Entry 13: Give Me Liberty or...

Patrick Henry's famous quote is "Give me liberty or give me death." Blood, suffering, and death resulted from this impassioned cry, but it inspires pride in Americans to this day. Consider how words shape us and make us who we are. Think about words like "freedom," "self-reliance," and "self-creation." These words helped shape the early American character. What words do you think shape the character of the people in your culture or society? Are they the same? Different? Why? What do you think or feel when you hear words like "liberty" or "freedom"?

• Word that shape today's society also include the words that shape early American character; words such as "freedom," "self-reliance," and "self-creation." However, the American character today also include other words such as "cooperation", since it is cooperation and collaboration are very important skills in order to help survive in present day society. I also believe that the term "cooperation" can be applied to early American character; without cooperation and collaboration, the Americans would not have been able to work together and create the present day United States of America. There are still minor differences, though, because there are now many different foreign populations in America, along with the different religions, cultures, and ideas that they brought with them. When I hear the words liberty, my first thoughts that come to mind is the liberty of a person to do what they want. Sometimes the first thing that comes to mind is the Statue of Liberty, which in turn is associated with the independence of America. When I think of freedom, the first thing I think of is my own freedom. The reason for this is because sometimes I really hope that I could be granted more freedom from my parents. I'm not allowed to do many things that other people are allowed to, and I sometimes become upset.