To be free as if you were soaring through the sky for infinity with no one to oppress you.

Freedom.

What does it mean? To me, freedom means a lot of things. It means that you have the right and ability to do what you want, when you want, with no threats to your life. Freedom can have different meanings to other people. “Liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another :independence” is the definition of freedom according to Merriam Webster dictionary.

The dictionary definition holds power to what a word means. With the dictionary, there can be more than one definition. I chose the definition similar to my definition. To analyze the dictionary definition I would say that the liberation from slavery part of the definition means freeing from the chains of oppression. Or giving you the ability to make your own life.

The word freedom holds great significance to some people. For most military families, it represents something that they or a loved one fought for. Freedom is a word that holds great power.

Wars have been fought over the word freedom. At the thought of it people, cultures, and races have fought for what they precise as freedom. In every war, freedom is something different. One example of freedom coming from a war is the Civil War. The civil war was fought over slavery in the United States of America. In the end slavery was abolished.

My personal beliefs on freedom have to do with my dad's military background. Being raised with him saying I have to go fight for our freedom made me believe that freedom was something you had to fight for in order to have. My dad did over seven deployments overseas, mostly to Iraq. In my family, you can go out with your friends and have fun, but you have to earn it. My parents say it is earning your freedom. You can earn your freedom in many ways. I usually do it by doing my chores, working, and by driving my sister Sierra around when needed. The hard part is earning it, and the easy part is losing it. After losing freedom, I find it twice as hard to get it back.

There is a saying that America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. In order to be free you need brave men and women to fight for our freedom. Everywhere there is a sign of freedom and that is the American Flag.

The American Flag is an object that symbolizes freedom. The flag is symbolic toward freedom because American soldiers display the flag when they win a battle. The flag represents a lot of things, but most importantly it represents freedom, and the values of a country through symbolism. The color red on the flag represents the blood shed for our freedom.

One way to show freedom is through the country's laws. America is a free country. Many of the laws are based by the value and the want to be free, by the founding fathers. Freedom of speech is one of the most popular laws that goes with freedom.

To me, freedom of speech is super important. Freedom of speech is the right to show expression and opinion. The first amendment: is the the amendment the freedom of speech amendment, is important because it gives you right to show what you believe in and gives you a voice. Freedom of speech gives me the right to show expression. To show expression,  I could dress how I want, talk how I want, and be who I am.

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” - Nelson Mandela.This quote has significant meaning to freedom, because of what Nelson Mandela fought for and stood for. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for fighting for what he believed in. I think that he is inspiring, and a good example of a person who fought for rights, and the ability to do something.

There are many ways to define a word. I define freedom having the right and ability to do what you want, when you want, with no threats to your life.  Having freedom has given us many opportunities like religious practices, travel, education. Opportunities we sometimes take for granted. Freedom is not being confined into something or someone you are not.