishevskiy (2009) - Freedom is not freedom if you don’t think it is. Freedom may be different to all of you since you may think different things but freedom is a form of speech or doing its your wish and your wish is your freedom
1) The statement that comes closest to my beliefs is the statement of Theodor Adorno. He states that people have had the full blast off freedom for so long that it is being manipulated. This means that people have used freedom for their justification for doing the wrong things. This is close to my statement because many I believe that many people misuse the concept of freedom today.
ReplyDelete2) Yes, some of the people do disagree with each other. Euripides says that freedom is born in the blood and slavery is just the cause of their nature, but Rosa Luxemburg says that anyone that can think differently. If freedom is born in the blood, then that means it would not matter if they think differently, they would still be slaves. But if Rosa says that the unique thinker is always free, then they are not born slaves. These two ideas have no comparison and will repel against each other until the end comes. This means that there are many perspectives and views of freedom.
3) Ryan E. Webber, 12 year old Cunningham student, (2009). “Man and woman have been exposed to the full rays of freedom without knowing its full meaning. And without knowing it’s true meaning, it has become corrupt and has been manipulated and misused in the wrong forms. So I say, the true meaning of freedom is the will of the human to decide what is right or wrong by his/her own choice without being pushed into an undecided path.”
1) I agree with Marcus Tullius Cicero. I agree with him because throughout most of our history and sometimes even today freedom is referred to as participation in power that is why I believe in Marcus Tullius Cicero’s statement.
ReplyDelete2) No I think none of the authors disagree with each other. I think that that is so because they are talking about different ways freedom can used because they are in different situations.
3) My 21’st definition of freedom is that freedom is a right which is given to a person by another person.
1) The statement that comes closest to my belief is: Samuel Adams, American revolutionary leader (1771). "The truth is, all might be free if they valued freedom, and defended it as they ought." This statement means if you believe in freedom and stand up to it no matter what, then you will receive freedom.
ReplyDelete2) Samuel Adams and Franklin D. Roosevelt, United States President (1934) seem to disagree with each other. Franklin D. Roosevelt is saying to believe in freedom according to the constitution, but Samuel Adams is saying to defend what you think is freedom.
3. Saad Rehman-12 (2009)~ "Freedom is a word that baffles many people. There is no complete definition of freedom. But, I believe freedom is a power that gives us the right to express ourselves both verbally and physically. Freedom is what you think it is, defend it and express it."
1) The definition that comes closest to my beliefs is Rosa Luxemburg, German socialist (circa 1900). "Freedom is always freedom for the man who thinks differently."This statement means if you have a different thought from everyone else you have the freedom to say your honest opinion and you can not be stopped.
ReplyDelete2) I believe that Franklin D. Roosevelt and Theodor Adorno disagree with each other because Roosevelt thinks that freedom is that you shouldn't be afraid to do anything you want to do, go a head and do it. Adorno thinks freedom is being used to do bad things and you should only use it for the good things.
3)Shaista Shoukat-12 Years Old[2009]- " Freedom is the condition of being free,the power to act,speak or think without clear imposed restraints".
1. Which statement about freedom comes closest to your own beliefs? Explain.
ReplyDeleteFranklin D. Roosevelt’s (United States President) statement about freedom, in 1934, comes closest to my beliefs. I think his statement comes closest to my beliefs because Franklin D. Roosevelt is saying that people should be able to express how they feel and how others will respect their feelings. Also people should follow the laws and not use foul language or have dangerous places to work.
2. Do any of these authors appear to disagree with each other? Explain.
I think that Euripides and Martin Luther King Jr. disagree with each other. Euripides thinks that Barbarians should be slaves and that the Greeks should rule over them. Martin Luther King Jr. thinks there should be no slaves and that everyone should be equal.
