Answer to Question #237656 in English for Sizwe

Question

“True freedom is understanding that we have a choice in who and what we allow to

have power over us.” – Meryl Streep

Using the quote above as a point of departure, discuss the extent to which we have

attained ‘true freedom’ in South Africa or your country. In a well-structured essay of

400 words in length, you should cite the three references below to support your

argument. Your essay should include a discussion of your own personal experience/s

of true freedom.

https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2019-06-18-the-language-of-true-freedom

https://www.iol.co.za/sundayindependent/dispatch/why-not-scrap-this-unfreedom-

day-from-the-calendar-until-true-freedom-has-been-attained-7582130c-d811-40fa-

bd40-d73bd93ef58b

https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/229274/1/wp2020-050.pdf

(50 Marks)

Answer 1

People's views altered as time passed because the brain of a person is involved. As a result, we're on the lookout for more. Freedom is topic that I will be thinking about as a citizen of my nation. Is it true that I am truly free? Is it true that I am free? The response is that it varies; if I am a fortunate citizen, my response would most likely be yes, because I have all I require, including what I desire. If I hail from a disadvantaged household, on the other hand, I will say no since I do not have any freedom.

The post-apartheid age has been marked by high and stagnating unemployment levels, impoverishment, and unfairness in inclusive growth. This may be traced back to historically discriminatory race-based measures that aimed to raise white South Africans' standard of living by restricting colored South Africans' economic opportunities (Bhorat et al., 2020). Forced relocation from metropolitan areas and discriminating job and education practices were used to achieve this. Today, South Africa is confronted with significant structural difficulties that have been socially constructed to be clearly defined along racial lines. To tackle this, the post-apartheid administration has adopted a number of integrated development programs with various degrees of accomplishment (IOL, 2021). While unemployment and poverty keep increasing, the most disadvantaged South Africans' lifestyles have enhanced due to increased social grant and service delivery systems.

Nonetheless, all these aspects fall under the framework of the larger society. As such, there is really little to say about true freedom. For instance, we are depriving our youngsters of the opportunity to thrive in mathematics, science, and technology and participate fully in the 4th industrial era. We are ignoring the very genuine benefits that multilingualism provides to our students in our education system. Instead, we've succumbed to the grip of a single language which is English. The politics of dominance and division, rebellion and affirmation have always been intertwined with the question of language in our country (Phakeng, 2019). The choice to educate solely in English stems from a strong sense that it is the sole tongue that allows people to access key “social goods” like a job, further schooling, and the chance to succeed.

The problem is that freedom is subjective; no two individuals will ever have the same notion about how to discern if we are indeed free to do something, say something, or understand something, and the saddest part is that most individuals are unaware of their own "FREEDOM." As a citizen, I think that by teaching people about their freedoms, they will become more formidable, just like the state they live in. Freedom takes precedence over privilege. You have freedom regardless of your social background, gender, or race.

References

Bhorat, H., Lilenstein, K., Oosthuizen, M., & Thornton, A. (2020). Structural transformation, inequality, and inclusive growth in South Africa. WIDER Working Paper. <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:&quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black">https://doi.org/10.35188/unu-wider/2020/807-8</span>

IOL. (2021). Iol. IOL | News that Connects South Africans. <span style="mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black">https://www.iol.co.za/sundayindependent/dispatch/why-not-scrap-this-unfreedom-</span>

Phakeng, M. (2019). The language of true freedom. University of Cape Town News | UCT News. <span style="mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;inherit&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:black">https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2019-06-18-the-language-of-true-freedom</span>