Freedom

Liberté

American, home
autonomy, disorder
Choice
democracy, rights, expression
fighter, bill of rights, choice
Fighters
george bush, misguided, influential
given
gun, fight, sun
liberty, happiness, peace
National Anthem, Flag, Red, White & Blue
not free, refreshing
political, revolution, idea
semantics, oppression
space
thought, will
travel, open space, thought
wind, flag, grass

choix, contrainte, valeur
définir, limité, difficile, lointaine, bonheur
droit, devoir
égalité, fraternité
égalité, fraternité
égalité, fraternité
égalité, fraternité,
egalite, paix,
expression,droits
france,choix,chance
france,démocratie,vie étudiante
liberation, American
limite
mouvement, parole
Prison, colombe
sécurite,societé,état,reussite,presse,inspiration
solitude,statue,droit
statue de la liberté , martin luther king
statue, vacances
Statue.
statue; amerique; folie
temps, prison, argent, choix
vie,presse
vitale, difficile, précieuse

Discussion

Based on these word associations, it seems as though both groups of students see freedom (and liberté) as intertwined with a sense of nationalism or nationality. Several American students listed American images or figures (Bill of Rights, National Anthem, Red/White/Blue, George Bush), while several French students mentioned France, the motto of the French Republic (Liberté, égalité, fraternité) and the Statue of Liberty (a gift from France to America). However, it was interesting to note that French students associated this word not only with French nationalism, but also with American nationalism (Amerique, Martin Luther King Jr.), whereas American students did not associate "freedom" with anything having to do with France. Why might it be the case that "freedom" and "liberté" evoke nationalist sentiments? And why would these words be associated with America by French students, and not the other way around?

Does anyone else wonder why the concept of freedom seems more physical and possessive for Americans, in the way we associate it with "refreshing open spaces" which must be fought for or "given" to us?

Il y a dans l'histoire de l'Amérique l'omniprésence du désir de liberté, et la statue de la liberté en est le symbole. Par son désir d'indépendance, les Etats Unis ont toujours semblé avoir la liberté comme but.
Je me demande pourquoi Georges Bush a été mentionné. Est-il vu aux Etats Unis comme un défenseur de la liberté? Etait-ce ironique? Cela m'intrigue, j'espère que vous m'expliquerez!

I actually think it is also interesting that George Bush was mentioned but I actually guess it is true that I think of him when I hear the word "freedom." Not because I believe his policies actually promote it but because he says it so much! I think that in one of the very popular news/comedy shows (where they recount the days events pretending to be a formal news show but make really funny jokes about politicians and the situations) they actually counted one time how much he said freedom in one of his speeches! As for a defender of liberty, I think it really depends on who in the US you ask. There is a very strong split between the Democrats (left) and the Republicans (right) as to how Bush is doing his job, with the Dems very strongly opposed (Brown is known as a very Democratic school so that is also something to think about). Also there has been a lot of anger in the US that our personal "civil liberties" have been taken away to further Bush's plan to defend this country. This includes allegations of wiretapping phone calls and typecasting foreigners as terrorists.

I also thought it was interesting that the French students associated freedom with not only France but also America, particularly with regards to the recurring association with the statue of liberty (a symbol that indeed links our two countries historically.) I'm assuming that no Brown students thought of the statue, however, because the word 'freedom' was used instead of 'liberty.'

I found it interesting how many negative responses came up in both the French and American students' associations. For example, words like "gun," "fight," and "oppression," came up in the Brown students' responses, while words like "difficile" and "prison" were used a couple of times by the French students. I wonder if "freedom" had kind of taken on an ironic, opposite sense because of current political situations in both France and the US?

Depuis la fin de la seconde guerre mondiale les états-unis sont vu par la population française comme une terre d'accueil où tout est possible!
Il y a 20 ans les états-unis étaient considérées comme LE pays de la liberté!
Ceci a tendance à s'atténuer en ce moment avec les désaccords entre la France et l'Amérique au sujet de la guerre en Irak par exemple. On a de plus en plus l'impression qu'aux Etats-Unis les libertés individuelles sont menacées (le Patriot Act?...)

Je pense également que de nombreuses réponses sont négatives au sujet de la liberté puisqu'en France comme aux états-Unis on établit de plus en plus de lois qui touchent à nos libertés. Par exemple l'interdiction de fumer dans les lieux publiques. Il y a également des "histoires" concernant la liberté de la presse qui serait menacée. Nicolas Sarkozy est accusé de manipuler les grands directeurs de presse et ainsi de faire des médias un appui pour le gouvernement.
Le thème des libertés est donc très sujet à polémique...

Pourquoi un élève américain a-t-il associé liberté à "White and Bleu " et "Rouge"?
Est-ce en référence à la couleur de votre drapeau?

Exactly. Like the French flag, we also associate "red, white, and blue" with our flag, and by extension, freedom and a sense of nationalism.

engage