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Americans and the Constitution

"Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves" (Abraham Lincoln). In //1984//, Winston lives in a world where a person has no freedoms and the government is constantly watching making sure nothing and nobody is out of place. They accomplish this task by placing telescreens in every room, having the Thought Police analyze the facial expressions of everybody, and making life so mechanical for normal people that it is not necessary for them to think. In //Little Brother//, the motivation behind Marcus' plan to take down the Department of Homeland Security is revenge for taking his friend Darryl. After inventing the X-Net, Marcus converts numerous amounts of teenagers to help him fight against the DHS. They achieve this by using a paranoid computer system call ParanoidXbox which Marcus had passed out to all of his friends. When reading //1984// by George Orwell and //Little Brother// by Cory Doctorow, one main lesson taught is that freedom depends on the people's ability to maintain and preserve rights due to the fact that freedom rests in the hands of its citizens, not the government.

When the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution, they wrote it with a purpose, so being American citizens, people need to value the Constitution and not just America. Computers, cell phones, iPods, and many more electronics are used every day by millions of people, but are they bugged? “In other words, it was perfectly situated to capture all the keystrokes I made while I typed on my machine. It was a bug” (Doctorow 84). After being held by the Department of Homeland Security, Marcus was considered a suspect giving the DHS a reason to plant the bug in his laptop. As it says in the Bill of Rights, all American citizens have a right to their privacy which Marcus is fully aware of. This leads to the forming of the X-net. Americans have basic rights that protect them known as amendments. The Constitution prevents the government from torturing people to get what they want. “At this moment there was a devastating explosion, or what seemed like an explosion, though it was not certain whether there was any noise”(Orwell 257). The devastating explosion that Winston is experiencing is the effects of an electrical shock running through his body.O'Brien gave Winston an electrical shock just for getting the answer the question, who is Oceania at war with? As stated in the [|Bill of Rights], the eighth amendment is prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. In America police officers need a warrant to search through a person’s belongings. “The best part: Dad got home that night late. Very late. Three hours late. Why? Because he’d been pulled over, searched, questioned. Then it happened again. Twice. Twice!”(Doctorow 132). Marcus' dad arrived home three hours late because for no reason, he was pulled over twice and searched. Most people would be furious that they got home late because they were suspected of terrorism. Instead of taking all the freedoms of America for granted, people need to realize the value in their rights.

Based on the idea that it is up to the citizens to maintain and preserve their rights comes the fact that liberty must triumph or human rights will fail. The definition of liberty is freedom from control; however, in Winston’s society that isn’t an option. “On each landing, opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about wherever you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran” (Orwell, 1-2). This quote is telling the reader that in Winston’s society, no matter where they are or what they do, the government is always watching. If the [|government is constantly watching] then people would feel paranoid all the time because a policeman could come knocking on the door any minute. People have the right to be paranoid whether it is because they are being watched or because they have something to hide. Being free from government control means people have private stuff that nobody needs to know about. “’I’ve got a right to my privacy,’ I said. ‘And I want to speak to an attorney’” (Doctorow 49). Marcus is protecting his rights by not giving into the severe hair cut lady. Unfortunately when Marcus tries to defend his rights, he gets tortured until he gives into demands. The DHS can be considered the bully and Marcus the target in this particular situation. Not only do people have something private to hide, but in //1984//, the people had their thoughts to hide too. With the Thought Police everywhere, the people in //1984// have to watch their facial expressions. “He had set his features into the expression of quiet optimism which it was advisable to wear when facing the telescreen” (Orwell 5). Winston’s society is deprived of liberty so much that it isn’t advisable to have a thinking face on when facing the telescreen. Even if American’s right to freedom of speech was taken away, people would be furious, but imagine the outrage it would make if even thinking the wrong thing was a crime. Marcus and Winston's basic human rights such as rights to privacy, right to a fair trial, and freedom of speech failed when their liberty fell through.

In the event of an emergency, the question is, where do the citizens draw the line when it comes to limiting their freedoms? Americans need to protect their rights and stop giving more and more power to the government. "In this system, several branches of government are created and power is shared between them. At the same time, the powers of one branch can be challenged by another branch" ([|U.S. Constitution Online]). The founding fathers created the checks and balances system so that they didn't have to deal with a monarchy again. Orwell and Doctorow are trying to warn their readers that they need to preserve the checks and balances system or else the government will take complete control over everyone. The system also prevents a dictatorship which controls its people by fear. The Party in //1984// doesn’t like any opposition to their power, even if it is just intelligence. “One of these days, thought Winston with sudden deep conviction, Syme will be vaporized. He is too intelligent. He sees too clearly and speaks too plainly. The Party does not like such people. One day he will disappear. It is written in his face” (Orwell 53). The Party killing off people in 1984 can be compared to [|Joseph Stalin]eliminating any threat to him during WWII. When people are in a position of power, they want to keep that power all for themselves. Even when there is a terrorist attack, people cannot let fear make them give into making the government more powerful than it already is. Technology can be a great luxury; however, the public should not get too attached to it. “Almost anywhere and anytime, you can look around you and see someone on a cell phone. Cell phones ring everywhere” ([|Associated Content]). In 2011, anybody who doesn’t have a cell phone seems like an outcast just because they are everywhere, literally. As handy as a cell phone is, it can also be used against you. Cell phones can be easily tracked, leading any person who takes the time to look, right to the cell phones owner. Technology is fun, but can be used against anybody for the wrong reasons. Although some people think that everything is for the safety of the American people, others notice that the Constitution is being taken apart, piece by piece.

George Orwell and Cory Doctorow taught their readers that they have to maintain and preserve their rights due to the fact that freedom rests in their hands, not the governments. In //1984//, the people have no rights leaving the freedom in the governments hands.This means that the government, or "Party," controls everything making everyday life so simple that people don't even have to think. In //Little Brother//, Marcus is fighting to keep those rights with the people and not giving the government what they want. Instead of giving up his freedoms and being tortured, a teenager decides that it is up to him to save the people of San Fransisco. These books are warning their readers that it is up to them to protect the rights of Americans so that the government doesn't take all the power leaving the people with nothing.

Works Cited:

"Are Cell Phones Taking Over the World." Associated Content from Yahoo! - Associatedcontent.com. Yahoo! Inc. Yahoo! News Network., 15 Apr. 2007. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. [].

"Constitutional Topic: Checks and Balances - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net." Index Page - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net. Steve Mount, 24 Jan. 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. [].

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

"Joseph Stalin Killer File." Moreorless - Heroes and Killers of the 20th Century. Moreorless, 23 May 2001. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. [].

Lincoln, Abraham. "Freedom Quotes, Liberty Sayings." The Quote Garden - Quotes, Sayings, Quotations, Verses. The Quote Garden, 9 Sept. 2010. Web. 7 Feb. 2011. [].

Orwell, George. //1984//. New York: Signet Classic, 1950. Print.

YouTube - US Government Is Watching You on Facebook, Myspace and Twitter ! Perf. Nicole Cardell. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. YouTube. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. [].