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Henley's Definition Of Freedom

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Freedom The first thing that one might read when looking up Freedom in the dictionary is the “ability to act freely: a state in which somebody is able to act and live as he or she chooses, without being subject to any undue restraints or restrictions” (MS word). This definition suits the word well and yet somehow it doesn’t come close to what the word freedom encompasses. Freedom has been the guiding light for the downtrodden and unfortunate since history began. It has been the ember of revolution and the acrid smoke choking off cultures, whether for good or evil, right or wrong, the banner of freedom has been hefted on high in the name of righteous change and …show more content…

“I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” (Henley). Here Henley’s character is saying that he is in complete control of his destiny both before and after death. Which directly parallels the definition of Freedom. That every individual is granted liberty in its most substantial form. The only true Freedom in this scenario requires that the universe is designated to one individual being. If more than one being existed under these guidelines of freedom it could only be under the direct subversion of the second being since the second being’s “ability to act freely,” (MS word) could potentially provide severe limits to Freedom such as being arrested when one goes against the bounds that have been put in place by a society. “It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll” (Henley). Here where Henley’s character talks about the path an individual takes in life and the actions held against him or her it shows that even in the epic poem “Invictus” (Henley), is the understanding that one person’s freedom is only as powerful as that individual’s ability to overpower the freedoms of those who would try and subjugate him or

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