“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. ” – Frederick Douglass. In life, difference invites controversy. People discuss and observe difference daily on many levels, but no matter where you are, “personal” differences are a source of animated discussion. The poem What do we do with a Variation? by James Berry explains an abundance of ways that people can chose to deal with a difference.
Our discussion in class of this poem centered on this relation between differences and individual perspective. The key lesson is that perspective is personal: just because you make a choice based on your perspective does not mean it’s always the right thing or truthful. While people in every profession over time have been judged on how they should live, artists and others such as authors, poets, and singers, have been critical actors in bringing the issues of freedom from persecution, freedom of choice and diversity of opinion to light.
Frederick Douglass strived to change society’s view on African American citizens. Douglass retells the story of his early life: of working in the crop fields and seeing other slaves’ rights and freedom being stripped away from them, “one lash at a time”“. Throughout the story, Douglass also explains the risks that he took and the sacrifices that he made to ensure his survival and eventual freedom. Sometimes it doesn’t matter where we come from and what we did in our lives, it matters that our intentions are the same and that we are trying to reach a common goal.
Kate Chopin was a novelist and American short story writer. In 1894, Chopin wrote a particularly intriguing short story, The Story of an Hour, about a woman who was trying to escape society’s judgemental image of women. In Chopin’s story, Louise Mallard, the protagonist, feels distressed and restricted because of the expectations society holds for women as subordinate to men. When the protagonist’s husband supposedly dies, Louise finally feels free to make life choices independently and not have to conform to how society wants her to be.
Although Chopin’s description of freedom is the freedom for Louise to be independent and think individually, her idea of freedom from society’s expectations and stereotypes connects to Douglass and his story. Freedom from society’s view on the privileges that people have and how they live their lives is one theme that unifies Chopin and Douglass’ thought-provoking stories and also is constant “living theme” in my school.
I go to The IDEAL School of Manhattan, a private school founded in 2005 and whose mission is to provide a safe, accepting, and encouraging learning environment that celebrates the differences in learning styles as yet another form of diversity. IDEAL takes children with lifetime special needs and mainstreams them with kids who are typically developing. Inclusion, Diversity, Excellence, Acceptance, and Leadership (IDEAL) are things that my schools strives to develop into their curriculum, community, and most of all, their students.
IDEAL has developed a place where children can have the freedom to show “who they really are” without having to worry about everyone else judging them. At the IDEAL School, teachers teach students how to embrace difference and to understand that no matter what, everyone’s difference should be celebrated. We have learned that it is better to accept and recognize difference than to fear it and shy away from difference just because it may not be familiar to us.
IDEAL has taught me to widen my perspective and view on everything and to not just have a “single-story” but to complement my perspective with other lenses and viewpoints and be open-minded. I believe that a community like the one that I have had the privilege to grow and learn in provides students the ability to flourish in an environment where they can be honest and show their true self in an amazingly free way.
I have learned to be open-minded, curious, a leader, determined and most of all, I have learned that I am who I am because I am different and unique. Throughout my time at IDEAL, I have learned many things that have shaped wholam today and whol endeavor to be tomorrow. The ability to broaden my perspective and to embrace diversity is an invaluable skill I will continue to hone throughout my adolescence and one that is essential to the adult that I will become and the contribution that I will make to society.