Kristen

Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Gentlemen, gentlemen, do you either know what makes our country unique?”

Henry David Thoreau: “Hmm… I’m not sure Ralph, the fact that we fought for it and won the land?”

RWE: “No”

Amos Bronson Alcott: “Is it because Europeans live here and we are the most intelligent?”

RWE: “No, not really. What do we have here that others are jealous of?”

HDT: “Big cities?”

ABA: “How about the fact that we children can all go to school here and learn?”

RWE: “Kind of. Why did we want to come here in the first place?”

HDT: “To break away from the Anglican Church and practice our faith freely without anyone judging us.”

RWE: “And are we able to do that now?”

ABA: “Yes!”

RWE: “Exactly. The key word is freely. Our country is unique in the fact that we are Free. We have the freedom to make our own choices and to live our lives the way in which we wish.”

ABA: “Yes, and the fact that we are able to teach whatever we want and try new ways.”

RWE: “Yes. We should be thankful for our freedom.”

HDT: “Our freedom allows us to believe in whatever we want too.”

RWE: “You are right Henry. If we wish to learn from nature rather than scientific knowledge, we have every right to. We can learn so much from nature and our country allows us to explore those ideas that have yet to be discovered because of our freedom.”

HDT: “Our country allows us to use our own intuition to make decisions also. We are free in the fact that we have a self-governing government. We all have a say in our government and have the right of freedom of speech. Not many other countries can say that.”

ABA: “You’re right. Even if we chose to think differently or teach differently we can. People might not agree but that’s the beauty of freedom of speech.”

RWE: “Exactly Amos. We have every right to think whatever we wish. And what about women?”

HDT: “What about women?

RWE: “Well Henry, you might have not known this but women weren’t always allowed to do what they do now.”

HDT: “Hmmmmm?”

RWE: “Yes, Women now have more rights than they have ever had. Just the fact that they are able to work and have their writings published is remarkable.”

ABA: “Oh yes! If it wasn’t for my daughter and her brilliant story, “Little Women”, my family and I would still be struggling with financial problems.”

HDT: “Ah yes Amos, our country has many liberties that others do not. I think the most important thing is that we have the ability to believe in whatever we want and the ability to express those opinions in public freely.”

RWE: “Yes indeed. I believe all these things are great examples of the freedom that our country has. We need to thank God for our freedom and for being able to live in this beautiful country.”

All: “Thank you Lord for our freedom and for our land of the free.”

Author: Jana

Freedom Dialogue
“Freedom Means Something Different to Everyone”

Setting: Three good friends, Margaret Fuller, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry Thoreau, gather around a table in an old coffee shop and begin talking. Suddenly, the song “Independence Day” by Martina McBride comes on the radio and strikes up a conversation amongst the three about freedom.

Fuller: Wow, what a great song!

Emerson: Yeah, not only a good song but also a great gift! Ahhh freedom! If it weren’t for independence, none of us would be sitting here at our own leisure enjoying coffee.

Thoreau: Freedom; what a loaded word…so many meanings and interpretations. Margaret and Ralph, what are your interpretations of freedom?

Fuller: Well Henry I believe you are right. There are many meanings to the word freedom! When I think of the word freedom I think of it in terms of women and gender equality.

Emerson: That’s funny, because when I think of the word freedom I think of it in terms of freedom in the self, the soul, and also in literature…more of a personal, self-reflected freedom.

Fuller: How about you Henry? What do you think when you hear the word freedom?

Thoreau: When the word freedom comes to mind, I think of it in terms of slavery; a time when people were controlled, mistreated, and denied any freedom.

Emerson: So, we all have very different interpretations of freedom. How about we elaborate a little bit more on our own definitions of freedom, and then trade our responses to read. It is a great way to self-reflect!

Setting: Ralph, Margaret, and Henry get straight to work with pride! Each eagerly writes over their second cup of coffee hoping to better define their interpretation of freedom.

