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In "Freedom Is Intended as a Challenge", a chapter of her book " Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries", Naomi Wolf argues that it is every American's duty to fight for their own happiness and freedom (Wolf). She emphasizes that the Declaration of Independence not only proclaims each individual's rights, but reminds them of their responsibilities and induces people "to rebel at injustice" (Wolf). The author argues that liberation is not concerned about some historical moments in the past, but rather is a target of the mind (Wolf).
In her article "Whether from Reason or Prejudice: Taking Money for Bodily Services", Martha Nussbaum dwells on the issue of prostitution as a result of bad employment opportunities for women (Nussbaum). She argues that any kind of labor, despite of the worker's sex, age, or social status, should be treated with dignity and respect (Nussbaum).
These two sources inspire to think about government's role in securing our freedom. While we only expect it to help us, we sometimes forget that we should also help the government itself. We should help by supporting its good decisions as well as by protesting to the bad ones. Not only do we have rights, but also a lot of obligations. If we only sit and wait for somebody else to defend us, how can we expect this defense to be qualitative and the kind we want? We should never stop being demanding to ourselves in the first place.
Although the government's role in ensuring people's freedom is great, it is still not the most decisive one. Every individual should not only take, but also give his help towards making the nation independent and dignified.
Works cited
Nussbaum, Martha C. "Whether from Reason or Prejudice: Taking Money for Bodily Services." Journal of Legal Studies, vol. XXVII (1998): 693-724. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.
Wolf, Naomi. Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries. New York: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks, 2008. Print.
