True Freedom: Fight, Flee, or Forbear?

        What is true freedom? Is it the ability to make choices? Do we really have true freedom? Freedom is the feeling you experience when you are not obligated to obey anyone and can act as you please. But are we truly free? Even if we are, are we free enough to do whatever we wish? My answer to that is no. Logically speaking, one might think we are free, since we do not have to obey anyone—except for laws, which everyone must follow. We are said to have "free will," as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Yet even with this so-called freedom, there are limitations, and these limits make me question what true freedom really is.

    

        For example, in "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," we see that even though Victor had legal freedom, there were still constraints to how much of it they could have; there was discrimination, isolation, and stereotypes. "As they hurry out of the carnival, a small redheaded boy points his finger at Victor and mimes shooting a gun, shouting 'You're dead, Indian'" (Alexie 123). Is it even true freedom if you can fully experience it? By the 1990s, Native Americans were U.S. citizens with full legal rights, including the right to vote, travel, and access to the courts. How can Victor achieve true freedom? Is it by fighting? Fleeing? or Forbearing? If Victor fought for his freedom and didn't let his race disrespect him, then it could have reinforced negative perceptions of Native Americans as "aggressive" in the eyes of others. If Victor fled, then he would have lost his dignity, as not fighting for his own freedom would undermine his and his race's dignity. If Victor endured, it would be a significant blow to his self-esteem, and as someone who understood the value of freedom and sought to achieve it, he would've felt powerless and enslaved. But Victor chose the most complex solution: enduring and fleeing instead of fighting him. This makes me wonder if true freedom can ever be achieved.

     

        Just as Victor's legal freedom is constrained by social prejudice, immigrants like Dennis Behn face limits to their freedom imposed by cultural expectations and social judgments.

    Another example, in "Swimmer",  Nicole Dennis-Benn highlights the stereotypes and discrimination immigrants experience. They are not treated kindly by many locals for not being from around, even though it hurts not to be accepted; they endure it for the betterment of their lives. The endurance they go through takes away their freedom. From the day she moved to the U.S., she felt she had lost the freedom she once had. She says, "I learned very early that to be an immigrant in this country meant I didn't have the luxury of choosing what I wanted, only what was necessary." (Swimmer 18). Dennis Benn is experiencing an "ackee-and-saltfish of emotions" (Jamaica's national dish); she is feeling extremely isolated, lonely, and alienated as her family doesn't want her to live with them, especially her stepmother; her dad just left her at the college, and her friends judge her for her sexuality and ambitions. She feels trapped by a dogma imposed by immigrants who see themselves as the good immigrants. To overcome that feeling and reacquire the freedom she lost after immigrating, she moved states twice, but fleeing doesn't do it, nor does bearing all the judgment from her friends and family. The only way she finally managed to achieve freedom was by resistance, she said, "I married her-- this woman who encouraged me to go after my dream as a writer." (Swimmer 25). 

   

         As Victor and Dennis Benn confront societal and cultural constraints that restrict their Freedom, Thoreau argues that true freedom requires active resistance against injustice. Whereas Victor navigates discrimination on the reservation, and Dennis Benn struggles to live up to the dogma set by immigrant communities, Thoreau emphasizes the moral obligation to oppose unjust laws and systems, showing that freedom is not simply given; it must be claimed through deliberate action.

        In Civil Disobedience Thoreau, emphasizes on the imporance of resistence against oppression to achieve freedom, he says, "if ten honest men only,---ay, if one honest man, in this State of Massachusetts, ceasing to hold slaves, were to actually withdraw from the copartnership, and be locked up in the country jail therefore, it would be the abolition of slavery in America" (Civil Disobedience 386). It is valid to assert that Thoreau is a hardcore believer in 'Fighting for freedom', as long as it doesn't involve violence. His tone, diction, and use of hyperbole (such as "if one honest man"....) compel the readers to think deeply and consider the urgency in his ambition of being free.

   

     

    

 Another example that I personally thought would be insightful and help us comprehend how there is no definition of True Freedom is "Attack on Titan", where Eren Yeager's pursuit of freedom shows how complicated true freedom can be. Eren wants to be free from the walls and the oppression of Marley, and he makes extreme choices to achieve it. He fights, rebels, and ultimately sacrifices his own morality and the lives of others for his desire to be Free. While these choices temporarily give him a sense of  Freedom, they also create catastrophic consequences for the future of Eldia: a lot of his friends die, societies and communities are destroyed, and the cycle of hatred continues. Eren's struggle showcases that freedom cannot be achieved through violent rebellion; instead, it leads to a never-ending cycle of hatred among societies. Even when one achieves the ability to act freely, it may come at a cost, showing that true freedom is never simple or without responsibility.  

         Ultimately, these readings show that true freedom is not something we inherently possess. As long as we live under societal dogma, blindly follow set rules, or resist in ways that are morally or socially inappropriate, our freedom is limited. Victor experiences the constraints of prejudice and stereotypes, Dennis Behn faces cultural expectations and judgment from those around her, and Thoreau emphasizes that freedom requires careful, moral action. Eren's pursuit of freedom illustrates the consequences of violent resistance. True freedom is the ability to make your own choices without accepting the harsh reality that freedom is limited; we can never truly be Free.