“Freedom form Want” by Norman Rockwell
“All I want is freedom
All I want if family
To take the pain and suffering out of this world
All I want is freedom
All I want is family
To save me from this world
All I want is freedom
All I want is family
To have a dinner around the table”
I chose “Freedom from Want” by Norman Rockwell. With Thanksgiving just passing I had this family value in mind. Freedom From Want captures Rockwell’s optimistic portrayal of family values. The family scenario encapsulates the idealistic ideals of an American family living in harmony with one another. Three generations of a family gather over a Thanksgiving table in this painting. The mother is going to set a giant turkey in front of the father, who is standing at the head of the table. Freedom from Want is widely regarded as one of Norman Rockwell’s best works. It is the most frequently featured painting in art books with critical criticism and discussion as one of the four paintings in the Four Freedoms. Freedom from Want became a symbol of “family togetherness, peace, and plenty,” despite the fact that they were all designed to inspire patriotism at a time of war. This piece of art expressed the goal of those men in the war at the time. In my ekphrasis I wanted it to be from a point of view of someone in the war at that time looking at this painting and longing for that freedom and family they’re fighting for. The mood of my poem is sad but it’s having a meaningful and powerful message behind it. This work of art shows the struggles from that war time. We were fighting to be able to have this perfect American dream that everyone wanted. Freedom is what this painting is fighting for
