Speaking Out and Speaking Freely

A crowed subway, filled with people and nothing but noise. People talking about business, family, sports, and almost everything else are surrounding you. The woman next to you doesn't like how our president is running the country, and the man accompanying her is complaining about the stock market. These conversations may seem common and occasionally annoying, but imagine if we couldn't have them? Now think of an equally crowded subway, filled with just as many people, but none of the noise. The lady behind you is praising the leader of our nation, but her face shows obvious dislike. A few people give murmured agreements, but many of them share the same expression. This is the country as it would be if we didn't have Freedom of Speech. This crucial American freedom is an important aspect in everyone's lives, but many take it for granted. We don't realize how important it is and what life would be like without it.

Freedom of Speech is one of our basic freedoms, yet it is very important. Without this freedom, no one would've stood up for themselves and what they believed in. People like Martin Luther King Jr. wouldn't be recognized for what they did, because they wouldn't have been able to do it. Those people would%u2019ve been arrested just for speaking out and attempting to change the world.

"It is by the fortune of God that, in this country, we have three benefits: freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and the wisdom never to use either."
—Mark Twain.

I'm in the subway once more. I'm back to how it was: people complaining and giving their opinions. Except now I enjoy the noise. It is the sound of freedom.