In a written response please answer the following completely:
List the freedoms you enjoy both in your home and in your community. List the freedoms you are denied. What is the reason for the denials? Do you accept the reasons? Do you feel that you live in a "free" state or do you think you are "controlled" by others? Explain in detail.
Please have these responses typed and turned in to Mr. Horvath by Tuesday January 25. Any students not currently in the 1984 club are free to join...just see me at some point.
11 comments:
Some freedoms I enjoy are the ability to travel where ever I want and read whatever book I want, watch what ever TV show I want.
Some things that I can't do are not go to school and drive a car.
I do not accept these because I don't see why I am incapable to drive and I think that if I don't want to go to school and ruin my future,I shouldn't have to (not that is exactly what I want to do).
I'd say I enjoy the freedoms to pick my friends and activities I like to do... basically to choose my interests. However, I don't get to make all of my own decisions (like bad ones) or just walk around doing whatever I wanted. There are laws and parents/guardians that stop people from doing these things. So less freedom in someways are for the better (though I may not like it) but if to many freedoms were taken away 'for the better' then it would be too controlling.
My freedoms are very important to me. Freedoms such as going where i want to go, watching what i want to watch, hanging out with the friends that i pick. Some freesoms that i am denied are the right to vote because i am not 18 yet, The right to drive or tavel alone are some opther freedoms that i am denied. I am not allowed to drive or vote because of the law but my parents restrict me from traveling tottally alone because they feel it is un safe which i agree on. I do accept these denials because i feel they keep the community safe. Finally, i do feel that we live in a somewhat free state. We have freedom of speech, text, press, even the right to carry guns if we are above a certain age. These freedoms certainly explain how i live in a "free" state.
I enjoy many freedoms in my daily life. As a U.S. citizen, the most important to me are freedom of expression, freedom of speech, and freedom of peaceful assembly. In many countries, people are denied these basic rights. As a student, I do not have many freedoms. For example, most teachers get highly annoyed when children ask to visit the lavatory. They also get angry if we’re late to class. Therefore, we can’t go between classes. We don’t even have the freedom to go to the bathroom. As a family member, I have the freedom of doing many normal things, but not freedoms like leaving me socks around. This angers my mom. I do not like these denials of freedom, but I think they are mostly necessary. If the bathroom denial didn’t exist, it is possible that students would spend all their time in the bathroom instead of learning. I’m not sure what will happen if I leave my socks around. For the bathroom paradox, I think balance is necessary. Perhaps teachers could use bathroom passes. True, it is difficult to learn in the bathroom, but it is also true that it is difficult to learn when you have to go.
Absolute freedom, in my opinion, is impossible and impractical to obtain. If someone had absolute freedom, they would not only be able to put their socks wherever they wanted, but could also transform their socks in ninja turtles by waving a hand at them. If they can’t do this, then they are not truly free to do anything. They are still restricted by the laws of reality. Also, if someone could do whatever they wanted, nothing would be important to them. They could achieve world peace and happiness for everyone immediately, but it would not practically exist. Our difficulties and denials are what make our freedoms so sweet, and without them, our freedoms are worth nothing. I do not think we live in a free state, and we are controlled by everyone and everything. However, I do not think this is a bad thing.
Well Horvath said my reflection was too short so lemme try again...
I'd say I enjoy the freedoms to pick my friends and activities I like to do... basically to choose my interests. That goes along with all of the freedoms in the Constitution (freedom of speech, religion, ect). But sometimes we don't get all of these freedoms. Like there are cases where we don't get to speak out, or don't get to do something we want to. Some times this is bad, such as back when there was a lot of racism and blacks had less freedom, but other times, like when we are growing up and don't really know the best decisions to make, are for the better. For example, I don't get to make all of my own choices (like bad ones) or just walk around doing whatever I wanted. There are laws and parents/guardians that stop me and other people from doing these things. These restraints stop bad things from happening most times. However some laws seem stupid to me, like laws against gay marriage, because that takes away the freedom of love for gay people. A law that IS helpful that I don't necessarily like is the driving age. Of course I want to be able to drive as soon as possible, but I know that that would be more dangerous and more people would get in car accidents. So yeah it bugs me, but I know that preventing 14 year olds from driving would save a lot of lives. So less freedom in someways is for the better (though I may not like it) but if to many freedoms were taken away 'for the better' then it would be too controlling. Basically an extreme of no freedoms or an extreme of freedoms could be very bad. Without any rules or restraints, everything would be chaotic and barbaric. With too many rules though, no one would be able to be unique or different. We'd be like robots living inside boxes. I cant say whether I think I live in a free state or not though because all states have their flaws in freedom. We are defiantly more free than other countries with dictatorships though, so I would lean towards saying our state (and country) is more free than not.
Well I suppose I have all the freedoms of any 13 year old. Meaning that while I can make some decisions on my own, some decisions are left to my parents. Like, for example, becoming a vegetarian. One would think that anyone could become a vegetarian, because people should have the freedom to chose what they eat, but instead, in the end, it was my parents who denied me of the freedom. We also have the freedom of speech. But of course, cannot say certain things, like swearing. Also occasionally, my parents do not appreciate the things I have to say,so I do not say them. Therefore my freedom of speech is regulated. So what I'm basically trying to say is that everyone has certain freedoms, but that doesn't entitle them to do whatever they want because really, if you think about it, the only place freedom is truly free, is in ones mind, where the only one who can limit you, is you.
