Speech Case

"Let mortal tongues awake; Let all that breathe partake; Let rocks their silence break, The sound prolong." A few lines from a famous song My Country 'Tis of Thee, the song that was at a time sung all around the world by school children, teachers, mothers and fathers, and the people of America. This song gave people hope that our country would be a free country, free from discrimination, and free from the hurting actions of others that lessen the pride in a person. These very lyrics, "let mortal tongues awake," in my opinion, means that those who have been afraid to say what they feel because of the fear of being judged by others, can now express whatever they feel about a situation. Being able to express anything that they feel in words, is the basic definition of Freedom of Speech.

To most people the term "Freedom of Speech" means to be able to express your opinion without the discrimination from others. Though I do agree with this, I also believe that it means to express not only your opinion but all other feelings you may have about a situation. Martin Luther King for example, in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, he voiced not only his view of the horror he saw in slavery, but he stated how he felt about the nation, how he longed to see the black and white children and adults holding hands singing the very song, My Country 'Tis of Thee.

The interpretation of Freedom of Speech is differed in all over America, as interpretation is unique to each individual. I believe Freedom of Speech is somewhat an on-and-off switch. In other words, it may apply here where people believe that others should be able to speak what they want when they want to. But in another place, this may not apply. This should not be, and this is not what I believe Freedom of Speech is. Freedom of Speech is the ability express not only your opinion but all other feelings you may have about a situation, anytime and anyplace.