What is Freedom?

1. What is YOUR definition of freedom? Explain.

For me freedom means to be able to express your self without anyone telling you that you can’t, because you are born with these rights.

1. Does freedom mean being able to do whatever you want? Explain.

Freedom doesn’t mean that you can do whatever you want because there are certain things in this world that are just wrong to do.

1. Is public security (what is best for making sure society is as safe as possible) more important than personal freedom (being able to do what you want without government interference)? Explain.

I think that public security is more important than freedom because some people just take advantage of that freedom and do bad things and in order for other people to have freedom there has to be security.

1. Should we be free to do whatever we want as long as it does not directly harm someone else? Explain.

   We should not be able to do all the things we want because even if we don’t harm someone directly violence might occur from that and than they loose their freedom.

1. Are you free to do whatever you want? If not, is something stopping you? Explain by giving an example.

I think that I am not free to do whatever I want because for respecting my parents I cant tell them what I think of an argument that we’re having. If I say what I know its right I get yelled at and that they don’t want me to say anything so I have to yell back if I want them to here what I have to say but still they don’t care and put words in my mouth and I still have to deal with the consequences because they are my parents and they decide what I do and not do. That’s what my mom says.

1. Is it ever OK to break the law or the rules of society? Support your answer with an example from real life.

1. Is it more important to stand up for what you believe (even if it means getting into trouble) or to obey all the rules and laws and stay out of trouble? Explain by giving an example.

I think that it is more important to stand for what you believe even if you get in trouble because if you obey the rules or law you go against your believes and than no one will know what you think of something. Sometimes even if you follow the rules you might still get in trouble for some mistake they make.

“What is an American?”

Trait #1: Patriotic

 

Example: They celebrate the flag and also other holidays like the president’s birthday.

 

Comment: I think that if people from other places that live here celebrate our holidays why can’t the American people do the same and celebrate with others their holidays.

 

 

 

Trait #2: Freedom

 

Example: They have freedom of speech, press, religion, and to assemble peacefully. They can also protest without any fear and publish textbooks or publish a newspaper.

 

Comment: I think that being able to have this rights is something good because you might have a perfect solution for something and thats the time to really express yourself.

 

 

 

Trait #3: Racism

 

Example: Many Americans are racist to others because of their skin color, ethnicity, and religion. Also they think that only U.S. citizens have the right to live in the U.S. People that are not born in the U.S. have to work and pay in order to gain the citizenship.

 

Comment: I think that skin color or anything else matter because we’re all human beings.

 

“Boy Without a Flag”

1. p. 20 “I felt humiliated and alone. Miss Marti’s reptile face kept appearing in my notebook, her voice intoning “Let me tell you, you’re nothing.” Yeah, right. Just what horrible hole did she crawl out of? Were those people really Puerto Ricans? Why should a Puerto Rican salute the American flag?”

What’s happening in the story here: Miss Marti is telling a young student that he does not worth anything and humiliating him infront of his classmates not thinking how down he might feel. Also, that they are not that much patriotic and they salute other flag instead of their own.

My thoughts / advice about this: Well I know how this feels of being embarrassed infront of your classmates and it is not a pleasant feeling. I don’t think anyone can overcome that horrible situation, because I did not. Well my advise about this is that you should never let anyone make you feel down not even if they are your elders because being older doesn’t mean they have the right to yell at you.

 

1. p. 23 “They spoke of dignity and democracy while teaching Puerto Ricans how to cling to the great coat of that powerful northern neighbor (America).”

What’s happening in the story here: By showing the students to not let other control them but their actions differs.

My thoughts / advice about this: My opinion about all this is that if you are going to tell someone to not let others control you than you should listen to your own words first. My advice is that no matter if someone is helping you does not mean that they can do whatever they want with you.

1. p. 26 “He leaned back in his chair. ‘We have rules, all of us. There are rules even I must live by. People who don’t obey them get disciplined. This will all go on your record…Why ruin it…this is a simple case of rules and regulations…That means you follow the rules, no matter what you think of them.”

What’s happening in the story here: Actually by those words this person is trying to say that no matter what you think of the rules you must follow them even if you don’t want to. Also, if you don’t follow some simple rules there will still be problems with the law.

My thoughts / advice about this: I think that what this person is saying is wrong, because if America is a free country nobody can make you stand for something you dislike. It’s a free state and you have the right to freedom of speech. No difference between a kid or adult. My advice is that one should never let others decide for you on what to think if you believe strongly on what you are saying.

1. p. 28 “I hated myself. I wiped my face desperately, trying not to make a spectacle of myself. I was just a kid, a tiny kid. Who the hell did I think I was? I’d have to wait until I was older, like my father, in order too have ‘convictions.’”

What’s happening in the story here: The kid felt that he wasn’t nobody to say what he believed in because he was just a kid and he had to wait until he was an adult to be able to have the opportunity to act against what he thought was wrong.

My thoughts / advice about this: I think that the kid is wrong because he is letting others tell him what he should do or believe in. Even if he is a kid he still has the rights to give his opinion. My advice is to never cry or be ashamed of your believes.

1. p. 28 “If what I did was so bad, why did I feel more ashamed of him [my father] than I did of myself?” Why is the narrator ashamed of his father? Should the narrator be ashamed of his father? Explain.

What’s happening in the story here: The narrator is ashamed of his father because all he has been teaching him to stand for his believes and when he does his father just leaves him standing alone.

My thoughts / advice about this: I think that if the father has been teaching him all of that than why he’s letting others control his believes. Also, if I was in the kids place I would also feel ashamed of my father too for not standing with me and taking back all what he has teached me.

1. Would you salute the flag if you were in the narrator’s position? Explain.

If I was in the narrator’s position I would do the same thing as he did because I would be standing up for what I know is right and what I believe. Even if I was a kid I still have freedom of speech and they can’t do anything about it. You cannot only have those right if you are an adult because that would be called discrimination.

1. Is the narrator a good American? Explain.

Yes, I do think that the narrator is a good American because he stands up for what he believes in and that’s what an American does. They don’t let others control them.

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