Man is Free by Birth
The statement is true in every sense of the word ‘free’. If someone does not have physical freedom, it is visible. But the freedom of the mind, thoughts, emotions, the spirit, the soul, is also vital for one to fully find satisfaction in life.
I remember an advertisement to bring up boys to be sensitive. Usually boys are discouraged from showing tears. It is thought tears of fear, anxiety, pain, loss are signs of weakness when a boy cries. There should be no external signs of these emotions and parents compare the boy to a girl. They make fun of their sons to stop him crying. In this way they take away the child’s freedom to express emotions. They take away his sensitivity!
Taking away of freedom is often done by adults to their children. The parents give guidance for the future but parents impose their own expectations on the kids and take away their freedom to choose a life-goal. The child’s natural liking or strength is not considered. The herd mentality makes parents force their children to follow a field which other students are doing. They earn lots of money. But they don’t notice their child does not like or is not good at it. So the child grows up leaving his passion.
Adults teach children that out of respect and good manners they must not question them. Children will grow up seeing injustice being done. They will notice bad things happening. But their desire to question is silent. They keep quiet and accept even bad things as normal.
I could go on. But let us ensure that freedom is alive and well. Let us allow everyone to be themselves, to follow their heart, to speak out when necessary, to ful fil their dreams. But we must ensure that this freedom never injures another or interferes with other people’s freedom.
The poem says ‘open’ road. It is about freedom. The poet wants to go out from restrictions and comforts. The poet wants to be self-reliant. He is confident. The poem is in free verse. There are many poetic devices but no metre or rhyme, We immediately notice repetition. There is also Transferred epithet.
The poem is a dramatic monologue. The poem inspires us to explore the world using our abilities. Comfort, complaints, criticisms and fate are not excuses for one’s inaction.
