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“Experience: the most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.” -Anonymous. Is it possible for someone to truly understand experiences without personally undergoing them? The story, //Little Brother// tests this theory. //Little Brother// is the story 17 year old Marcus, who gets captured along with his friends, and tortured by the Department of Homeland Security simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. After days of questioning and isolation, they are set free, but Marcus returns home with his every movement being monitored by the DHS. Stripped of his dignity and privacy, Marcus vows to destroy the DHS. What he creates is a revolution that ultimately exposes the cruel methods of DHS to the FBI. Similarly, 1984 is the story of a man named Winston living in a society in which every action and conversation is monitored by a corrupt totalitarian government, under a dictator by the name of Big Brother. Winston, the protagonist, starts writing rebellious words in a journal. As the story unfolds, Winston meets members of “the brotherhood”, a secret society committed to revolution. He comes to find that in this society, no one can be trusted. Betrayed by people he considered his friends, he is captured and tortured by the government. Broken down as much as a man can be, Winston resorts to alcohol to cope. Through this traumatic “reprogramming”, he re-affirms his commitment to Big Brother, and forgets any rebellious thoughts. Throughout these novels, we come to find that some life experiences, and one's reaction to them, are what define a person, that the mind can be warped by brutality and torture, and to question of what would happen if the inherent protections of the American government were alleviated, and the government was allowed to overstep its boundaries.

“There are no failures- just experiences and your reactions to them.”-Tom Krause. This quote suggests that a reaction is simply a reaction, neither wrong nor right. Each person deserves to have their own reactions to experiences; the answers cannot always be laid out in front of them. This relates to Winston and Marcus, because they are forced to react quickly to incredibly intense situations. Experience teaches us lessons, even if they are difficult to learn. These moments or experiences came to define who the characters are, and shaped what they were to become. The experiences to which Marcus and Winston are subjected, fundamentally define Marcus and Winston for the rest of their lives. After being captured and tortured to provide information that he didn’t have, Marcus reacted with anger and the desire for revenge. The motivation towards rebellion is usually rooted in a personal experience that affects one enough to go against the norm, and fight for what they believe in. Without a life changing experience like being held prisoner, it is doubtful that Marcus would have felt so strongly about rebelling against the government. When Marcus gets captured and eventually released, he promises himself that he will expose the DHS for what he now perceives it to be, cruel and unethical. Sworn to secrecy on what he faced when in custody, he cannot share his story with anyone, including his friends and family creating a sense of isolation and alienation. These two books unfold as each protagonist’s experiences provide the foundation for their personal journey. “Freedom is something you have to take for yourself,” Marcus says in (Little Brother). Once Marcus realizes that his country is drastically changing at a fast pace, he comes to find that what he wants won’t come for free; he will have to fight for it. How far are most people willing to go for something they believe in? The answer varies for each individual. Marcus’ and Winston’s approaches to rebellion have differences and similarities. They are both triggered by huge moments in their lives. Winston’s life changes when he is passed a note that reads “I love you”. Ironically, the note is from a woman who up until that point, he despised. “Winston had disliked her from the very first moment of seeing her.”(//1984// page 10) At first, Winston is conflicted on how to react to this impetuous note. Winston eventually finds the courage to contact Julia, and comes to find that she, too, is part of the up and coming revolution. They start their journey as a couple, working toward the downfall of the corrupt dictatorship. Marcus and Winston are changed into revolutionists by unjust investigations and treatment, which then sends them on very specific courses of actions. Unexpected experiences become defining moments in the lives of Marcus and Winston. Not all defining moments cause rebellion or revenge. Some, lead to wonderful things such as helping people, or even changing the world, like Greg Mortenson managed to do. Greg Mortenson is the co-author of a New York Times best seller, //Three cups of Tea ,// and also the co-founder of the Central Asia Institute, a nonprofit organization. Greg also started the fundraiser ‘Pennies for Peace.’ When Greg’s sister Christa died in 1992, Greg decided to honor her memory by climbing the second highest mountain in the Karakoram Range in Pakistan, K2. Injured and exhausted, he sought refuge in a town called Korph, which welcomed him with open arms. After seeing a group of young children writing in the dirt with sticks, he made a promise to build this town a school. From this promise, came a humanitarian campaign, helping to educate remote areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Christa’s death was Greg’s defining moment, and led to his breakthrough. Without climbing K2 and receiving aid from Korph, Greg may not have had the passion to start such a foundation. Being held prisoner, passed a note, and a death in the family are Marcus, Winston and Greg’s catalysts. Without these defining moments, the events that followed may have ever happened.



