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Freedom
Freedom is the capability to do whatever one likes or to change from what has
been a culture to a new way of doing things without facing some restrictions (Rogers
124). One is said to be free when he can change from its current state or belief or even
act without facing constraints from its present situation. It is possessing a free will
without limitation to act and to change according to one’s wishes. In a more personal
perspective, freedom implies letting one have his laws. It is concerned with a sense of
autonomy and liberty. It is doing as one wills or what one has the power to do without
any obstacle from any side (Rogers 141).
From the text, Life of Ivan Denisovich, the reveille is sounded at precisely 5:00
am as the routine and everyone must wake up on hearing the sound from this reveille
(Ivan Denisovich 12). “REVEILLE WAS sounded, as always, at 5 a.m.--a hammer
pounding on a rail outside camp HQ”. It does not matter whether you are feeling
unwell or not. Shukhov feels aches, pain and shivers since he could not keep himself
warm throughout the night. He, Shukhov, felt unwell the whole night some time
getting better and then all of sudden getting worse. Although he was damn sick, the
morning came as it always and he had to go as stipulated by the law of the barrack
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(Ivan Denisovich 15). “Shukhov always got up at reveille, but today he didn't. He'd
been feeling lousy since the night before--with aches and pains and the shivers, and he
couldn't manage to keep warm that night. In his sleep, he'd felt very sick and then
again a little better. "…But the morning came, as it always did”. All this is a good
circumstance that shows lack of freedom.
One has no choice but to follow the law of the barrack. Also, Shukhov could
not sleep in the barrack as it was full cold. He had to wake up early so that he does not
miss the morning roll call that was taken daily. In the context, Shukhov could not
sleep; he is uncomfortable. He is not free to get warm at night and even if he could,
the assets to keep himself warm are not available forcing him to suffer insomnia. He
could not adapt to the cold night. The barrack’s window is made of piles of ice and a
cobweb of frost running throughout the barrack- the walls join with the ceiling
making the barrack rooms so cold and unfavourably for people like Shukhov who
cannot tolerate the cold and has no choice (Ivan Denisovich 17). “Anyway, how could
anyone get warm here, what with the ice piled up on the window and a white cobweb
of frost running along the whole barracks where the walls joined the ceiling? And a
hell of a barracks it was”.
Nobody bothered whether he could not sleep or not, what mattered is that he
had to go as per the routine of the barrack. The task allocation is not friendly, and one
is not free to choose what to do. He could escape to the supply room to do some
sweeping to avoid the laborious task (Ivan Denisovich 19). “Or he could run around to
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one of the supply rooms where there might be a little job, sweeping or carrying
something.” Shukhov has to run to the mess hall to clear the bowls. He explains that
working in the mess hall has an advantage since he could some food avoiding the hard
task. He explains that still, his idea had limitation since there were so many people
with the same idea (Ivan Denisovich 21). “Or he could go to the mess hall to pick up
bowls from the tables and take piles of them to the dishwashers. That was another way
of getting food, but there were always too many other people with the same idea. And
the worst thing was that if there was something left in a bowl, you started to lick it”.
In the text, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, Robinson is tightly held by the
captain of the rover at his prize and take him as cheap labour. Robinson is forced to
be a miserable slave and cannot practice merchant that he had learned. He is quite
overwhelmed and has no otherwise, he has to do as commanded by the captain of the
rover who saw him as fit for his business being a humble, young and energetic.
Robinson lacks the freedom to act or do whatever he wants. The captain of a rover
restricts his actions. He hopes that the captain would take him to his home and then
hopefully to the sea where he prayed that a Spanish or Portugal man of war would
take him and set him at liberty (Robinson Crusoe 35). “…so I was in hopes that he
would take me with him when he went to sea again, believing that it would some time
or other be his fate to be taken by a Spanish or Portugal man-of-war; and that then I
should be set at liberty.” This is a nice illustration that Robinson is not free to do
whatever he desires and longs for freedom. He even regrets at his father’s words of
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advice (Robinson Crusoe 36). “but was kept by the captain of the rover as his proper
prize, and made his slave, being …young and nimble, and fit for his business. At this
surprising change of my circumstances, from a merchant to a miserable slave, I was
perfectly overwhelmed; and now I looked back upon my father's prophetic discourse
to me’’.
Robinson is ordered by the captain of the rover to do things that he does not
like. He expected to go with the captain to the sea; unfortunately for him, the captain
orders him to remain by the shore to look after the little garden and do some slavery
work in the drudgery. When the captain comes back from the sea, he commands
Robinson to spend in the cabin to ensure the safety of the ship (Robinson Crusoe 36).
“But this hope of mine was soon taken away; for when he went to sea, he left me on
shore to look after his little garden, and do the common drudgery of slaves about his
house; and when he came home again from his cruise, he ordered me to lie in the
cabin to look after the ship”. Who in his real sense would want to be always
commanded on what to do at any given time? Robinson, a good reasoning man, is
forced to adhere to the commands even though he feels irritated.
He plans to escape from the house captivity. His plans bear no fruit since the
captain was smart enough to cut him communicating with anyone (Robinson Crusoe
39). “… for I had nobody to communicate it to that would embark with me- no
fellow-slave, no Englishman, Irishman, or Scotchman there but myself; so that for two
years, though I often pleased myself with the imagination, yet I never had the least
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encouraging prospect of putting it in practice”. Can anyone, who is not ill either
mentally or physically live without communicating? How many can survive the lack
of freedom to communicate or express oneself? It is damn hard! Robinson is not at a
freewill to communicate, and he is restricted on who to talk to, at what time and what
to talk about. This is not the freedom that every individual long for instead of jail.
