Nathan Ducey
English 4
2/25/2010 From the Classroom to The Real World
In school there are those lessons that leave students wondering, is this ever going to be relevant to me, these two stories contradict that idea that many students might have thought. Books 1984 by George Orwell and Little Brother by Cory Doctorow illustrate similar ideas. 1984 takes place in a totalitarian state where the people are divided into classes, within the classes everyone is equal. The people are controlled and patrolled by the government, which is ruled by Big Brother. The main character, Winston wants to break free of the system set in place. Winston tries to break free but he is eventually brought down by the government. While Marcus the main character in Little Brother is playing hookie with friends he is caught by the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) near a terrorist attack in the San Fransisco bay area. Marcus is not guilty but he is detained by the DHS and is tortured while in custody. He was released with all his friends a week later except for one. Marcus is hooked on the idea of an eye for an eye against the DHS after his torture. These books opened the reader's mind to opinions and questions regarding ideas such as how technology can strip people of their privacy, whether to stand up for what an individual believes in, and the trade off of giving up freedom for security.
The opinions the books, 1984 and Little Brother left the reader with the are how technology strips you of your privacy, standing up for what you believe in, and about losing rights for protection. Technology can leave you exposed, because people can discover where you have been, what you are doing on the web and any miscellaneous fact. Little Brother displays how the government can track what an individual is buying ," The security," he said, looking around his little shop with its tubs of dried beans and seeds, its shelves of Turkish groceries. "The government. They monitor it all now, it was in the papers. PATRIOT Act II, the Congress passed it yesterday. Now they can monitor every time you use your card. I say no. I say my shop will not help them spy on my customers." (Doctorow) With this the government could see what one is purchasing when and where even though they may be watching for illegal things it is still wrong for them to surveillance someone for no suspicion. Almost everything ones does with technology can be pulled up, with ones history, whether it is on a phone, an ipod, a computer. As Mr. Meyer said if someone is within three feet of a cellphone that person can be found. All someone has to do to find that person they are hunting is pay about 250 dollars to the service and give them the phone number. The next opinion someone is left with is to stand up in what they believe in. An example of this is shown in 1984 when Winston is taken joins the Brotherhood to stand against the government. Winston does this although he could be charged of numerous crimes,he does this because it is what he believes in. The idea of standing up for what you believe in is also shown in Little Brother. When Marcus is recently released by the DHS, and knows what they have done is wrong so he wanted his revenge, "I want us to fight back," I said. "I want to stay free so that I can do that. If we go out there and blab, they'll just say that we're kids, making it up. We don't even know where we were held! No one will believe us. Then, one day, they'll come for us."(Doctorow) These examples leave the impression on the reader that it is the right thing to do to stand up for what one believes in even if it is one vs one hundred. The final major theme that these books leave the reader with opinion about is whether to give up freedom for protection. A premier example of this is a rabbit, it has the freedom to travel far from the tree however with each hop it loses protection of the tree. Another example is in 1984 how everyone is safe but in return no one has individuality. This brings the idea to the reader how freedoms are more important than security.
After reading these books readers are left with questions, the major questions that arise come with the major themes in the stories. One major theme carried in these books is how technology strips someone of all their privacy. The question that arises after this idea is how does someone manage their technology use. In 1984 if one is an average citizen one has no control over the technology this is shown with the telescreens placed in every room. The telescreens that George Orwell describes are located in every room and are meant to monitor the people to ensure that they are not resisting the government at all. This is a scary idea because imagine a world where every individual is monitored consistently they would have no privacy at all. In a modern situation how does someone keep track of what they do on the internet. In Little BrotherCorey Doctorow goes into detail about the extreme measures Marcus goes to to ensure he is untraceable. In essence there is very little one can do to avoid being patrolled while on the web. The answer to that question is up to the individual to decide and he must be aware that everything he does can be traced back to him on the web. The next question that is brought up is standing up for one's beliefs. In 1984 Winston flirts with rebellion, the rebellion is simple though, it is just having a relationship, he is broken after going through ruthless torture by the government, he betrayed himself and his love under torture. Could he have escaped the Nation he lived in? Could he had achieved spiritual freedom by being true. The other and hardest option to accomplish does one attempt to be successful like Marcus in Little Brother. In the end of Little Brother Marcus releases his story and the DHS is brought down. Another question that arises in the story is does one give up ones freedoms for ones protection. Do you deserve to lose both if you do not respect either enough to keep them. These are both important but where is the trade off if there is one or do you just keep all your freedoms and none of the safety?
