A Thousand Splendid Suns, By H. L. Mencken

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The average man values safety more than freedom- as written by H. L. Mencken- and this idea applies to the modern world. Valuing safety over freedom can be seen in the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, the March for Our Lives movement, and the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Safety is valued over freedom by Mariam and Laila in the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. In the book, Mariam and Laila- alongside their children- live with their abusive husband Rasheed in Afghanistan. With increasing levels of violence inside the home, Mariam and Laila want out. They do not necessarily want freedom- they cannot achieve that under Taliban rule- but they do want themselves and the children to be safe. This can also be seen as Laila’s …show more content…

If they wanted freedom, they would have fought the Taliban; however, they chose safety away from their abusive husband. They cared about their safety and wellbeing more than the restrictions the Taliban placed on women in Afghanistan. They wanted to be safe, not free. Like Mariam and Laila in A Thousand Splendid Suns, the March for Our Lives Movement against gun violence exemplifies the human desire to be safe before being free. The March for Our Lives Movement is an organization that fights against gun violence. This movement gained traction after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting in Florida. Many students from this school spoke about their experience and pushed for gun laws to prevent gun violence in future schools. Going against the right to bear arms, as written in the U.S. The Constitution, goes against freedom as written. Restricting access to guns is not allowing freedom, but these students want school to be a safe place. They want to go to school and not fear they could be the next victim of a school shooting. They are willing to trade the freedom of owning a gun for maintaining their own safety in

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