Contextual Analysis Of Freedom By Jonathan Franzen
Freedom: A Contextual Analysis
When reflecting upon the first decade of American history in the new millennium, one term that comes to mind is the word freedom. America was founded on the ideals of freedom, more specifically liberty, and during the early 2000s this ideal was at the forefront of the American people’s consciousness for an array of different reasons. The national conversation was especially concerned with this notion of independence due to the repercussions that resulted from the terrorist attacks that occurred on American soil in September of 2001. A heinous act of terror and destruction, the attacks on September 11th, 2001, had implications not only for the international community, but for the American people as well. The attacks …show more content…
This includes, the Patriot Act, which greatly increased the ability of federal and state law enforcement agencies to search the telephone calls, emails, health and financial records of citizens with the intent of reducing and preventing terrorist activities in the United States, and increased security and travel restrictions in airports and many other places. An erosion of civil liberties resulted from the executive powers implied and assumed with the war on terrorism (“Protecting America 's Values and Freedoms after 9/11”). While examining the thesis of Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom, it is evident that these historical events are what shaped his work. Franzen’s novel is not only a portrait of the Berglund’s dysfunctional family and the events that shape the individuals of the family, but it also qualifies as historical fiction because it explores pivotal events that occurred throughout the documentation of this family’s life. These events include, most notably, the terrorist attacks of September 11th, the second Iraq war, the Great Recession of 2008, and an environmental
When reflecting upon the first decade of American history in the new millennium, one term that comes to mind is the word freedom. America was founded on the ideals of freedom, more specifically liberty, and during the early 2000s this ideal was at the forefront of the American people’s consciousness for an array of different reasons. The national conversation was especially concerned with this notion of independence due to the repercussions that resulted from the terrorist attacks that occurred on American soil in September of 2001. A heinous act of terror and destruction, the attacks on September 11th, 2001, had implications not only for the international community, but for the American people as well. The attacks …show more content…
This includes, the Patriot Act, which greatly increased the ability of federal and state law enforcement agencies to search the telephone calls, emails, health and financial records of citizens with the intent of reducing and preventing terrorist activities in the United States, and increased security and travel restrictions in airports and many other places. An erosion of civil liberties resulted from the executive powers implied and assumed with the war on terrorism (“Protecting America 's Values and Freedoms after 9/11”). While examining the thesis of Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom, it is evident that these historical events are what shaped his work. Franzen’s novel is not only a portrait of the Berglund’s dysfunctional family and the events that shape the individuals of the family, but it also qualifies as historical fiction because it explores pivotal events that occurred throughout the documentation of this family’s life. These events include, most notably, the terrorist attacks of September 11th, the second Iraq war, the Great Recession of 2008, and an environmental