With all these lessons learned in the book it is up to the reader to decide how to apply them and when it is right. With technology if one covers ones trail too much you will definitely look like a criminal. Even though you may just want your privacy. Another idea is to separate oneself from technology more and more because anyone could find you even if you have minimal technology on hand. Although this idea may be absurd to many some people enjoy their privacy more than the need of instant gratification that technology brings my Uncle who is a Professor refuses to own a cell phone. Another lesson learned from the books is how far do you go in what you believe in. It is odd to think that all terrorists are doing is standing up in what they believe in yet most of the world finds them the common enemy. Even though it is a noble cause you may just lose your head and not benefit at all and go down a villain rather then a hero. In some situations it would be wiser to give up on certain battles then just go at it and risk more important things. The last idea to implant into ones daily life is rights vs protection. Even though they may be small rights one gives up some every day. per say when one drives they lose safety because of all the terrors that could occur on the road however one would lose the freedom of driving around. With all the above statement it is up to the reader to find the balance with them and apply these to real life situations.
The books 1984 and Little Brother left the reader with questions opinions and just the idea on how who will apply this. the important main ideas from these books you need to pay closer attention to these ideas because they are important ideas. that need to be carried into the daily lives.
Works CitedDoctorow, Corey. Little Brother. Tor, 2008. Print.Meyer. Mrs. Moritz Class, Denver. Speech.Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. London: Secker and Warburg, 1949. Print.Print."WIkipedia." Web. 21 Feb. 2010. <http://www.wikipedia.org/>.
English 4
2/25/2010
From the Classroom to The Real World
In school there are those lessons that leave students wondering, is this ever going to be relevant to me, these two stories contradict that idea that many students might have thought. Books 1984 by George Orwell and Little Brother by Cory Doctorow illustrate similar ideas. 1984 takes place in a totalitarian state where the people are divided into classes, within the classes everyone is equal. The people are controlled and patrolled by the government, which is ruled by Big Brother. The main character, Winston wants to break free of the system set in place. Winston tries to break free but he is eventually brought down by the government. While Marcus the main character in Little Brother is playing hookie with friends he is caught by the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) near a terrorist attack in the San Fransisco bay area. Marcus is not guilty but he is detained by the DHS and is tortured while in custody. He was released with all his friends a week later except for one. Marcus is hooked on the idea of an eye for an eye against the DHS after his torture. These books opened the reader's mind to opinions and questions regarding ideas such as how technology can strip people of their privacy, whether to stand up for what an individual believes in, and the trade off of giving up freedom for security.
