She Had a Right To What She Said

On September 11, 2016 a girl on twitter decided to post something that blew up with rage. She said ‘ 9/11 was 15years ago America get over it #Alreadyforgotten’, and although many users disagreed with her opinion they couldnot do anything to silence her. People repeatedly kept reporting her on twitter, but the users soon began to realizethat nothing could be done. She had the right to what she said even if what she said was hurtful. It is only up totwitter to delete her account, because she cannot get into any legal trouble. It’s incidents like these that make usquestion the value of freedom of speech. In Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie, a novel written forhis son Zafar, Rushdie touched on the topic of free expression. In the novel, Rushdie shows through the characterHaroun that free expression is very important. He does this by making him go through many quest to save storiesfrom being destroyed by Khattam-Shud the villain of the story. Free expression is very important and maysometimes be hurtful to others, but it’s great to learn how to ignore bad opinions and explore the good.

It’s nice tobe able to say what you want and agree with Salman Rushdie’s opinion that freedom of speech is a great law andpeople should be allowed to say whatever they want.  People then are able obtain the power to listen and ignore. Free expression was identified in the novel Haroun and the sea of stories by, Salman Rushdie, when Butt theHoopoe says ‘But but but what is the point of giving Freedom of Speech,’ declaimed Butt the Hoopoe,’if you thensay they must not utilize the same? And is not the power of speech the greatest power of all? Then surely it mustbe exercised to the full?’. When Butt the Hoopoe says is that the power of speech is the greatest power ofall, and sometimes the power is stretched a little to where people get upset. What’s the point of having the powerto say something that you can’t say without causing a scene? What’s the point of being able to say whatever orwrite whatever you want if it’s going to make you go into hiding for years without seeing your family because it’stoo dangerous?

When Salman Rushdie wrote the Satanic Verses the people hated it and threatened to kill him, soRushdie went into hiding without his family because it was too dangerous for them to be with him at this time. In this quote Rushdie explained through the character Butt the Hoopoe what he was trying to teach his son zafar,that he needs to stand up for his right to say whatever he wants and not get in trouble for it. That is just what hedid. Rushdie knew that through him refusing to take away his book the Satanic Verses he was taking a stand forhis favorite law that had a lot of power He knew he could make a change and people would see the law differently.The quote from Butt the Hoopoe explained that the power of speech is a great power, and that there is no point toit if it’s not stretched to the fullest. If people in the country just decided that their ideas were not worth anythingthere would probably be no country today and would still be ruled by England because nobody would havestepped up and rebelled against the English monarchy.