The text, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, is quite explicit on explaining the
idea of freedom. Robinson Crusoe arranges how he can escape from the captivity he is
held into by the captain of the rover. After two years of slavery, an opportunity
presents, and he makes use of the golden chance. Robinson had been suffering all
through, having to adhere to the unfavourable commands of the captain of the rover.
He had to do fishing business and sometimes watchman of the ship especially when
the captain is sleeping. When the captain was out to the sea, he was left to work at the
captain’s little garden and do some sorts of slavery work (Robinson Crusoe 41). The
attempt to obtain his liberty again rings in his head. “After about two years, an odd
circumstance presented itself, which put the old thought of making some attempt for
my liberty again in my head.” The patron had overslept and failed to fit his ship that
was calling for money which he usually does every week or less depending on the
weather.
The patron used to take Robinson and one of his slaves to fishing, and he had
gained a lot of experience in fishing that he was sometimes sent alone with one of his
kinsman and slave (Robinson Crusoe 45). “My patron lying at home longer than usual
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without fitting out his ship, which, as I heard, was for want of money, he constantly
used, once or twice a week, sometimes oftener if the weather was fair…”. The text
explains in details the toil for freedom. Robison having been suppressed and his
freedom taken away after his slavery. He uses every single opportunity to get back his
freedom. Everyone needs to be free to do whatever he wants at any given time without
facing any obstacle. Robinson and the captain’s kinsman used the chance to go into
the sea using the ship. Though they did not know the way to go, they struggled to find
means to find their liberty. They were so hungry and tired but fulfilled their missionto learn how to use the ship effectively.
Robinson was so desperate for freedom that a hint on how to escape from the
captivity was a massive lesson that he never took for granted. His patron had
organized for some trip with his guests, but it failed as the guests had some urgent
tasks to attend. The patron thus asked Robin, Moor and the boy to go fishing and
come back immediately they get enough fish. This marked the door to his deliverance
from this oppression. He had long for such an opportunity and could not miss to
utilize it (Robinson Crusoe 51). “This moment my former notions of deliverance
darted into my thoughts, for now, I found I was likely to have a little ship at my
command; and my master being gone, I prepared to furnish myself, not for fishing
business, but a voyage; though I knew not.”
He had little freedom to use the ship and could prepare to make himself better.
Though he did not know much about the voyage, he had set to explore it rather than
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the fishing business that he had been forced to practice by the captain of the rover to
his benefit. Robinson journey to freedom began. He convinced himself and the Moor
that it was not a good idea to depend on the patron to provide everything for them, an
idea which the Moor accepted.
After getting deep into the sea, Robinson with the mind to seek liberty
commanded the Moor to swim back to the shore. He instructed him to do so and that
if he could resist, he offered to shoot him. He dared for liberty and was ready to kill
anything whether Moor or patron in pursuit for his freedom (Robinson Crusoe 61).
"But," said I, "you swim well enough to reach to the shore, and the sea is calm; make
the best of your way to shore, and I will do you no harm; but if you come near the
boat I'll shoot you through the head, for I am resolved to have my liberty”. Robinson
then turned to the boy and forced him to make an oath to be faithful which the boy
innocently made. Robinson experienced a lot of frightening moments to find his
liberty (Robinson Crusoe 62)
The text provides an explicit description of what freedom means and how vital
individuals craves for freedom. The basis of our life is freedom as seen in the text
where Robinson was ready to lose everything to pursue his freedom.
The two texts explain the meaning of freedom and what it means when one’s freedom
is taken away. The texts show a situation whereby an individual is oppressed and his
freedom taken. He longs for freedom but the laws governing them restrict them. Both
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texts present two characters, the villain in the texts, who are oppressed and their
freedom is taken away.
In the text, One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich, Shukhov has no freedom
to choose. He has to comply with the law of the barrack. The barrack is full of cold;
he cannot sleep. “Shukhov's hands were frozen, so when he got back to the warders'
room with the steaming bucket, he shoved them in the water. He felt warmer”. There
is no way to keep himself warm. He spends a sleepless night. He even falls sick
suffering from numerous aches, pain, and shivers every time. He also suffers
insomnia, but nobody bothers.
The barrack is guided a by sounding reveille that everyone has to respect.
Shukhov is severely sick and has to wake up upon the ringing of the reveille. "It's the
law of the jungle here, fellows. But even here you can live” The task in the barrack is
unbearable and one has to find ways to dodge out. Shukhov goes to the mess hall to
clean the bowls off the table to find some food and to run away from the task of heavy
boots. The life in prison is unbearable, one is held in custody with less care granted. It
is full of suffering, hunger, and hardship that big Ivan and Shukhov describes.
Shukhav was tired of the barrack, and when Tartar helped him out, he shows much
gratitude. “Shukhov was pleased and thanked the Tartar for letting him off.”
Similarly, in the text, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, Robinson after been
taken as a slave by the captain of rover lacks the freedom to choose. He lived a good
life until the time he was taken into slavery; he had to do as instructed by the captain.
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The captain took away his freedom to act and change. He could not communicate with
anyone without the captain’s authority. Robinson yearns for liberty. He even reports
that if he could be allowed to go into the sea with the captain and access to speak to
the Englishmen in the sea, he could get a way to get out of the captivity. He struggles
and ready to kill every obstacle to attain his destiny of liberty.
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Work cited
Ivan Denisovich ISBN-13: 978-0451228147 retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/One-DayLife-Ivan-Denisovich/dp/0451531043
Robinson Crusoe ISBN-13: 978-0141439822 retrieved from
https://web.archive.org/web/20110112043951/http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccernew2?id=DefCru1.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&t
ag=public&part=all
Rogers, Roy A. Freedom. Lulu. com, 2017. Pp 123-153
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