Thoreau (reading Margaret’s definition): There is an intellectual equality between men and women. Women shall not be suppressed or given a back seat to men as they have in the past. They shall be free to be recognized, and be proud of this acknowledgement. Women are a vital part of history; they too are significant. Any unequal treatment made between men and women is considered a form of slavery. Therefore, thanks to those who made women free of this burden and gave us the freedom to become part of the American cultural identity.

Thoreau: So Margaret, when you think of freedom you think of women breaking free from the chains that held them down in the past?

Fuller: Absolutely! Now on to Henry’s description…

Fuller (reading Henry’s definition): Freedom implies being FREE. Under no circumstances should any person be omitted from this designation. Freedom is the umbrella that shields the rainy days of slavery. Slavery, a cruel and controlling punishment, obligated people to serve under slave-holders when, in fact, they were no different from the slaves themselves. So when I speak of freedom I speak of people being free to be who they are, live as they are, and act as they are without being put down for simply existing in a free world.

Emerson: In other words, freedom is not something that is selective. It belongs to everyone. No one person is more deserving of freedom over another. We, human beings, are all the same and are all deserving of the same freedoms as everyone else.

Thoreau: Pretty much! There have been some questionable times in the past when one wonders how freedom could exist in a world with such treatment taking place. Freedom is continually being redefined, in hopes that one day pure freedom will touch every corner of this world.

Fuller(reading Ralph’s response): Ok, so Ralph wrote….Freedom holds relevance to the soul. There is an inner freedom that exists inside each and every one of us. No longer should anyone feel required to hide their inner thoughts; it will soon become a burden. We should feel compelled to release them out into the open and free our souls, perhaps through literature. Our souls are not self-fed, and we must do what we can to feed our souls the freedom it needs.

Thoreau: That sure is an interesting take on freedom. When I think of freedom I often think of others and negate thy self. It is a good perspective to have when viewing freedom.

Setting: Over yet another cup of coffee, the three of them laugh in enjoyment of being able to speak freely to one another about the many meanings of the word freedom.

Student Author: Heather

Author Conversations

SCENE: We sit down at the yearly gathering which is referred to as the Dead Early Modern Writers Society. Many persons gather here to discuss their works again and again and eat a modest feast. Three men in particular sit down in the corner of the room to begin a conversation. These men are: Sir Thomas More, Edmund Spenser, and William Shakespeare. Each man sits trying to prove he is better than the other. The waitress had just taken their orders and they are waiting for their meals. They are beginning a very heated conversation.

Three men in unison: Thank you, Ma’am.

More: Is this Utopia or what?

Spenser: Must you bring up your stories like that; can we not enjoy the meal?

More: I did not come back from the grave and had my head reattached for nothing.

Shakespeare (agitated): Well alright then, what have you found now about the book you wrote almost 500 years ago?

More: My book Utopia is a timeless classic, as you all know. I find that it is still important in the world today. Although it was written in contrast to England, it is very true in the modern day United States.

Spenser: Of course you think it is. I must say though, that my book, particularly the story about the Redcrosse Knight is also important. Redcrosse is a true hero, and people today still love stories about hero. He overcame the evil sourcer, killed the monster Error, and was still reunited with his love.

Shakespeare: You call that a hero?

Spenser: Yes, what do you call a hero?

Shakespeare: Well if you’re using that definition. Then I supposed that I am a hero as well.

Spenser: Because you died in a brawl? Nowadays, that’s considered foolish.

Shakespeare: I didn’t say I considered myself a hero. I simply used your definition.

Spenser: You little…

More: Gentlemen, gentlemen. Please, we mustn’t make fools of ourselves. After all, we’re some of the oldest, and therefore, more respected authors in the room. This is exactly what I wrote about in my book. Were Raphael Hythloday is the hero that I wrote about.

Shakespeare (under his breath): Not this again.

More: Hythloday presented ideas for a Utopian society. He tried to save people from becoming robbers, and beggars. And he tried to save them from the ultimate punishment of death.

