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For every spoonful of food, there is a hand guiding it. A reader retains this after reading two novels: __Little Brother__ by Cory Doctorow, and __1984__ by George Orwell, and after hearing speeches from various law and technology intellectuals. They are fictional, futuristic for their times, and yet, not so far out of possibility. Oppressive governments crack the whip, and the populations are forced to follow. And yet, as it has been seen throughout history, there are those who resist. __1984__ is set in a society that depends upon war, where there is constant surveillance by the government, or, Big Brother. Winston grasps onto the hope of an underground movement, and does everything in his power to fight the government. Unfortunately, he can't do much and is caught and tortured. In the end, instead of wishing to overthrow Big Brother, Winston loves him. __Little Brother__ is a story of similar challenges of the system. Marcus is a fairly normal teenage boy who happens to be very good with technology, when a terrorist attack in his hometown of San Francisco flips his world upside down. He is detained and tortured by the Department of Homeland Security, and when he is finally released, he fights back with all he's got. He strives for chaos to call attention to the government's encroachment on the people's rights. As he creates public protest and an underground movement of revolutionaries on the "X-Net", he teeters on the fine line of terrorism. He eventually goes to a family trusted journalist to tell the story of his detainment, and "justice" is served, proving that some stories do have happy endings. Many ideas are brought to light in these sources; ideas of the [|illusion of free will], the effects of trading rights for a feeling of safety, and the dangers of fighting the system. These scorching thoughts are branded into the reader’s mind.

Throughout the ages it has been argued that human beings have the ability to make their own decisions. This is also known as "free will". Does it really exist, or is it just a made up phrase to give a feeling of power? There are books such as __Little Brother__ and __1984__, and other information gleaned from intellectuals that supports the latter. In __Little Brother__, Marcus "chooses" to challenge the Department of Homeland of Security.(Doctorow, 127) However; this is not free will. If it had been, he would have decided to do this without effects from outside sources. His thoughts and beliefs were altered by various events in his life, meaning that he did not come up with the idea of challenging the government by himself. In __1984__, Winston attempts to aid in overthrowing Big Brother after enduring a life of deprivation and brainwashing. He would not thought of this, had it not been for the government showing them videos of Goldstein, the enemy.(Orwell, 13) Hatred was fueled towards these videos, but had it not been for them, no one would have believed in an underground movement, including Winston. As shown in the instance of revealing security measures at airports, anger is felt when obvious rights are infringed upon.(Meyer, 1-14) But, had it not been for the media bringing this new machine to the public's eye, there would have been no thought about it. All decisions are effected by events, meaning that our choices are reactions, and therefore can not truly make an individual, unaltered decision. Many times, this outside event causes fear and people will pursue the action that makes them feel the best.

In times of fear, individuals run the risk of trading our rights for a sometimes false feeling of safety, and the consequences can prove irreversible. As Ben Franklin said, "They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security." Marcus experiences this after the security crackdown on the city. The citizens see it as doing their parts for the greater good, but no villains are brought to justice. Innocent people are being arrested and interrogated for "abnormal" behavior. Their subway passes are tracked, as well as the FasTrak that is used to pay tolls.(Doctorow, 108) Most of the citizens turn a blind eye and say that it's for the greater good, but Marcus refutes this and "fights the man" with a group of followers. They traded their rights so that they could feel that the government was helping, and the false sense of security that came with it. Had it not been for Marcus, we would have seen the inevitable loss of additional rights. The citizens would finally see this, but it would be too late. It already was too late for Winston. The events leading up to the loss of rights is unknown, but the effects are clear. What lays in store for those that relinquish what was given them is a society with no privacy. Where people are arrested for even thinking negatively about the authority figure, Big Brother. Forget about freedom of speech; in the world that awaits, freedom of thought is outlawed.(Orwell, 19) The danger of trading rights for a feeling of safety leads down a road which is near impossible to be turned around upon once started. Whether you realize it or not, we are walking on that road. Those that are different are already being stripped of rights that the "normals" take for granted. What would it feel like to be searched in an airport for no other reason than looking Middle-Eastern.(Meyer, 1-14) These people did not choose to be discriminated against, but they have still lost the rights that The Constitution has laid down. Throughout United States history it has been evident that after an event that causes fear, the citizens decide to blame and transfer their fear and hate towards a group that is instantly guilty due to unchangeable association. If this deletion of rights is continued, none will be safe from the will of the man.

Before fighting the system to keep or gain back rights, one must understand the risks and dangers of doing so.It is ignorant to expect no reaction after an open challenge of the placed regulations. Marcus understood this. He knew that if he was caught by the Department of Homeland Security torture would be used. He realized that the effects of his challenge would be irreversible. And yet, he organized protests and aided in the switching of thousands of identities, creating chaos.(Doctorow, 307) An additional danger faced was the risk of becoming what had caused all of this trouble in the first place, a terrorist. Marcus failed to recognize this possible connection and it cost him. He was displayed as a terrible person that wanted to tear down the country, an outlaw. Despite all of this ridicule and hate directed towards him, the cause continued. Unfortunately for other individuals, sometimes the cause never starts. This is the case for Winston. He was led on by Big Brother to believe in an underground movement with the goal of overthrowing the society.(Orwell, 239) Whether this society is real or not, Winston works against the government in the only way possible for him, thought crime. Thought crime is basically the act of having an idea that your not supposed to have. For example, an idea that Big Brother might be wrong, or could be lying. The outcome of this challenge was one that he expected and knew was inevitable, death. That result may not be the same in the modern world, but the confrontations with the rules never cease. Whether it be a student bypassing a security measure on a computer at school, or someone protesting a decision made by the authorities, the message sent is the same.(Porter, Fisch, 1-20) Society today is full of rights, but one mustn't forget that this does not allow them a free pass to do whatever they wish. There will always be risks with anything that is done, a smart individual recognizes these and confronts them.

These ideas are essential for any being to read in order to mold and create a belief system. The very act of thinking about them keeps the mind alive and functional. The ideas of the illusion of free will, the risks of trading rights for a feeling of safety, and the dangers of fighting the system can be debated endlessly, and that is the important part. The ability of something to have two sides to argue means that there can not be a right or wrong answer. It is up to the individual with the information laid before them to make a decision. Marcus and Winston made decisions based on their situations and the information that they had. Those that do trade rights for safety make a choice that makes sense given an event or events that have happened, and they will be forced to support that decision. Before passing that judgment, one needs to be sure that it is what they want and will not regret.

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

Orwell, George. //1984//. Orlando: Signet Classic, 1950.

Meyer, Brad. "Post 9-11 Legislation." Arapahoe High School, Littleton. 14 Jan. 2010.

Porter, and Karl Fisch. "Debrief of technology mumbo jumbo." Arapahoe High School, Littleton. 20 Jan. 2010.