Argument Essay: Independence In The United States

Chloe Gottschalk
Ms. Smith
Advanced Composition A2
15 November 2012
INDEPENDENCE
The United States of America ensures it’s citizens that they have an immeasurable amount of freedom. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom to petition--a few broad examples of rights that the American Government grants to residents. When a person is free, they are also considered to be independent. To be independent means to be free of control, or thinking and acting for oneself. Independence is not something that one can easily receive; persistence and determination are necessities if a person wishes to become independent in some aspect of life. The wealthy, the healthy, the joyous, the fearless--all of these people have acquired a different
Luke Landes, a consumerism commentary, guilelessly describes that, “ the core of financial independence is being able to make important life decisions without the constraint of your finances” (Landes, par. 8). Bills and payments, fees and charges, savings and investments--neither of which are a concern to a person who is self-sufficient on finances. Harvey Rubin and Carlos Spaht explain this self-reliance is, “the ability to do anything you want to do, when you want to do it” (Rubin/Spaht, par. 1). Meaning that if a person with this stability desires something, there will be no obstacles in obtaining it. To be financially stable is to have no restrictions on what is attainable; nearly anything is within one’s reach. Another way that a person is considered to be financially independent is when assistance from parents, with bills and money, is no longer necessary. Achieving this liberty is salient; it propels the person further down the road to total
This substantiveness can also be referred to as social independence; which further defining tends to depend on who is explaining it. Scott H Young imparts his belief on the topic by asserting that, “someone who is socially independent contributes at least as much social value as they take in from other people” (Young, par. 3). In other words, a person who is socially absolute avoids being taken advantage of: one does not allow oneself to be belittled by any acquaintances. This person, also, is unaltered by something that most people are extraordinarily worried about--opinions. If others are not fond of the way one acts, looks,or conducts oneself, it does not bother this person in any point of time. Byoung-Hyoun Hwang and Seoyoung Kim, doctoral students at Emory University, allege the idea that, “social ties are a potentially rich source of [a person’s] dependence” (Hwang/Kim, par. 4). When two people have a strong attachment to each other, they are more dependent than it generally seems.They rely on each other for almost everything: money, security, assistance. Therefore, it can be concluded that social independence is imperative in order to be