Spenser: You mean you tried this.

More: Well in essence, yes it was me. You two know the purpose was my internal battle between law and being a monk.

Shakespeare: Yes, yes. We’ve been hearing this for the last 400 years. Do you have anything new to tell us about?

More: Well excuse me Mr. Every High School Student in America Reads about Me.

Shakespeare: Yes, they read about me, I supposed that is because I’m the best. Did I not write stories about love and heroes? Othello for example, he’s a great hero. He’s powerful and eloquent. What everyone thinks of when they think about heroes.

Spenser: Who actually reads Othello, doesn’t everyone read Romeo and Juliet. And by read I mean rent the movie?

Shakespeare: Can I really help it if America’s youth think that I wrote Romeo as Leonardo DiCarpio? But at least people have heard of my heroes. What can you two say about your heroes?

More: My hero was an idealist. He tried to better society and stop war. He was interested in the very nature of humans, a true philosopher. That is what should be a hero. Not some pretty boy who fights in armor.

Spenser: My hero, Redcrosse fought against good and evil. He overcame temptation by Archimago. He battled monsters and traveled across the wilderness. He was a Knight and was very powerful.

Shakespeare: I still believe that a hero needs to be respected. You gave your hero, Hythloday a name that means foolish.

More: It’s the pure contradiction that makes him a hero. Everyone around him considers him to be a fool, yet he is a hero.

Anonymous Student Post

Transcendentalism grew out of a realization that the world was changing, and not always for the better. Nowadays many people spend hours discussing the questions of our time, philosophizing over a cup of coffee. I decided to place the discussion of our writers in the modern era. What would they have said about our modern issues?

Thoreau (T) and Margaret Fuller (F) are sitting in a local Starburcks. It is evening and getting late when Ralph Emerson walks in. He grabs a coffee and sits down with T and F.

F: Welcome home – another long day at school?

E: Yes, though I sometimes feel like I am back at the Pulpit when I deliver a long lecture. Especially when some of the students are falling asleep on me. It seems like many of them have no interest in Natural Poetry 101” anymore, instead it seems many of them are simply enrolled to meet their graduation criteria, just to go on to their major classes in computer technology.

T: I agree completely, I cannot tell you how ridiculous it is that the Government has stepped in and decided what topics one must study. Why do all the computer people get stuck in Nature Poetry 101 every year?

F: Well, that’s the state run schools anyway. There is an awful lot mandated these days.

T: Is that why you turned down that position at Cedar Crest? I though you would have made an excellent dean. Then again Cedar Crest is a private institution; you may have had more flexibility.

F:No, I turned that down because though I agree equal education has been provided for the most part for women, I feel I cannot wholly agree with the idea o a woman’s only school. I mean, what kind of equality is it that we have reached? Women may acquire an education, but they must do so alone.

E: I agree, the flow of ideas must be passed along all peoples, not be confined to one sex. Both sexes together create such a wonderful exchange of thoughts.

F: Well, Emerson, you know I have often believed that only when together do men and women create a kind of harmony.

T: Well, at least you aren’t in my position in the public high schools. What a nightmare the government has made then, especially with the introduction of the No Child Left Behind Act. I mean, what are they thinking, stepping into educational studies like that, I mean, what do politicians understand about teaching. They should keep their noses in their pocketbooks where they belong.

E: I don’t know about that Thoreau. I firmly believe that all people, including students are individuals, and that being said they should learn according to their individual abilities. Now there are so many wonderful advances in teaching theory that accompanies that thought – the different types of learning. By knowing those you can tailor your learning to the students so they can all achieve.

F: I agree, I think that modern teaching has made great strides in recognizing the individual light in each person.

T: Well, that may be true but I still believe there is too much government involvement. I have never believed in corporal punishment, but some of these kids….

F: Now Thoreau…education has led to such wonderful ideas and inventions in the past few years. Why, it is even beginning to help the environment, which I know you must appreciate.

