home

“A people that values it's privileges above its principles soon loses both”-Dwight D. Eisenhower. Citizens of the United States of America are forced to make a choice daily, sometimes without even knowing it. The choice between Constitutional rights, or safety and security in each citizen’s life. As the government has made clear, neither can truly exist at the same time as the other. Each is compromised and violated depending on which is chosen. George Orwell’s brilliant novel //1984//, is an eye opener to society about the control the government has over every citizen. The main character, Winston, experiences many encounters with the government as he tries to challenge the terrible system embedded in each member of the corrupted society. Cory Doctorow’s novel, //Little Brother//, is a modern day version of Orwell’s //1984//. This book takes place in 2008 in San Francisco and the main character, Marcus, displays very similar action as Winston. He commits several security crimes and is eventually questioned and captured by the DHS. //Little Brother// is another prime example of corruption in government and is significant and prominent in our society today. While reading //1984// and //Little Brother//, this theme is reoccurring and proves to the reader the misconception the government puts on people. The false sense of security that is given off is very fake indeed and as a citizen in the United States today, it is very mind-boggling to think of how misleading the system is. Total control of the government is very much upon the generation living today and the recognition of that aspect is crucial to each citizen. Although the government’s action makes citizens choose between how much security they have and how many of their rights they have, it is essential to challenge this system because people have to safely sustain stability in their life while not being controlled by the government.

Throughout the readings of //1984// and //Little Brother//, the reader learns from the text of the novels how powerful technology is in the 21st century and how the government manipulates it to have total control over the people and invade security. Technology today gives people total control and ability to accomplish things that were unimaginable just 30 years ago. This type of power can be used to influence and control society negatively or positively, depending on how the user decides to utilize their power. “This is why I loved technology: if you used it right, it could give you power and privacy.” (Doctorow, 88). This quote signifies the importance of technology in our society today. The impact that it has on our life dictates the level of security and safety instituted. In //Little Brother//, the reader sees how the main character, Marcus, monopolizes the access and abilities that technology allowed him. The abuse of these powers resulted in huge trouble and paranoia for him. Examples of the power of technology is shown throughout the novel //Little Brother// in various ways that impact the reader and the plot significantly. The control the government has over the population is also expressed in George Orwell's thrilling novel, //1984//. "It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself—anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face… was itself a punishable offense. There was even a word for it in Newspeak: facecrime, it was called." (Orwell, 51). This excerpt from //1984// shows the harsh reality of the control that the government has and how its true power is not publicly expressed. The government issues total control through technology and people do not realize how exposed they are by the things they part-take in daily. As seen in //1948//, the government brainwashes and dictates how the society functions through the means of technology. Technology is and always has been a dominating tool in citizen's life and can expose people in negative ways. Many modern day examples of the risks technology impose on our society are prevalent daily. A common example of how technology exposes people and challenges security today is the extremely popular social networking site, Facebook. Just last May, a local news station informed viewers of the [|"Five Hidden Dangers of Facebook."] These dangers came as a shock to the public and raised awareness of just how mislead users think the protection level is. This type of exposure is potentially very dangerous to citizens considering their personal information can be released to the public with a click of a button. People must consider these risks and decide whether the consequences are worth it. This modern day example relates identically to Cory Doctorow's //Little Brother//, when Marcus hacks into computer systems such as the Xnet and accesses information thought to be "private." Although there are systems in plan to prevent this type of hacking and exposing behavior, we must realize that there is always a way around technology and security. These three examples are reason enough to make people aware of their actions using technology and the power it enables us to have. The previous facts support the idea that the actions citizen's do and the activities they involve themselves in determine the protection, security and rights granted to them.

The other theme that readers learn from //1984// and //Little Brother// is the idea of psychological manipulation. The government can easily control the emotions and feelings of society and replace trust and loyalty with fear in citizen’s daily lives. There is a great example of the fear that the government places in Marcus when he is captured by the DHS in //Little Brother//. “It’s pathetic, but all my brain could think about was that phrase, ‘convince us that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.’ This was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I had never, ever felt this bad or scared before. Those words, ‘wrong place at the wrong time,’ those six words, they were like a lifeline dangling before me as I thrashed to stay on the surface.”(Doctorow, 54). The above quote demonstrates that the government has access to tools, generally through technology, that can control society’s psychological well-being and status. The government puts special services such as the DHS in place to protect us and to make us less afraid. In this instance, it is proven that the government can totally change something that is supposed to keep people “safe” into something terrorizing and monopolizing. The fear that Marcus expresses should not have come about by a national protection agency such as the DHS. It is astonishing how much control the government has and how quickly something beneficial can turn into something that scares someone out of their mind. This quote proves another point as to how the government can instantly change the feeling of security and safety into complete fear if they have a suspicion or reason to. In George Orwell’s //1984//, the telescreen rules the society through fear and manipulation of the mind. The telescreen allows the government to have absolute control over the emotions of the people viewing the telescreen and determine how they feel and their reaction to their emotions. “Your worst enemy, he reflected, was your own nervous system. At any moment the tension inside you was liable to translate itself into some visible symptom." (Orwell, 64). This quote is mind-boggling and has an incredibly strong impact on the reader. Not only can the government turn other people against someone to mess with their emotions, they can turn someone against their self. Fear is proven to motivate humans. When the government places fear in citizens, they can achieve practically anything. The idea of the government controlling people by initiating fear through themselves is terrifying. Not only does it affect the person, but also it affects others and can lead to negative decisions driven purely by fear. Not only did the government place fear in the people in these two books, there is a strong reality of extreme fear of the government today in the US. In the United States today, about 5% of the population have a reported [|Anti-Government Phobia]. Phobia of the government. According to mental health officials, this percent is rising at an alarming rate. The phobia’s symptoms include having “extreme suspiciousness, conspiracy-mongering, delusional thought patterns, staunch ‘us against them’ mentality, withdrawal from reality, and often religious fanaticism.” The phobia has affected people who have a very powerful personal grudge against the government for one reason or another. media type="youtube" key="8Be2QbV2HzM" height="390" width="480"AGP (Anti-Government Phobia) is a shocking reality that people must face, especially those in America. Obviously, an incident must have occurred between the effected person and the government that jeopardized trust between the two parties. In //Little Brother//, Marcus had lost trust and loyalty in the government as soon as the book even started. In //1984//, Winston has a miraculous moment of realization when he first realizes that the government is hiding crucial facts and events in history from the people and are brainwashing the population. The government placed fear in all of these instances. The three stated examples exhibit proof and support the fact that the government manipulates the psychological being of citizens in several different ways, all lead by fear.

