Norman Rockwells Four Freedoms Series Creative Writing

Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms Series is a bright example of how a small thing may have significance and even symbolize the whole epoch. The XXth century is often characterized as a time of struggles, but, unlike the past conflicts, this struggle was not for material goods and land ownership; it was the struggle for a human freedom. Being based on the crucial President Roosevelt’ speech of 1941, Rockwell’s small oil paintings interpreted what a human freedom is made of and what is worth fighting for in this life. Unlike many symbolic images, Rockwell’s pictures are individual and depict ordinary, real people, who symbolize a certain freedom in themselves. An inspired man, speaking out of the audience, embodies the Freedom of speech. United community of men and women, praying for their hopes, personify the Freedom of warship. Multiple-generations family dinner creates a feeling of integrity and Freedom from want. Parents saying goodnight to their children in a cozy bedroom embody the Freedom from fear for the future of beloved ones. All those images contribute to the sense of integrity. In order to achieve a human freedom, the integrity of all four freedoms should be present; and in order to protect and develop this freedom, the human integrity and community are essential. The need for a common cooperation is another feature of the XXth century, and Rockwell managed to show it too.
If to compare Rockwell to Dorothea Lange and her “Migrant Mother”, Four Freedoms would be more optimistic and idealistic. On the other hand, “Migrant Mother” shows the burden of the past events and grieves of the reality. It makes the audience think of the hardships of woman’s situation and life in general, while Four Freedoms inspire people, making them believe that there is an ideal to achieve, irrespective of depression and war hardships. From the perspective of reality depiction, unarguably, Lange’s photograph showed the cruel reality, while Rockwell depicted hope and need for the reality improvement. In other words, Lange made the audience comprehend and experience reality in a certain way, while Rockwell called for active participation in the common struggle for human rights and freedoms. Together those works would contribute to the integral comprehension of the reality – “this is what we have (Lange) and that is what we want to achieve (Rockwell)”.