Freedom From Fear Speech Analysis

Composers often use their work as a vehicle for communicating their own personal and political ideologies. Through their representation of competing personal and political motivations within their texts, composers are able to highlight the perceived moral concerns of their times, enabling their audience to align themselves with political perspectives as they embrace or reject the ideas being presented. Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible was constructed as an allegory for McCarthyism, communicating his dissent at the politics of McCarthy and the anti-communist movement in 1950s America. Similarly, Aung San Suu Kyi’s Freedom from Fear speech, is also a comment on how social injustices can arise from fear created by those in positions of political

Corruption in politics can be the catalyst for individuals speaking out against those in power. A prime example of this is the politics of the Burmese government and the plight of Aung Sang Suu Kyi, who spoke out against the brutal rule of dictator U Ne Win and initiated a nonviolent movement toward achieving democracy and human rights. In 1990, after already having been placed under house arrest, Suu Kyi wrote and presented her ‘Freedom From Fear’ speech; a powerful statement on the impact of fear and corruption. Through this speech, Suu Kyi, who can be compared to The Crucible’s Proctor as an individual who stands by their beliefs in the face of political opposition, is representing the importance of courage in retaining our humanity and integrity. Whilst fear is usually attributed as the emotion belonging solely to the persecuted people, not their oppressors, Suu Kyi presents a different perspective in her speech. She makes the point that oppressors are themselves motivated by fear, “fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it”. Suu Kyi echoes her late father’s well-known courage, using his memory to motivate her listeners, “he will always be loved… not merely as a warrior hero but as the inspiration and conscience of a nation.” Suu Kyi repetition of variations of the words “fear” and “corruption” throughout allows the speech to resonate with its