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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be surveyed every moment of your life? This situation has been imagined by the authors [|George Orwell] and [|Cory Doctorow]Cory Doctorow in the books //1984// and //Little Brother.// In //1984//, the main character, Winston, goes against the norm of his society by writing in a journal he purchased illegally and breaking the boundaries with his lover Julia. The thought police chase after him to get rid of his rebellious thoughts and make him love the symbol of government: Big Brother. In //Little Brother//, a senior in high school named Marcus with a huge amount of technological knowledge that he uses to evade the security at his school and ditch his classes. He and his friends are ditching school when the Department of Homeland Security apprehends them because of a recent terrorist attack. Marcus puts his effort towards rescuing his best friend who was not released from the DHS. These books both contain the idea of free thought and the debate on rights vs. safety.

Both novels promote the idea of free thought. In //1984//, Winston didn’t want be a conformist. He didn’t want to go along with the flow. Towards the beginning of the book, Winston wrote his thoughts in a journal, and this was just the beginning of his rebellion. This shows that he was starting to think his ideas from his own mind, and not from the government or the thought police. In //Little Brother//, Marcus creates his own lifestyle by defying the system and thinking for himself. Marcus often ditched class to go [|live action role playing] and [|alternate reality gaming]. The fact that Marcus ditched his classes shows that he doesn’t care what the authorities, his school or his parents do or care about the situation. This displays that his is breaking off of the norm. Winston also displays his free thinking in another way: being with Julia. People found it strange to have a relationship where people actually loved each other in this society. Most couples were sort of just put together, but they seemed to actually love each other, or at least Winston did. Choosing who you want to be with shows a considerable ability of free thinking. Marcus also liked to think for himself by avoiding security do what he wanted. He often evaded cameras and gait detectors, hacked firewalls, and destroyed tracking devices.

Although they don’t bring it up directly, these stories make the reader think about the rights vs. safety issue. It is not hard to see both sides of this issue. Marcus, Darryl, and the rest of their crew were abducted by the Department of Homeland Security. The DHS was trying to protect the people by capturing the terrorists that bombed the bridge. They tried to do this by abducting people that might have been suspicious, or were just near the explosion. Marcus was near the explosion, but he might have also been suspicious because he was a high schooler out during the day. But, when they were taken, nearly all of their rights had been taken away. They were treated as if they were the terrorists themselves. This is a good example of where rights might be a better choice. After 9/11, many people were concerned about their safety. They were frightened because their country had been threatened. So, new devices were produced in an attempt to make the people feel safer. Some of these devices are very effective, such as the [|full-body scanner]. This makes people safer, or at least makes people feel safer, which is sort of what they want, but it is very controversial. They have tried to make it so that it shows less of the person and still make it effective, but they cannot fix the problem completely.

The societies that people live in today are probably headed towards the societies are doing portrayed in these two novels. The first step, that may have already arrived, is the one in Little Brother. This is a very modern setting. The DHS is something that exists today, and they something like what they are doing in the book, but not as extreme. There are no fly lists, and people are taken out of line for more in depth searches just based on looks and race. There is also so much safety in these societies, that it will eventually come something like in //1984//: A utopian society where no government is needed any more. Everybody will be watched all the time and controlled by something like the thought police.

The two books //1984// and //Little Brother// are both full of ideas about free thought and rights vs. safety. With these new security measures and utopian societies, it makes one wonder where humankind is headed today. Will it turn out to be a utopian society with no rights? One can only wonder.

Works Cited "Alternate reality game." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. Web. 21 Feb. 2010. []

"Cory Doctorow's craphound.com." //Cory Doctorows craphound.com//. Web. 21 Feb. 2010. .

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

"George Orwell Biography - A Biography of George Orwell." //George Orwell - Complete works, Biography, Quotes, Essays//. George-orwell.org. Web. 21 Feb. 2010.

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"Live action role-playing game." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. Web. 21 Feb. 2010. []

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

"TSA: Whole-body scanners to replace metal detectors - This Just In - Budget Travel." //First Weblog//. Web. 21 Feb. 2010.

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