3. Write your own twenty-first century definition of freedom.
Jacalyn A. Swintelsky, 21st century 7th grader (2009): believes that everyone should have the freedom to say what they believe. They should not use foul language and they should follow laws, so no one gets hurt. Freedom means that everyone in the world should be equal. If you are Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, or other, you should be treated the same. Freedom means there should be no slaves. This is what freedom means to me.
1.I agree with Marcus Tullius Cicero "Freedom is participation in power." This states that you could do what you want. That freedom gives us power. Freedom gives you the power to not do what people tell you to do, you should do what you want. This statement that Marcus Tullius Cicero said defines freedom.
ReplyDelete2.I think that the authors disagree with each other. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Euripides have different opinions. The Euripides said that they should rule the Barbarians. In other words they making freedom for them not everybody. And Franklin D. Roosevelt said that we should have freedom of speech, freedom from want, freedom from fear. This shows that Franklin D. Roosevelt wants everyone to have freedom.
3.Josefina M. Perez, 12 year old student (2009). “I believe that freedom has to do with you doing what you want even if it’s right or wrong. You should do what you want not what everyone else tells you what to do. You are your own boss no one else’s.”
1. i think former mayor Guliani's statement comes closest to my definition of freedom. Both of our definetion is about doing somthing, how to do it when to do it and etc.
ReplyDelete2.The statement i disagree with most is the one of Eruipides' his statement in my opnion is the complete opposite of the definition of freedom. You dont rule other people as slaves. if you guys get freedom, why can't the barbarians get freedom ?
3.Sunny Wong 12 year old student(2009) "Freedom is never free remember that. Freedom is to be able to do things you want in your way ,not following anyother people or being forced by other people. Your destiny is in your hands, you make the choices not somone else that owns you, you
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ReplyDeleteThe statement that comes closest to my own beliefs is the one by Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian philosopher. I completely agree with what he says about how you can only achieve freedom if you love it and want to extend it to others. Tagore says “he who distrusts freedom in others looses the moral right to it.” I’m going to interpret this as, no one has the right to take freedom away from someone else. I wonder how Tagore felt about prison, humans taking basic freedom away from other humans, although he was most likely talking about taking someone’s freedom away and making them a slave. I also agree that although everyone is born free, there are ways to lose the moral right to freedom and taking somebody else’s freedom in any form is one of these ways.
ReplyDeleteI think two authors who disagree with each other are Euripides, Greek dramatist and Martin Luther King, Jr., American Civil Rights leader. Euripides says that some are born to rule and some are born to be slaves. According to him there is no changing this because your degree of freedom is predestined. Dr. King seems to mean the opposite. To him an oppressed party will not stand to be oppressed forever but eventually rise up and demand their freedom, nothing is predestined and society can change. These two authors both form fascinating and intense points but they are, indeed opposite points.
Corrina Blau, 12 year old student, (2009).
“Freedom is to be burdened both and physically mentally only with what is necessary to keep yourself alive and anyone you choose to take responsibility for. It is being allowed to express yourself in any and all ways provided it doesn’t negatively affect anyone else. It requires you to be emotionally content."
I believe Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1934 sentences about freedom come closest to my beliefs. One reason is, he says, “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." F.D.R says what freedom is and what freedom is not. He says that working children and people doing business in fire traps/ sweatshops is not right. It is not freedom. F.D.R says the Constitution is the freedom of expression and that will be respected. This is true because without freedom of expression, you cannot express your feelings about issues, you cannot express religion, and you cannot have freedom of speech.
ReplyDeleteThe authors Euripides and F.D.R (1934) disagree with each other. Euripides talks about how barbarians are crazy, slaves by nature and Greeks are people that have freedom. F.D.R talks about the Constitution, freedom of expression, and things that are not free. In other words, he says what freedom is and what freedom isn’t. Euripides talks about two groups of people, the barbarians and Greeks. Really, Euripides doesn’t agree with any other author.
Mohammed S. Islam, Cunningham Student [2009] - Freedom is to have a voice in government. Freedom is to be able to express religion freely. Freedom is to say your opinion and be proud it.