E: Yes Thoreau, even you must appreciate the sudden push in government for cleaner fuels, more green space and a cleaner world.

T: Well, I never could argue that, but I think more needs to be done, especially here in the valley. I mean, look at all the green space lost to home development in the last few years, it is just atrocious. All the cars, pollution must be up. I tell you the minute that hydrogen car comes out, I am buying one!

E: Now there is an idea I agree with. The less reliant America is to foreign oil and all the problems that come with it the better off we will be.

F: Hear, hear. The need for oil will only embroil us in conflicts. I can tell you one thing, conflicts only turn us away from our ability to know God as we should. I mean, how can one speak to him over all the volume of the world.

T: That reminds me, if you would like I would love to invite you all up to Walden for the weekend for some R&R. Oh, and I will be inviting Chapman too! We can eat the fresh vegetables and talk all night. Maybe we can even do some writing!

E: That sounds wonderful!

F: That sounds lovely.

Anthony Trinkle
Conversation Assignment

H= Henry David Thoreau
R= Ralph Waldo Emerson
L= Louisa May Alcott

H: Hi ! Ralph and Louisa, how are you doing today?

R: I am doing great old buddy, thanks for asking.

L: I have seen better times but I am hanging in there.

H: Ralph, how is Concord, Mass., holding up? Remember when we met there in 1841?

R: Yes, those where the good old days, I took you under my wing when you left Concord Academy.

H: You helped me through some troubled times, you are a good friend.

L: Both of you gentlemen are very kind to me and helped me with my writing, I owe a lot of gratitude to both of you. Coming from concord was not so bad after all; I never would have known you guys if it wasn’t for there.

R: How are the guys treating you Louisa?

L: They are fine. I do not want to get married. Freedom is to important to me. I will not have freedom if I get married. I rather live a private life by myself, here in concord.

R: Concord was a lovely place, but let us talk about this hot topic.

L+H: What topic it that?

R: FREEDOM

H: What a great topic to talk about. I have many ideas on freedom. As I am sure both of you do as well.

L: I have to fight for my freedom everyday being a woman. Neither of you know what that is like.

R: No, we can not say that we do.

L: Did you know that I was the first woman to vote in Concord, Massachusetts. I fought day after day for women’s freedom especially the right to vote. Women should be treated fairly just like men are.

H: I agree Louisa. Everyone should have every freedom that anyone else has.

R: Agreed

H: I am sure both of you have read my writing, Civil Disobedience. I speak about slavery and government and freedom. I disagree with a lot of what the government does. “The government is not just a little corrupt or unjust in the course of doing its otherwise-important work, but in fact, the government is primarily an agent of corruption and injustice. Because of this, it’s not too soon for honest men to rebel and revolutionize” (Civil Disobedience).

L: You have some good points there. So do you think the government is to blame for slavery and the civil war?

H: Yes, I do. The government is to blame. “What is the value of any political freedom, but as a means to moral freedom? Is it freedom to be slaves, or a freedom to be free, of which we boast? (Life Without Principle)

R: I think we are on the same path here. If you cannot be free be as free as you can be.
I do not think we should have slaves. I wrote about that in many of my works. How can we have slaves? How do they not deserve the same rights that we have?

L: That is how our government works. You can disagree with them all you want but that does not mean they are going to change their laws. We call our government a democracy but is it really? No, it is not. If it was a democracy we would not have slaves. Everyone would have the same freedoms, white, black, women and men.

H: We need to do something about our government. We do not need to abolish our government rather just improve it. I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government — the direction of this improvement aims at anarchism: That government is best which governs not at all; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have”. (Civil Disobedience)

R: So we need to improve our government and get them to change, not abolish it and start all over?

L: Yes, it will take to much time and work to start all over again. We have come to far to just get rid of it. We need to all work together and maybe one day we will all have the same freedoms.

H: I think you guys got my point. The two of you must have read “Civil Disobedience”.

R+L: Of course, we did.