Freedom

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, the first concept that came to my mind was freedom. It seemed that every character was trying to start a new life for themselves, run from an issue, or escape from society. Huck, the main character of the novel, wanted freedom from the widow, and freedom from his self-centered father who was only interested in his money. Jim, another important character from the novel, was just an ordinary guy trying to escape from the racism that surrounded his world. Being an African American, in a racist environment, made it difficult for him to live life freely. All Jim wanted was for his children and wife to be safe from slavery. Because of these issues, the two young men set out on a journey to one of the "free states," which was Cairo, Illinois. There they would begin a new life, which would be free of judgement.

In the beginning, Huck first felt like freedom was something that was suppressing with the Widow Douglas. She was very straight forward with her ways, and Huck, being an independent boy felt that this lifestyle wasn't working for him. Also, when Huck's father came into his life, that seemed like the final straw. Huck's father wanted only his money, and Huck needed to get away. When he escaped from his father one night in the woods, he met up with Jim, a runaway African American slave. Together they both went on a journey to escape the lives they were both unhappy with. Their new plan, was to go start a new life in a new place. One thing about this book that was really interesting was the fact that each individual character was so different from one another, yet they each shared similar ambitions. Although one character was trying to escape something totally different from the other, they both had one goal, which was freedom.

Freedom is a concept that I see quite often in the news. One way I see or hear about it is with gay rights. Gay/Lesbians are often challenged to fit into society because they aren't heterosexual. You see news about Gay Right Groups involved in Gay Activist Movements, which are struggling to make a difference, and to be accepted. One particular news article, talked about Democratic politics, and the gathering of democratic presidential hopefuls. Each candidate, including Hillary Rodham Clinton; and her closest challengers, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, participated in the event. Each gave an opinion of what they believed was correct. One candidate, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was caught in the most intense segment of the party, when he was asked if he believed whether or not you were born gay. He responded with, "It's a Choice." Anyway, after his answer aroused conflict, he settled the argument and made his peace in the end, saying he mis-understood the question. In addition, each candidate appeared for about twenty minutes of questioning each from a panel which included singer Melissa Etheridge, who is a lesbian.

"It's not for me to suggest that you shouldn't be troubled by these issues," Obama said when a panelist asked if he could understand why gays would see that stance as unfair and unequal. "I understand that, and I'm sympathetic to it. But my job as president is going to be to make sure that the legal rights that have consequences on a day-to-day basis for loving, same-sex couples all across the country, that those are recognized and enforced."

Overall, the forum was quite civilized, which isn't always the case when parties gather to discuss this particular issue, or same sex marriage. What surprises me, is that this topic attracts so much attention, and so much media. Why do so many people care about how others choose to live their lives? I can see how those who are gay or lesbian can feel as if they can't express who they are. This is why I chose to talk about this issue. To me, gay/lesbians aren't free, which is wrong. With all the media, and all the debating on their lifestyle, they can't always live a life full or freedom and acceptance. America is presumed to be a country of freedom, but truthfully, it's a country of bigotry.

In addition, I previously mentioned that Jim, the African American character in the book, was struggling from racism. This is an issue that appeared in the past, and sadly still appears today. Often in the news you see articles about racism violence, whether it's anti-African American groups, and sometimes even anti Caucasian groups. Today people still haven't moved on from the past. Bi-racial marriage is still a huge issue today, and is frowned upon by many. It's unfortunate that there is so much hate in the world, and so many things are seen as wrong. The fact that the color of someones skin, the religion they follow, or the ethnic group they are apart of can threaten there lives, or inflict violence on them or their families is unfair. If only the world we live in could be more accepting, there would be less violence, and more people would feel as if they were safe and free from harm.

In conclusion, this topic should really be taken into consideration. Racism of any kind is broad-casted throughout the media in a way that can really burden one's life. Although we think freedom is less of an issue today, when you really think about it, it isn't. There are issues that have nothing to do with law, like gay/lesbian marriage does. Matters such as being overweight, being involved in a bi-racial relationship, special needs, disabilities, etc. all have nothing to do with breaking the law, but people involved with this still feel captivated. They are frowned upon by some, and just dealing with that alone can be heart-breaking. Society is so black and white today that it has become ridiculous. The sad thing, is there really isn't anything we can do about it. The world has never been completely free, and I don't ever believe that it will. I hope that someday it can be, but until that day, each and every one of us is going to have to ignore what other's or society wants, and do what makes us happy individually.

Sources Cited--

Rubin, Joel. "Democrats Quizzed at Gay Rights Forum." LA Times. 8/10/07. Los Angeles Times. 10 Aug 2007. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-dems10aug10,1,6618306.story?coll=la-headlines-nation&track=crosspromo.

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin. 39. England: Puffin Books, 1994.