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**//Two Books, One Legacy//**

Imagine, a world where citizens have little or no rights. A world where the government is all powerful. A world where everyone is at the mercy of the leader. Such is the case in the novels //Little Brother//, by [|Cory Doctorow], and //1984//, by [|George Orwell]. Both books tell the tale of a controlling government spun out of control, and the main character's journey to challenge the destructive system in place. Winston in //1984//, feels isolated in a country where citizens blindly follow the leader whom they fondly call [|"Big Brother"]. Alone in a sea of brainwashed robots, Winston and his lover, Julia, [|strive to rebel] against the totalitarian government. Marcus, the hero in //Little Brother//, experiences his government's cruelty first hand during his imprisonment after a terrorist attack. Soon after he is released, the authorities begin to strip citizens of their rights in the name of safety. Determined to expose the power-hungry DHS, Marcus forms an underground "web of trust" and gives all he has in order to save the Constitution, and rescue the values that once symbolized America. Three core themes guide the plot in each book: the idea of taking a stand for one's beliefs, trusting others, but staying wary, and the idea that nobody can accomplish anything alone.

//1984// and //Little Brother// were not meant as instructional texts; however, several critical lessons can be gleaned from reading these fictional novels. Winston, for example, failed in his courageous attempt to defy and take down the political party in place because he did not have people he could depend on to help him through the journey. He expressed this isolation in his private thoughts by saying "Was he, then //alone//, in the possesion of memory?"(59 Orwell) Winston did not have a group of trusted comrades in whom he could confide. Julia quenched the lust that had built up in him for so long, but she did not feel the hatred and yearning to change the system like Winston did. She was willing to half-heartedly listen to Winston's ideas, but anything more, she only did to be with Winston. Marcus on the other hand, had thousands of supporters waiting to spring into action with new plans to hinder the [|Department of Homeland Security] (DHS). This "web of trust" spread all over the state. Marcus knew that he was not alone in his thoughts and he knew that he had people he could turn to. He confided in Ange about his fears of being discovered as the kid who master-minded it all, and his fury that drove him to take enormous risks. Ange provided stable logic when Marcus' terror over whelmed everything else. Marcus succeeded because he had people behind him, helping him take down the DHS. Had Winston had the same group, he would have had a better chance of defeating his opposers. However, Marcus's "web of trust" wasn't the only reason he was able to kick out the DHS, he trusted his group, but did not give them all the information he possesed. His identity as M1k3y remained hidden from all but two of his very closest friends until the end of the DHS' reign. Marcus used every safety precaution available to him in order to keep the "web of trust" and himself hidden. He employed [|encryption], powerful passwords and alternate identities in an effort to protect all that he had worked for. Winston did not have technology at his disposal. He had to rely on his gut feeling as to how honest and trustworthy someone was. He trusted the old proprieter of the shop in which he and Julia spent so much time in. Winston described him as " a man of perhaps sixty, frail and bowed, with a long, benevolent nose, and mild eyes distorted by thick spectacles. . .gave him a vague air of intellectuality, as though he had been some kind of literary man, or perhaps a musician."(94 Orwell) Winston later learned that he was not the frail old man he appeared to be, but a member of the Thought Police who turned Julia and him in to the Party. Winston had no way to prevent Mr Charrington from learning everything there was to know about him once he had put his trust in him. Marcus was able to continue to mess up the DHS for so long because he put technological barriers between him and possible traitors to his cause. Winston might have been able to inflict more damage and influence the proles if he had been more cautious about who he trusted, and he had access to technology. Both characters gave everything they have in order to be able to "take a swing" at the system in place. Marcus succeeded because he had supporters who truly believed in the cause, and because he used technology to his advantage in order to protect the indentity of those he trusted. Winston did not have either of these advantages and this contributed to his failure. //1984// and //Little Brother// both incorperated the lessons that in order to successfully challenge the system, trust, support, and caution are necessary.

