The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines freedom as the quality or state of being free. There are many factors that restrict human freedom. Some factors are being afraid of taking risks, being afraid of the unknown and being afraid of making a new life. With those factors you show that you are shy. One of the most common factors that limit human freedom is ignorance or lack of self-knowledge because people make themselves prisoners, thinking that they know everything even when they do not know anything. Moreover, they have to accept that we all live in a world of relative ignorance. Additionally, Plato said, “We are even comfortable with that ignorance, because it is all we know.” For me, the most common factor is lack of self-esteem. When you do not trust yourself you want others to make choices for you. For example, in the short story “Eveline” the main character is Eveline, who at the end of the story is distressed because she does not know what to do at that moment, leaving with Frank toward a new life or staying in her old life, and therefore she prays to God to direct her, to show her what is her duty.
However, there are many factors that promote human freedom. When you make your own decisions to satisfy yourself and not others is one of those factors. For example, in the short story “Tosca” the main character is Maurizia Rugieri. When she is a child she plays the piano very well, people love it and her father is proud of her. Nonetheless, she decides to not play the piano anymore and to be a singer. Another factor is to accept the consequences of our actions, mistakes and decisions. Also, being aware of our condition, situation and reality help us to be free. For example, in the essay “The Myth of Sisyphus” the main character is Sisyphus who is punished by the gods because he stole their secrets. His punishment is to push a rock toward the top of a mountain and then he goes back down to the bottom of the mountain to push it again and again. Nevertheless, according to the author Albert Camus, Sisyphus is free because he is conscious that he caused his own punishment and he has accepted the consequences.
According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is someone who has a defect, the defect causes his destruction, but he is aware that he caused his own destruction. Therefore, I think that a tragic hero is someone who is free, because according to Mr. Camus, when someone is aware that he caused his own punishment or predicament, he becomes free. I did not have a clear concept of freedom before, but now I can say freedom comes when you do not make excuses or do not rationalize. Furthermore, I can say that to be free in our lives we have to confront problems that we have even though we cannot always resolve them. Moreover, Mr. Camus said, “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart one must imagine Sisyphus happy,” meaning our jobs that every day we do are enough to keep us happy. I think that is freedom. Nonetheless, if you do not do anything in your life, if you always complain about your life, or you blame others for your situation and you run away from problems, you are a prisoner.
In conclusion, thanks to those short stories and the essay I can say that I have another concept of freedom that I did not know before. Furthermore, to be free we must not be afraid of taking risks or making a new life. We have to accept our responsibility for our actions. Additionally, we have to confront problems. According to Mr. Camus, we have to be happy doing our job. Also, we have to push our rock toward the top of the mountain and then go back down to push it again, just like Sisyphus, and to be aware of our jobs that we do everyday to be happy and free. Moreover, we have to accept that we all live in a world of relative ignorance because it is all we know. Someone who is free can also be educated faster than a prisoner. However, when you are a prisoner you can be aware that you do not know enough and then you begin to look for knowledge.
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