You Can't Buy Freedom

We Can’t Buy Freedom

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”-Ronald Reagan. Nobody can give you freedom. It consists of not doing what we like, but doing what we should. Freedom is not given, it is demanded.

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”- Walt Disney. In the article, The March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. is giving his speech about bringing the white and black population together and giving each population equal civil rights. Thousands of citizens came to hear his historic speech and many left with an newly open mind. Prior to this quote, Martin Luther King Jr. has just taken the podium and begins his speech. He states that 100 years ago, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation to serve just the African- American slaves. King said, “This momentous decree came as a great beacon light oh hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been scared in the flames of withering injustice,” (King 48). In this quote, King is explaining how the Emancipation Proclamation brought Negro slaves hope that one day they would be free. This quote proves that free must be demanded. This is because even 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation is signed, Negro slaves are still not free. This quote is an example of fighting for freedom because King and thousands of Americans marched on Washington, D.C to convince congress to pass a civil rights bill. The author included this quote as a way to show the audience how much the Negro’s craved and demanded freedom. The author used repetition in order for the reader to understand how serious people were about the civil right movement and distributing freedom evenly. Martin Luther King Jr. also brings his own personal goals and dreams about this movement. Prior to this quote, King stated what his dreams were. He repeated his words and continued to talk, “With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope,”(King 51). In this quote, King is saying that with the hope and faith that they have, they will receive freedom as long as they have hope. This quote proves that King was correct. He said this quote with a purpose, and that purpose was to make sure the Negro population has hope and faith, because with it, they can conquer and gain freedom. This is an example of courage because of the time period this speech was given. Negros were treated terribly and unfair. For a black man to say a quote like this was very courageous. The author included this quote as a way to catch the reader’s attention. He used repetition in order for the reader to feel how powerful this reading was. By including repetition, it added emphasis on how powerful his message was.

“He who is a hero, is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.”-Bob Dylan. In the article, An Ordinary Man, the author Paul Rusesabagina is giving his experience in the Rwanda genocide. He explains how he was able to save nearly 2,000 lives by keeping them protected in his hotel. Prior to this quote, Rusesabagina was explaining Rwanda’s failures. He claims the biggest failure was a failure of words. He also explains that he said whenever he could could keep the people in his hotel from being killed. Rusesabagina said, “Those words were my connection to a saner world, to life as it ought to be lived,” (Rusesabagina 83). In this quote, he is explaining that his word’s did not overachieve his goal, he used them as he would’ve before the genocide. This quote proves that people change when situations like this come up, but the one’s who don’t usually survive and gain freedom at last.When Rusesabagina said this quote, he sounded so proud that he stayed sane and was able to experience freedom. This quote shows that staying true to yourself will only bring you good in the long run. The author included this quote as a way to show how having an open mind during a tough situation, you will set yourself free. He used an honest thought in order for the reader to connect and understand how crazy a situation can change people. It shows that if you stay true to yourself and fight to protect other, you will set yourself free and finally have the freedom you’ve been waiting for. Rusesabagina also talks about the amount of of people he had stay in his hotel. Prior to this quote, he was explaining the background content on the Rwanda genocide. He was also explaining how he survived to tell the story. He said, “I kept the Hotel Milles Collines open, even as the nation descended into chaos and eight-hundred thousand people were butchered by their friends, neighbors, and countrymen,” (Rusesabagina