Ones Freedom Achieved?: An Analysis

How is Ones Freedom Achieved?
We like to consider ourselves as free but, what does it mean to be free? We believe we are born with freedom but that is not always the case. As we grow up, we realize we are not free and try to give freedom to ourselves... we try to achieve the freedom we want. It is obvious however, that we have more freedom today than anyone did years back because, as years pass, the amount of freedom we have also changes. To illustrate, after having to read some of the literary works, it is certain that freedom is something which we give ourselves. Giving ourselves the freedom we deserve is not always easy, there are some hardships that we have to overcome to succeed in getting what we want. Specifically, there are times where …show more content…
Olaudah Equiano, a slave since he was 11 years old (from 1754 until1767) knew he had to fight to get his own freedom. His every move was controlled by his owners and he was always told what to do because if not, he was threatened, “…I should not move out of his sight, and if I did, he would cut my throat…” (Equiano 371). He was not like many others, he learned what the whites were doing, he paid attention, he learned the ways of others who were different “I could now speak English tolerably well, and I perfectly understood everything that was said” (Equiano 368). Furthermore, he leaned how to read and write when he was on the ship, he learned how to cut hair, as he was on the ship with his masters. Equiano learned how buy and sell goods to make a profit, to make a profit so he could buy his own freedom “…I endeavored to try my luck, and commence merchant” (Equiano 376). It wasn’t after long years of hardships and consequences that Equiano did accomplish what he started off to do, he saved enough money to buy his own freedom, to be his own master, ”…offering my master the money for my freedom.”(Equiano 385). By having to buy his freedom, Equiano gave himself the freedom that everyone