Additionally, Ishmael's story also portrays the plight of many animals that have been stripped of any physical freedoms by human beings in our rampant pursuit of knowledge and happiness, no matter the consequences to the environment around us. I have always upheld a personal stance against animal captivity, but after gaining clearer insight through the narrator's experiences with Ishmael, I achieved a greater appreciation for the physical freedoms that I am ensured as a white, educated female living in a human-centric technologically dependant society. It is important to ensure that our fight for personal freedom doesn't trample on the freedoms of other people and the delicate environment that surrounds and sustains us. .
Although Ishmael was physically captive, his notable intelligence is something that in many ways made him freer than the humans that were under his tutelage. Although Ishmael was the one who was in a cage, he reveals the freedom behind his wealth of knowledge when he says, "You are captives of a civilization system that more or less compels you to go on destroying the world in order to live" (Quinn, 25). This statement shows that much like in Plato's "Allegory of the Cave," a person is not truly free unless he is able to free himself of the binds of his own mind by educating oneself about the surrounding world (Plato, 529). What is the point of pursuing knowledge and happiness at the expense of the world around you? If the ecosystem that nurtures our bodies fails because we are too short sighted to ensure equity for our environment, then we will never truly be free to begin with. Maya Angelou's "Graduation," also backs up the importance of treating all people and things with equal respect, so as not to hold captive anyone in the world so that a few minds may feel free. The students who were eagerly awaiting the next phase in life were put to side by Mr.
