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.