Total control and torture can warp the human mind, as seen in //Little Brother// and //1984//. Going from being a normal kid to being a prisoner of the government, is likely to change your outlook on life. When Marcus is captured, he makes up his mind that he will do whatever it takes to stop the DHS from torturing more innocent people. His government ensured civilians that they were only doing what was best for the country; trying to catch terrorists. “Funny, for all the surveillance, Osama Bin Laden is still free - and we’re not. Guess who’s winning the “war on terror?”” (Marcus, Little Brother) Throughout the entire book, no known terrorists are caught - only innocent people being monitored like they are under a microscope. We see the impact such treatment can have through the transformative affect that Marcus’s Father experiences in his own interaction with the state. When Marcus expresses his frustration about the government monitoring the civilians much too closely, his father explains that it is their duty to protect their country with this amount of security. He explains how he would feel honored to be searched by the police, because anything he could do to help, he would do gladly. However, soon after, his father gets pulled over twice on the way home from work to be interrogated, and his point of view drastically changes. His father then turns incredibly angry, and is stuck in the mindset that the government is in the wrong. Being embarrassed by the police on his way home, fundamentally changed his perspective. Although he was set in his ways, convinced that nothing could change his mind, the unnecessary embarrassment that the police caused him, changed his mind to the point that his whole outlook on loyalty changed. The growing invasions of privacy and mistreatment by the government becomes increasingly difficult to ignore. Marcus, being as outspoken and confident as he is, may have become an activist, regardless of if he had been captured or not. Although, the level of hatred toward the government would not have been so vehement, and he would not have been as intent on bringing down the DHS had they not imprisoned and tortured him. Winston however, was not held prisoner before his ideas of rebellion entered his head. He had them much earlier than that, and they only got stronger with the help of Julia and O’Brian, a man that worked with Winston, and who he trusted from the very beginning. Imprisonment warped Marcus’ brain for the better in some ways; it made him determined and strong. At the end of the book, Winston, after being betrayed by O’Brian and tortured with his greatest fear, rats, he realizes that he truly loves big brother. His mind was warped to the point where he didn’t think thoughts against the party any longer. The effects on the two protagonists in these two novels are opposite effects. Marcus becomes a hardened revolutionary, and Winston becomes a broken and subservient slave to his environment. Methods like torture are used around the world today, to receive information or evidence from someone suspected of having it. How do these practives affect the people who are exposed to them? How would most react to the same experiences that Winston and Marcus experienced? A study in 2005 by Deborah Davies says differently. During a four month investigation of the American prisons systems, several prisons were exposed for brutalizing and torturing their prisoners. It’s hard to imagine that this brutality and abuse happens in this very country, but for people who have been through it, or witnessed someone going through it, it is very real. After her son was tortured to the point of death in prison, an Arizona womas and her husband sue the county. “His mother, Carol, cried as she told me: ‘If that’s not torture, I don’t know what is,’” says Deborah. It is difficult to imagine such horrible things going on so close to home, but it would be naïve to be under the impression that America’s disciplinary systems are perfect.

[]. To the left, is the link to the article: //Torture Inc. Americas Brutal Prisons.//

What would happen if the American government overstepped their boundaries? Thankfully, in the U.S. our government has the system of checks and balances that is designed to prevent such things from happening. This system ensures that no single branch of the government has more power than another. Though as we have seen in //1984// and //Little Brother,// disaster can strike, and the people can give the government more power than should be allowed. The amount of torture, control, and lack of privacy and civil rights that is expressed in these novels is frightening. As Americans, it’s hard to imagine such things. //1984// and //Little Brother// expressed similar messages relating to government overstepping the boundaries of power. Were these books written only for the entertainment of readers? Or were they not so subtle warnings about our future? It’s hard to imagine living in a world in which these novels were written. The authors had some very intense ideas about what the future would look like. //1984// had a much older take on things because it was written in 1949, however it was written by a man that had seen the rise of totalitarian governments in Germany and Russia with the treat of totalitarianism spreading throughout much of the world. //Little Brother//, being written much more recently, is much more realistic to our current time, but reminds us of the dangers of relinquishing too much power to our government in the interest of security. When terrorists attacked America on September 11, 2001, our country was in disarray. Just like after the bombing of the bridge in Little Brother, no one knew how to react. Everyone was a possible terrorist. America’s government didn’t go to the extremes of the government in Little Brother, but we took immediate precautions against any person that looked or acted suspicious. Government is there to protect citizens, but when every citizen becomes a suspect, who is there left to protect? It is scary to think that in the future, we could have even less privacy from the government then we have currently.

[] To the left, is a video of a scenario of too much government involvement and control. Watch from 1:06 to 2:14.

Experience is one of the most difficult, yet helpful teachers. We come to find that defining moments can be catalysts, driving future actions, like those of the protagonists in 1984 and //Little Brother.// Brutality such as torture can change a person drastically, for better or for worse. And things that seem very far-fetched and unrealistic could be more realistic than you think. The question what if, is brought to attention many times throughout these novels, which is most likely, no coincidence. Little Brother and 1984: entertaining novels, or warnings from the authors, up to individual interpretation?

Works cited: "Cory Doctorow Quotes." //Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join Book Clubs, Answer Trivia//. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. []. "Experience Quotes." //Find the Famous Quotes You Need, ThinkExist.com Quotations.// Web. 16 Feb. 2011. []. Chemicals, Toxic. "Torture Inc. Americas Brutal Prisons." //INFORMATION CLEARING HOUSE. NEWS, COMMENTARY & INSIGHT//. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. []. "3 Cups Cups Of Tea Resource Guide." Web. []

"Google Image Result for Http://mike.blackledge.com/GregMortenson.jpg."// Google//. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. [|http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:]//mike.blackledge.com/GregMortenson.jpg&imgrefurl=http://mike.blackledge.com/LTBC_2010_Schedule.html&usg=__yGHbyd3Y6Qkk1NY77Z5YeJu5G4M=&h=333&w=337&sz=38&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=80uSImusSKpDbM:&tbnh=152&tbnw=156&ei=c25kTYTaDIq8sAO9hZXPBA&prev=/images?q=greg+mortenson&hl=en&biw=1596&bih=676&gbv=2&tbs=isch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=502&vpy=289&dur=5189&hovh=223&hovw=226&tx=115&ty=138&oei=c25kTYTaDIq8sAO9hZXPBA&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0

"YouTube - America: Freedom to Fascism-9/11." //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.// Web. 17 Feb. 2011. [].