1. This statement comes close to my definition of freedom is: "Freedom is participation in power." Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman statesman (106-43 BC). This statement comes close to my beliefs of freedom because it makes sense. Freedom basically means for each person to have their own “little piece of power”. There shouldn’t be any one person with all the power, but the power divided into all the people.
ReplyDelete2. I think these authors are disagreeing with each other. Some are saying freedom is thinking differently, while others say freedom is in your blood. These people are wrong about freedom being in your blood or thinking differently. Freedom is people having equal power over their lives.
3. Sheldon Noel-11 year old Social studies student [1998- ]: “Freedom is everyone having their own opinions, ideas, own rights and power over themselves. Freedom is people not being enslaved, living in a free country. Freedom is people not being criticized for being unique or different. Finally, freedom is being able to do what you want to do without being forced to it another way.
1) The statement that comes closest to my beliefs is George W. Bush’s in 2005. When George Bush mentions that our citizens are subsistence when it comes to gaining freedom or not many people can tell that without freedom, no one is calm. I believe that, even with much security, but not freedom, our fellows still fears about the future. Freedom is all we need in life because it gives us peace, and justice.
ReplyDelete2) Yes, two authors seem to disagree with each other, and those authors are James Madison and Samuel Adams. From James Madison’s point of view, he prefers to receive freedom by steady and silent actions than violence. On the other hand, Samuel Adams considers to gain freedom by protesting and confronting with the government, or President that’s in charge of the dilemmas. As you can see, Samuel Adams supports rebellion, while James Madison disagrees to have rebellions.
3) Airin Kashem, 11 year old student (2009). "Freedom is what people desire to gain peace and justice in their years of living in this world. To gain this freedom people ought to stand up for their rights. There are people in this world who doesn’t seem to realize the effects of the people without freedom. Therefore, if it is necessary, there should be protesting and rebellions to achieve our freedom.”
1) I believe Franklin D. Roosevelt's definition of freedom comes closest to my beliefs about freedom. By his statement he meant freedom is what you want unless it's not breaking the rules like, one of them is freedom speech. Freedom of speech is what your beliefs are and they should be respected by others even if they disagree. Another freedom he explained is freedom of every person to worship god in his/her own way, that means you can worship your own god or anything or even not believing in any god but, you can not break laws or force others to believe what you believe, you can persuade people to believe what you believe.
ReplyDelete2) I think all of those definitions of freedom are different and the authors of those statements do not agree or disagree because, they are definitions that goes with different situations. However I think they have something in common, all of the statements make up the word which we call freedom.
3) Mohammad T. Mahmud Cunningham I.S. 234 student (2009)"Freedom is what a human has and deserves, it allows all to make their own life choices and decisions and believe what we want to believe. However it doesn't mean we can break/violate laws and rules. You can talk about your beliefs explain itor but, can notforce others or distroy public properties. Freedom is probably the most important thing a human can have, it's the only power that each and every human in world has."
1.The statement that comes close to my beliefs are Franklin D. Roosevelt, United States President (1941).He states that everyone in the world has the right to have freedom of speech,expression,and religion.Franklin D. Roosevelt says that people don't always have to agree on what the other person says.We have different opinions and we are allowed to express it to anyone we want.Everyone in the world should be able to believe in the god they want to believe in.We have the right to pray any way we want.It doesn't matter if we pray in a church or anywhere else.We should be able to let the world know what we believe in with out being terrified of what would happen to us if they knew.It doesn't matter what age,gender,or race we are.Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and beliefs and we should be able to portray our thoughts all over the place,and respect all thoughts.
ReplyDelete2.I think that Marcus Tullius Cicero and Franklin D. Roosevelt disagree with each other because Franklin says that all people are equal and even if they don't have power they express whatever they want. Tullius Cicero says that freedom is power.Who ever participates in power will have freedom while the others are not equal to you.I think that Franklin D. Roosevelt and I would very much disagree with Tullius Cicero's statement.