The opinions the books, 1984 and Little Brother left the reader with the are how technology strips you of your privacy, standing up for what you believe in, and about losing rights for protection. Technology can leave you exposed, because people can discover where you have been, what you are doing on the web and any miscellaneous fact. Little Brother displays how the government can track what an individual is buying ,"
The security," he said, looking around his little shop with its tubs of dried beans and seeds, its shelves of Turkish groceries. "The government. They monitor it all now, it was in the papers. PATRIOT Act II, the Congress passed it yesterday. Now they can monitor every time you use your card. I say no. I say my shop will not help them spy on my customers." (Doctorow) With this the government could see what one is purchasing when and where even though they may be watching for illegal things it is still wrong for them to surveillance someone for no suspicion. Almost everything ones does with technology can be pulled up, with ones history, whether it is on a phone, an ipod, a computer. As Mr. Meyer said if someone is within three feet of a cellphone that person can be found. All someone has to do to find that person they are hunting is pay about 250 dollars to the service and give them the phone number. The next opinion someone is left with is to stand up in what they believe in. An example of this is shown in 1984 when Winston is taken joins the Brotherhood to stand against the government. Winston does this although he could be charged of numerous crimes,he does this because it is what he believes in. The idea of standing up for what you believe in is also shown in Little Brother. When Marcus is recently released by the DHS, and knows what they have done is wrong so he wanted his revenge, "I want us to fight back," I said. "I want to stay free so that I can do that. If we go out there and blab, they'll just say that we're kids, making it up. We don't even know where we were held! No one will believe us. Then, one day, they'll come for us."(Doctorow) These examples leave the impression on the reader that it is the right thing to do to stand up for what one believes in even if it is one vs one hundred. The final major theme that these books leave the reader with opinion about is whether to give up freedom for protection. A premier example of this is a rabbit, it has the freedom to travel far from the tree however with each hop it loses protection of the tree. Another example is in 1984 how everyone is safe but in return no one has individuality. This brings the idea to the reader how freedoms are more important than security.
After reading these books readers are left with questions, the major questions that arise come with the major themes in the stories. One major theme carried in these books is how technology strips someone of all their privacy. The question that arises after this idea is how does someone manage their technology use. In 1984 if one is an average citizen one has no control over the technology this is shown with the telescreens placed in every room. The telescreens that George Orwell describes are located in every room and are meant to monitor the people to ensure that they are not resisting the government at all. This is a scary idea because imagine a world where every individual is monitored consistently they would have no privacy at all. In a modern situation how does someone keep track of what they do on the internet. In Little Brother Corey Doctorow goes into detail about the extreme measures Marcus goes to to ensure he is untraceable. In essence there is very little one can do to avoid being patrolled while on the web. The answer to that question is up to the individual to decide and he must be aware that everything he does can be traced back to him on the web. The next question that is brought up is standing up for one's beliefs. In 1984 Winston flirts with rebellion, the rebellion is simple though, it is just having a relationship, he is broken after going through ruthless torture by the government, he betrayed himself and his love under torture. Could he have escaped the Nation he lived in? Could he had achieved spiritual freedom by being true. The other and hardest option to accomplish does one attempt to be successful like Marcus in Little Brother. In the end of Little Brother Marcus releases his story and the DHS is brought down. Another question that arises in the story is does one give up ones freedoms for ones protection. Do you deserve to lose both if you do not respect either enough to keep them. These are both important but where is the trade off if there is one or do you just keep all your freedoms and none of the safety?
With all these lessons learned in the book it is up to the reader to decide how to apply them and when it is right. With technology if one covers ones trail too much you will definitely look like a criminal. Even though you may just want your privacy. Another idea is to separate oneself from technology more and more because anyone could find you even if you have minimal technology on hand. Although this idea may be absurd to many some people enjoy their privacy more than the need of instant gratification that technology brings my Uncle who is a Professor refuses to own a cell phone. Another lesson learned from the books is how far do you go in what you believe in. It is odd to think that all terrorists are doing is standing up in what they believe in yet most of the world finds them the common enemy. Even though it is a noble cause you may just lose your head and not benefit at all and go down a villain rather then a hero. In some situations it would be wiser to give up on certain battles then just go at it and risk more important things. The last idea to implant into ones daily life is rights vs protection. Even though they may be small rights one gives up some every day. per say when one drives they lose safety because of all the terrors that could occur on the road however one would lose the freedom of driving around. With all the above statement it is up to the reader to find the balance with them and apply these to real life situations.
The books 1984 and Little Brother left the reader with questions opinions and just the idea on how who will apply this. the important main ideas from these books you need to pay closer attention to these ideas because they are important ideas. that need to be carried into the daily lives.
Works CitedDoctorow, Corey. Little Brother. Tor, 2008. Print.Meyer. Mrs. Moritz Class, Denver. Speech.Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. London: Secker and Warburg, 1949. Print.Print."WIkipedia." Web. 21 Feb. 2010. <http://www.wikipedia.org/>.