Friday, September 14, 2012
Little Brother-just some initial thoughts
Little Brother was the first story I read for this class, and I don't know if I was just so excited to get started or what, but it remains my favorite on our reading list. Perhaps it it the realistic attributes of the story; a teenager that has a personality and interests similar to one you can find today, terrorism threats, internet usage, teen angst and love, blind faith in governments, and a very nosy big brother. The realism made it very easy for me to become instantly vested in the story and caring about the characters and their situation. One of my favorite science fiction movies is "Eagle Eye" with Shia Lebeouf. It wasn't really that big of a movie, but it stays on my dvd rotation. In the movie, Shia's character gets framed as a terrorist by ARIA, and AI machine built by the government to watch for homeland security threats and ensure the constitutional rights of citizens. He has to go about proving himself innocent while being hunted as a terrorist. His methods were much more suitable for a Hollywood production, with lots of explosions and car chases, but I prefer those of the main character in "Little Brother". I loved his progress in using a simple consumer gadget and quietly taking down a powerful government agency. This gave me hope for the next nerdy generation of kids that love to program and tinker with electronics, giving them new functions and life. My hope is that these kids (and adults!) continue to go about their hobbies and jobs with a sense of responsibility for all. These people are going to be the future of intelligence and will determine how their technology gets used. The most heartbreaking thing that could happen would be for people to become like the father character that gives in to the fear and controlling attitudes just to gain a false sense of safety.
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I haven't seen "Eagle Eye," so I can't contribute to a juxtaposition. However, I can completely agree with your disapproval of Marcus' father. I must say that he consistently made my blood pressure rise! There were several times when I was reading about Marcus's dad siding with the extremist government and I just wanted to yell "Dammit, Drew!! How can you be so naive and narrow-minded?!?!" and close the book! But I relaxed and told myself, "Calm down, Tyler. It's just a book...so you have to keep reading. Do it for Darryl."
ReplyDeleteMarcus' mother was perfect. She was everything Marcus needed. She was strong, loving, comforting and believed in Marcus. In my opinion, she worked harder to keep her child safe than the DHS ever did.
While he's certainly frustrating, I think the father in the story represents a lot of "average" people. He supports the security measures until they affect his life. He only becomes outraged when the abuse of power has been used against his own family. You're exactly right about the false sense of safety, and it's an incredibly easy trap to fall in to.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about the connection to Eagle Eye. It's been a while since I've seen it, although I remember liking it. I'd have to watch it again in order to draw parallels, though the whole surveillance thing certainly is there.