3.Fatama Zohra,12 years old Cunningham student (2009)
Freedom is not about power or controlling a person. Freedom is freedom of speech and religion.Its the right to express our own opinions and beliefs.Its every human right to worship the god we want to believe in.Freedom is not slavery or racism.Freedom is treating every human equally.To respect each and every one of us,even if we don't agree on what they say.Freedom is a great thing.Use is wisely.Do the right thing not wrong.Don't disobey laws.Freedom is a powerful thing, but make sure you know how to use it.Treat every age, gender,and race equally.How will you use freedom?
1. The statement of Franklin D. Roosevelt (1941) comes closest to my belief. Roosevelt believes that every person have the freedom of speech and expression, the freedom of religion, and the freedom of fear. I agree with him. Every person in the world has the right to say what he or she believes without being stopped. It doesn’t matter what religion you are, you can worship anyone you want or not believe in god at all. Freedom from fear means fear from armaments.
ReplyDelete2. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1941) and Marcus Tullius Cicero disagree with each other. Roosevelt believes that freedom is the right of speech, expression, and religion. On the other hand, Cicero believes that freedom is participation of power.
3. Murrim Shahid, 12-year-old student [2009]. “Freedom is the right to do what you want as long as you don’t hurt others physically or mentally. Freedom is the right to express your feelings without being stopped. Freedom does not mean to violate laws. Do what is right. Do not misuse freedom.”
1. I think the statement Franklin D. Roosevelt, United States President, in 1934 made about freedom came the closest to my beliefs about freedom. Franklin D. Roosevelt said “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” and this is correct. I think he meant that you have the freedom to do many things but there are some things that you just can’t do or you are breaking the law. I believe freedom means the same exact thing.
ReplyDelete2. The two authors that appear to be disagreeing with each other are Martin Luther King Jr. and Euripides. They seem to be disagreeing because Euripides believes the Greeks should rule and barbarians should be their slaves but Martin Luther King Jr. believes everyone should be equal and there should be no slaves. These two people have totally opposite ideas on the definition on freedom so this is why it seems like they are disagreeing.
3. Jill M. Nixon, 21st century 7th grade student (2009): “Freedom is when you can do what you want unless laws are violated. You can express your ideas on high authority figures, like the president, and not get arrested. You also have rights when you have freedom. This is what I believe the definition of freedom is.
1. In my belief i think that the statement that explains freedom better is "freedom is the particapition in power". I think that it means you have freedom the most because when you have power you have freedom and when you have freedom you have power. These two words are very strong and they mean a lot. When people have power it means that they could do things freely.
ReplyDelete2. Some author's disagree with each other and think that the word freedom has different meanings. A lot of people think that it means when you have the power to do anything but some disagree with that. All of the phrases from the different people mean a totally different defintion.
3. Freedom means to be set free. Also it could mean to do anything you want without being told what to do. Another meaning is having the power to do actions without being judged.
Ms. Nixon said “You can express your ideas on high authority figures, like the president, and not get arrested.” My question to Ms. Nixon is if someone terrorized the president, you won’t be arrested?
ReplyDelete1. Samuel adams comes closest to my beliefs, for he states that if you believe your free, you are free. I agree with this because if you believe your a slave, even if you are a wealthy free man/women. you can never be free if on the inside, your a shackled animal
ReplyDelete2. i believe that Marcus Tullius Cicero and Rosa Luxemburg disagree with one another, for Marcus states you must be in power to be free, and people in power think the same, while Rosa beluves you must be a lone, more independent person to be free.
3. Raymond Kubiak,21st century 7th grade student states." Freedom is exactly that, to be free. Like the Stallions and Mares the Roamed the plane all so long ago, Listening to nothing but the winds whistling in their ears. Following none but their own. To have freedom is so cleary stated in the word Freedom, its so hard to make out. But know this, Freedom is exactle that. To be free"