Some of the freedoms that I have and enjoy would probably be being able to have an opinion and the option to make my own decisions. Unfortunately, what we say and do is sometimes limited depending on the situation. For example, in school, we are allowed to raise our hand and say what we want to, but still remembering that we must be courteous and not use swears/cuss words, inappropriate language and so on. We are therefore, denied certain word choice and the overall way that we express our feelings. Another example in our own homes would be the time we go to bed. We can decide what time we feel like but our parents prohibit us to stay up too late, especially on school nights! Therefore, we are partially denied once again, but we still have our final decision. The reason for these denials though is to keep us respectful and well. Like if we used foul language in class, we would be disrespecting the people around us and if we went to bed at two we would most likely not be able to perform as well as a day with a full night’s sleep. Therefore, it is in our best interest that we try to follow these specific limitations. Though some may not be in favor of these limits, I am because if we did not have them, we might not know where to stop. Like one time, my mom bought me a bag of kettle corn that I love, but instead of her telling me to save some because she knew I would want some later, she just gave me the entire thing. I ended up eating the whole bag with my sister later that day. This shows that without boundaries, we might not know where to stop. So, I feel that I live in both a “free” and “controlled” environment, but with both to certain extents. I personally, try to do the best I can every day to follow these restrictions.
As a child I have a limited amount of freedoms. There are many things that I would like to do that are denied, whether it be by law or by my parents. A freedom that I have and am not denied is the freedom to use technology. For example, I have the freedom to use a computer, have a phone, and listen to music on my I- Pod. Another freedom that I have is the freedom to attend school and to learn, but I do not have the freedom to have a job. The freedom to have a job is denied to me because of my age, society has decided that I should be focusing more on school rather than making money. Driving is another freedom that I am denied, as well as drinking.
I do agree with the fact that some of these freedoms should be denied to me. For instance, I think that children under the age of sixteen should not have a job because they may not have good time management skills; therefore, they may not be able to manage having a job and going to school. Another reason is that a young child may not be able to do some kinds of work that a sixteen year old child can do. I also agree with the fact that driving is a freedom that should be denied not only to me, but to every other child under sixteen.
I believe that we do not live in a free state. The older a person gets the more freedoms that person acquires, but he/she is still not free. A person is always denied some sort of freedom whether it be by a parent, a boss or the law. Nobody is completely free. There are always going to be restrictions, rules, and laws. Although some people believe that these restrictions are not necessary, in the end they really are because they keep a person safe.
Some great ideas posted here. What I seem to notice is that most people see that they have a decent amount of personal freedom and those freedoms that are denied are denied for (if not a good) at least an understandable reason. As a followup question, do you guys think that society (government) is in charge of the freedoms in your life or is your life more regulated by other forces...family, friends, religion etc
I live a moderately free life. I can choose who I want to be around; I can choose what I want to say, I can choose what I want to believe. My choices are restricted minimally by my ma, but only to ensure that I’m safe. If she believes someone is a bad influence, I usually feel the same way, we think alike. If I don’t agree I have the choice to argue for my friend and to convince her that they are good. Another restriction is on my speech, I’d be punished if I swore, but that’s just a matter of manners, and I don’t see that as something controlling. No one but me can control what I believe because it is in my mind and no one else’s. I live in a mostly free life and when I am denied, there is good reason, or if not, I can argue against it.
and to answer mr. horvaths follow up question, the only rules in my life at set up by my family or others im in contact with. theres laws, but i dont really count those because they keep you from hurting or stealing from other people in a very serious and usualy big manner. my rules come from school, which are basic rules mostly based on not hurting anyone else, and my mother, whose just trying to steer me right. i cant think of a rule off the top of my head that i have big issue about. i know whats right and wrong so the people around, namely my ma, dont see a need to set up rules around me.
I have many freedoms as a teenager. I can choose who I want to be friends with, who to text/call, what music I want to listen to, what i want to eat, what i want to watch on television, and other things similar to that. Pretty much all of my interests. However, there are also many things that I am not allowed to do. For example, I cannot vote, drive, or go out somewhere with out parental permission. I cannot live on my own or have a job. I am forced to go to school until the age of 18. I feel that once a person is 18, they are officially on their own. They have to take on many more responsibilities and make tough decisions. Once a person turns 18, they no longer have to follow the rules of their parent or guardian. They can now vote and pursue whatever they would like. I don't mind that people under a certain age cannot drink, drive, have a job or vote. This is because they will not always make the best decisions when it comes to these things and the government is just trying to keep everyone safe. I do feel that we live in a controlled environment because of all of the rules and laws that we have to obey. I feel that the government controls most of the freedoms in a person's life. Family and friends are also a part of it. They are the ones that influence another person. However when it comes to laws and things we have to follow, the government controls most of it. We don't have as many freedoms as we think we do.
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