These books are not just outstanding pieces of literature; they convey a strong message to the audience that can be applied in their life. These books teach an important message to the reading. The facts and events that occur in the literature can be a very frightening reality, but the most important thing to take away from the readings is knowledge as to how to prevent corruption and flaws in society as we saw in these readings. “It’s not about doing something shameful. It’s about doing something private. It’s about your life belonging to you.” (Doctorow, 57). The decisions citizens make affect the impact and control that the outside world (government, technology, media etc.) has in their lives. This quote from //Little Brother// is a prime example of how to live a somewhat private and protected life in the extremely technological advanced society we live in today. This quote is very significant because it demonstrates that people will do shameful things and make bad decisions, either publicly or privately but the importance of living a life fully and claiming those mistakes is what will allow people to happily live their lives, with or without the absolute control of the government. //Little Brother// is very applicable to people today because it brings the reality of government control to present times and shows that it is a very real thing in society. In //1984//, the reader sees how manipulated the people are by the government and how the “norm” is domination by Big Brother. When Winston has his moment of realization, he automatically knows what is being done to him and the rest of society and decides to rebel from the dictating government in order to try to live his life with some freedoms, by the choices he makes. “His eyes re-focused on the page. He discovered that while he sat helplessly musing he had also been writing, as though by automatic action. And it was no longer the same cramped, awkward handwriting as before. His pen had slid voluptuously over the smooth paper, printing in large neat capitals-DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER. He could not help feeling a twinge of panic.” (Orwell, 18). In 1984, we see how rebellious Winston is against his government. This element of rebellion is crucial when challenging the system. This extremity of rebellion is not necessary in today’s world because the extremity of control the government has is not as severe as in //1984//. We must keep in mind that the government very well could turn into something like //1984// and that is why it is vital for people to be the control in their lives and own their actions. //1984// is another supporting factor to the idea that the control that the system has over a person is determined by the decisions and ownership the person takes on.The ideas in //Little Brother// and //1984// can be easily supported by many instances in the world today. There are many modern examples of the idea that the decisions people make and the actions they make determine how much control they allow the government and outside world to have over them. Technology is one of the main factors in this. How much a person exposes them self through technology decides the amount of exposure they have to the rest of the world. The less vulnerable people make themselves, the less control and power other people will be able to have over them. In //Little Brother//, Marcus makes himself incredibly vulnerable by the crimes he was committing through technology. Although he thought he was being protected and secured, the DHS still found a way to get to him because of the way he was exposing himself. In //1984//, it wasn’t as easy for Winston to hide his thoughts and plans because what he was doing was seen as an extremity to the population and his actions were easily identified as a threat to the government. Today, people expose themselves through technology without even knowing it, which is exactly what the government wants. People must be educated in this because without this knowledge, they fall into the trap the system has set. The actions citizens do result in the level of control they have in their lives and in turn, the level of control the government has in their lives. Although the government can and will have control, the choice of what effect that control has, is ultimately made by the people and whether or not they allow the government to manipulate their life.

It is fundamental to challenge the system of government that makes citizens choose between how much security they have and how many of their rights they have because people have to safely sustain stability in their life while not being controlled by the government. The novels //1984// and //Little Brother// give readers the incentive and ideas to defy the system and get some of their privacy, securities and rights back. These books expose the ways and methods that the government uses to have total control over the citizens. The impact of technology in the society is one like no other in history before and can easily be taken advantage of by citizens and the government. Psychological manipulation by the government is another mean of power they have. They place fear in the minds of citizens, who must learn to block that fear out and stay loyal to themselves and their decisions and actions. The biggest concept that should be taken away from these readings is that the United States of America is still a free country and citizens are still able to keep their rights and privacy. The amount of freedoms and privacy they have all depends on the choices and events they take on and institute in their life. Choose wisely.

Works Cited "ANTI-GOVERNMENT PHOBIA." //Dr. Horowitz - Aids, Ebola, Vaccines, Tetrahedron.com//. Web. 7 Feb. 2011. [].

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

Orwell, George. //1984//. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984. Print.

Size, Font. "Five Hidden Dangers of Facebook - The Early Show - CBS News." //Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News//. Web. 7 Feb. 2011. [].

//YouTube - Did You Ever Heard of Anti-Government Phobia or AGP?// //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.// Web. 15 Feb. 2011. [].