Little Brother Part Deux

This Doctorow novel brings up several frightening things. One being the ability of the government to have constant surveillance upon the people. This might seem like something that is in the very far future, but it's not. It's capable of happening time now. With the Patriot Act and increases in technology the government's ability to monitor us is at an all time high. This novel should awake the public to this possibility, but it won't. The public is completely oblivious to the goings on of the government and their ability to watch and track every move. A day where we live in a USA like Marcus lived in is not far off. We need to fight back just like the characters did in this book. They fought for what's right and what is good. If we're not careful, what happened in this novel will happen to us. This type of government is very scary, but at the same time it is real. Also, it is scary to think that there are already types of government out there that are like this. Governments exist that will capture and torture their citizens without being provoked. This makes me sad for the rest of the world.

Little Brother...

This book by Cory Doctorow is a book that encompasses many emotions. It captures the love, fear, and courage just to name a few. It is a tale of four best friends who skip school one day to play the newest level in an online video game. Whilst skipping school, a tragic terrorist event occurs, and the four friends are arrested without reason. After three harrowing days, answering questions that they don't have the answers for, three of the four are released (Marcus, Jolu, and Vanessa). Darryl, however, remains in custody. For a while, Marcus remains mum on why he was arrested, and doesn't tell anybody. But, as time wanes, Marcus decides he has to fight back. Jolu and Vanessa desert Marcus for fear of retribution from the DHS, and his dad starts fighting with Marcus incessantly. But, Marcus stands strong in his attempt to get Darryl rescued. Using his top notch computer skills, Darryl sets up a network to communicate with other anti-DHS teens, and they begin amassing information about DHS. Using the network, they are able to foil DHS's plans and wreak all sorts of havoc upon them. Finally, Marcus gives all his information to a friend who is a reporter. This leads to Marcus getting captured, imprisoned, and subsequently waterboarded as a result of the information. However, the governor of California decrees that Marcus be rescued. Marcus is rescued, along with Darryl, and the two are reunited as best friends again. Marcus' girlfriend is also released from her imprisonment, and life goes back to normal for everyone involved.

Little Brother...

We have recently started reading the novel Little Brother for English class. It is so far interesting, and one that raises a lot of questions. After Marcus is released from the police, he finds that San Fransisco has been put under a type of police state. What if the government put us under martial law, and instead of letting go of that power when the danger was over, they kept the martial law state. Does the government have the power to do this? Yes, and there is nothing we could really do to stop them. The government has far too much power, in my opinion. Then again, I'm about as laissez-fairre as you can get. I want minimum government interference. But, reading this novel reminds me of our government. Are Obama and company wielding too much power? That is up for debate, he seems to be able to do whatever he wants, while not getting any blame for anything. I mean, he won a Nobel Peace Prize for nothing. If we're not careful, we might wake up one day to see Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville, or Memphis under a martial law state. That, my friends, is one scary thought, and one I'm not looking forward.

Fall break....

So, fall break just finished and wow what a great time it was. It was so nice to be able to go back home to Alabama and feel like I lived in my house again. I got to sleep in my bed many nights and enjoy my sisters, my dog, and my parents. I got to see old friends and visit old teachers. I went back to my old stomping grounds. It was so great to be able to be home. But, at the same time, it is nice to be back in Knoxville. I've grown close with my friends over the past 2 months, and it's getting to the point where I view them as my closest friends now. It's something I don't particularly like or care for, but it's not something I can control. It's just how things work. I will always love my friends from high school, but when you're not seeing them as often, it's hard to maintain that connection you had. Of course, there are a few who are still considered my brothers and I'll never lose that connection. Aside from those few, it's hard to talk and hang out with anyone from Alabama. Part of the disadvantages to moving away from college, I guess.

My contextual analysis paper...

So, we have to write a contextual analysis, and I really have no clue which direction to go. The options are endless. Should I continue on with the Obama/Joker poster? I just don't know. I'm leaning toward going in another direction. I am sort of sick of that picture. It's weak and is easily dissected. I need something with a little more substance, so to speak. So, if you have any suggestions what I can do my paper on, feel free to post them here. All suggestions are welcome! Thanks.

Children of Men...

Wow! Where do I start with this movie? This movie is amazing. Plain and simple. I don't even know where to start. The twists and turns of this movie were brilliant. This movie was like a cross between a Tom Clancy novel and the novel "1984". Clive Owen was amazing along with Julianne Moore. Set in the future, the human race has for some unknown reason, become infertile. The movie chronicles Moore's and Owen's quest to get the first pregnant women in a few decades to the human genome project and away from the totalitarian government of Britain. The movie has so many twists and turns. It is gut wrenching to hopeful. It's just an amazing movie.

The Road...

This is a movie poster from an upcoming movie titled The Road. If you think this poster looks bleak, well that will be putting it nicely. This movie comes from a novel by Cormac McCarthy. McCarthy is a great author who has written many books. He hails from Knoxville, but in my opinion, this is his best book. The Road is the most hopeless book I have ever read, and that is why I love it. Real life isn't all happy and great. It often times sucks, and life in this book is much worse than anything we've ever dealt with. The books starts out in a post nuclear holocaust with a boy and his dad. The boy and his dad are trying to make their way down from the northern U.S. to the coastline around the Gulf of Mexico. This book chronicles their journey. While the book is a dark, hopeless look at what life will be like if there was nuclear war, there still is a glimmer of hope. The love that the father and boy share is heartwarming and this is what carries both of them through the trials of their trek. I encourage this fantastic book to anyone.