Dangerous Freedom In Thomas Jefferson's 'Crispin The Cross Of Lead'

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Dangerous Freedom “I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery” -Thomas Jefferson. In the story “Crispin the Cross of Lead”, Crispin had to choose over dangerous freedom or peaceful slavery. Some Believe that Crispin made the right decision by running away, but some believe that he made the wrong decision by running away from Stromford. Crispin should have run away from Stromford for three main reasons, He was overworked, He wanted freedom, and He was miserable. The first reason Crispin should have run away is that he was overworked. Every day in Stromford he worked in the fields farming crops that he did not get to keep or use. He had very little food to sustain himself out in the fields while working every day. Also, as a result …show more content…

He was one of many peasants to Lord Furnival, who ruled Stromford. John Ayecliff ordered him not to leave or he could be punished for his actions. Also, because he was a peasant Lord Furnival forced him to work every day, which made him want to leave even more. Being a peasant to a greedy ruler was one of the reasons Crispin wanted to leave Stromford. The third reason Crispin should have run away from Stromford is that he was miserable. His mother had recently died and he had no one to help him. He was tired from working every day in the fields to please his masters. Even in the scheme of these things, John Ayecliff was cruel to him by making him work harder than the others. By being Miserable and being pushed too hard Crispin wanted to escape John Ayecliff, and Stromford. Some say that Crispin should have run away. They argue that Crispin should have obeyed his authorities because he was being given free food and work. But just because it was free doesn’t mean it was . In addition, people argue that he had a place to live. He was given shelter to live in near the fields. But this shelter was constructed out of mud and straw and was very shoddy and