Blog Question #5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHmUPqI6w9g

I chose the song "Oh Freedom" because it always makes me think about he dreams that not only the slaves had, but the blacks struggling for their rights during the civil rights movement. The song reminds me of the hope they had for a better future and the overwhelming desire they had to be free. In the song there is the lyrics, "and before I'd be a slave, I'd be buried in my grave, and go home to my Lord and be free." This section makes me think of the terrible present they were in, and the pure joy that freedom can bring, even if that means taking your life to receive that freedom. To me, freedom is the ability to be your own person, to be accountable to yourself. To be able to live out your personal hopes and dreams, it's being allowed to feel fully any happiness, joy, or sadness in your life. In Langston Hughes poem, "Dream Variations" he uses the phrase, "to fling my arms wide in the face of the sun," this is how I would describe freedom feeling. Light, happy, and weightless.