Although both novels gave unique insight into how to attack a system out of control, they leave several questions for the reader to contemplate. Neither book addresses the possible repercussions a movement such as this could have on a country. Marcus took on the government in a way no one had dared to do, and not only united thousands of people, but succeeded in giving his country a wake up call. A new generation of rebellious citizens could emerge, crying "Well if a teenager challenged the authority, so can I." Chaos would erupt, forcing the government to step in similarly to the DHS' reaction to the terrorist attack, starting a never-ending cycle of government versus citizen. Eventually, the country, exhuasted by the feud, might collapse, starting a ripple of unrest around the world. A society could not return to the normal routine after their government had been critically questioned by none other than a seemingly insignificant teen. When Marcus started jamming, he slowed the DHS procedure to a crawl.The plan formed as Marcus discussed the DHS' influence in San Francisco with his friend Ange: " ' What we do is go around and randomly swap tags on people, over writing their Fast Passes and FasTraks with other people's codes. That'll make everyone skew all weird and screwy, and make everyone look guilty.Then: total gridlock.' "(126 Doctorow) The citizens, throughout the book, didn't manage to return to normal life just as a result of all the interrogations. After the whole battle ended, it would take some time to settle down. The authorities would need to gain the citizens' trust once more, and take steps to ensure that nothing of that nature would happen again, as well as deal with thousands of angry Californians. The system in //1984// seems to be set up so that society could never return to normal. It would take a revolt of tens of thousands, and the likelyhood of that many people risking death at the hands of the Thought Police is small. Even if the Party did collapse, the citizens would not posses the intuition to be able to set up a system that did not morph back into the original Party. The three [|Ministries] are all that the people know, and it is doubtful that if given the chance they would be able to make a change in the system. The results of a system such as those described in the novels would not be able to return to normal for some time, how long that would be, the novels don't say.

//1984// and //Little Brother// were written as fictional novels with a point: they incorperate both lessons, and questions left unanswered, meant to keep the reader thinking; however, the themes in the novels can be applied in many more environments than that of English Class. The concepts addressed in each novel build on one another until the reader's eyes are opened to a world where the government holds unfathomable power. The questions raised push each person who turns the first page to analyze whether or not the steps taken by the DHS and the Party were acceptable and what they would do if the tale told in these novels turned into reality. This "new awakening" allows one to question the system in place at the present time and really dig deep into what the government is and isn't allowed to do. The values formed as a result of reading these novels can be used to speak out about what the authorities are allowed to do in terms of safety and rights. [|Voicing Veiws] and taking a stand for one's values can really make a difference in the minds of others and cause them to "wake up" as well. The theme involving trust can also be transfered into everyday life as well. When involved in an organized cause, one must remember that not everyone can be trusted: there will always be people who wish to tear down the group. The methods that Marcus used can be applied to ensure that the hard work of the people involved in the cause is not in vain. The community aspect of both books also relates to reality in that, in the event that a situation arises that pushes one to speak out, such as authorities taking rights away, one knows that people must agree with, and support the cause. Armed with this knowledge, a leader of a resistance movement can make gathering supporters their top priority. Without support, an idea dies. Such is the case with protests. Throughout both books, several applications of the themes become apparent.

The ideas that taking a stand for ones beliefs is essential, trust combined with caution is vital, and everyone needs someone by their side to succeed, provide the underlying themes in both Little Brother and 1984. The novels, although not meant to instruct the reader, none the less give important lessons. Both books broaden the veiws and open the minds of each reader. Questions brought up simply through the reading encourage deeper thinking and analyzing of the situation at the present regarding the relationship between government and citizen. Even after the reader turns the final page, a lingering feeling of enlightenment pushes them to truly examine their authorities and maybe, just maybe, take that first step to make a difference.


 * Works Cited **

//Cory Doctorow.// 18 Feb 2009. .

Doctorow, Cory. //Little Brother.// New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2008.

//George Orwell.// 18 Feb 2010. <[] >.

//How Encryption Works.// 21 February 2010. 

//Little Brother Poster.// 18 Feb 2010. <[]>.

Orwell, George. 1984. New York: New American Library, 1950.

//United States Department of Homeland Security.// 18 Feb 2010 <[]>.

YouTube. //Cory Doctorow –Little Brother (Extended Version).// 21 Feb 2010. .

YouTube. //1984 George Orwell Trailer.// 18 Feb 2010. <[]<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">>.

//1984-Ministries.// 21 February 2010. <http://1984ministries.tripod.com/>.