Freedom – it is one of the most essential, ever-present and controversial themes in literature and throughout the world. Every day we exercise our freedoms without worrying about how lucky we are to enjoy these freedoms. So what is freedom? Equality, rights, democracy. . . These are all ideas that come to mind. But what are the essential principles of true freedom? True freedom is security, the ability to express oneself freely, and the right to live free from government oppression. The first essential element in acquiring true freedom is security. This not only includes safety from basic and basic things, but also safety from violence, brutality, discrimination and unsanitary conditions. In Martin Luther King Jr.'s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” he discusses the violent and discriminatory acts perpetrated against African-Americans. In his plea for freedom and equality, he proclaimed: “But when you saw vicious mobs lynching your mothers and fathers at will and drowning your sisters and brothers at will; when you saw hate-filled police officers curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million black brothers suffocated in an airtight cage of poverty in the middle of a society of abundance. . . » (King 151-157). Part of freedom for African Americans and for all people, King emphasizes, is protection from violent discrimination. According to him, no individual can be truly free if he or she is subjected to unnecessary discriminatory violence and unequal conditions. Another basic human security right that constitutes true freedom is protection from unjust prosecution. In Rebecca Makkai's short story, "The Briefcase", the ...... middle of paper ...... allows the government and police forces to reject the declarations of rights and freedoms guaranteed to the Egyptian people by their constitution. This allowed the government to oppress its people and silence any whispers of revolution or change, although this obviously was not as effective as imagined. Nonetheless, it was a sign of an oppressive government and a lack of freedom for the people, two concepts that go hand in hand. Many authors have addressed the concept of true freedom in their work; in letters, essays, short stories and memoirs. The definition of true freedom has been debated, but there are a few aspects of true freedom that almost all authors seem to agree on: security, the ability to express oneself freely, and the right to live free from oppression by government. If any of these principles are lacking, no one can achieve true freedom..