Little Brother, a work of fiction by Cory Doctorow, can be found for free at Doctorow’s website.
Although this novel is a work of fiction, it represents some hard and fast truths about our society today. I can see this almost as a prediction for what could happen in our future. We are already experiencing smaller acts of terrorism. Schools are enacting more strict security measures such as security officers, metal detectors, ID badges and lockdowns. What is perhaps the most unique aspect of the novel was that is focused on the youth.
Many novels about terrorism and all that it entails focus on the older generations viewpoints, ideas and plans. However, this novel was from a direct student perspective. Keeping that in mind, there were some pretty cheesy moments along with hyper-geek speak. There are a lot of college students today who likely don’t understand what HTML really does or how to use it, let alone “The Onion Router,” which Marcus references to. I like the fact that Doctorow included such detailed information about the hacking techniques, coding sessions and internet lingo.
Perhaps what would surprise people is that someone is working on creating ParanoidLinux. The following is taken directly from Cory Doctorow’s Blog:
“Iain sends word of the ParanoidLinux project, inspired by the Linux distro used by the freedom fighters in my novel, Little Brother:
Paranoid Linux is an operating system that assumes that its operator is under assault from the government (it was intended for use by Chinese and Syrian dissidents), and it does everything it can to keep your communications and documents a secret. It even throws up a bunch of "chaff" communications that are supposed to disguise the fact that you're doing anything covert. So while you're receiving a political message one character at a time, ParanoidLinux is pretending to surf the Web and fill in questionnaires and flirt in chat-rooms. Meanwhile, one in every five hundred characters you receive is your real message, a needle buried in a huge haystack. ~Cory Doctorow (Little Brother, 2008)
When those words were written, ParanoidLinux was just a fiction. It is our goal to make this a reality. The project officially started on May 14th, and has been growing ever since. We welcome your ideas, contributions, designs, or code. You can find us on freenode's irc server in the #paranoidlinux channel. Hope to see you there!”
When it comes right down to it, the plot here is entirely plausible. Think about what we have seen our government hide in the past. Atrocious acts of war? Yes. Mass murders/ disappearances without orders? Yes. Torturing prisoners of war? Yes. All of these things have happened and are likely to do so again.
What does that say about our country? Our government? We have a lot to answer for, that’s for sure. However, what does that particular notion say about we, the people? For after all, as Marcus so proudly quotes:
“Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”
Besides a very annoying run-on sentence, what does that quote mean? We, the people, are allowed—supposed to, really—take back our government and mold it into something we feel would work better, should we take issue with it. How many people protest the government every day and get nowhere? How many individuals has the government bought off from spewing their truths to the media? The sad part is, that we will likely never know.
Revolution can happen with one person. That is definitely something to keep in mind.
I marked a few passages from the novel that I’d like to discuss in particular.
“I was no better than a terrorist” (141).
Being a revolutionist is nothing to scoff at. While Marcus couldn’t have anticipated the extent to which others would follow his lead, he surely had a movement behind the name M1k3y that is akin to a terrorist cell. They sought to provide confusion, slow things down, inconvenience people and on occasion, prod the country with a healthy dose of fear. In trying to make others see what terrorists were really doing, they did become like terrorists themselves, no matter how drastically different their original purpose was.
“Abuses of Authority—it’s the latest crazy on San Francisco’s notorious Xnet, and its captures the world’s attention. Called A-oh-A, the movement is composed of ‘Little Brothers’ who watch back against the Department of Homeland Security’s antiterrorism measures, documenting the failures and excesses” (228).
Does this remind you of anything? Wikileaks perhaps? Just last week, the New York Times had an article on a Swiss banker releasing mass amounts of information regarding high-up officials and individuals in many countries that have committed tax fraud. We already have these types of organizations in our society. How many of you knew that? How many of you cared?
“We used to have illegal math in this country” (267).
Take a moment to think about all of those crazy laws that our country still has on the books. You know the ones I’m talking about—no walking ducks without pants? You can’t tie your giraffe to a telephone pole? Those laws. Now think about what Marcus is referring to. Cryptology was seen as hazardous to the state of the nation. How true was this? How much did it really affect the government? Who knows. What is shows, is that the government isn’t infallible and they don’t really want that type of knowledge known. Why, you may ask? Because then we, the people, may go back and actually read our constitution and its bill of rights. We may actually learn that the government is supposed to listen to us. Who’da thunk?
“No writer creates from scratch—we all engage in what Isaac Newton called “standing on the shoulders of giants.” We borrow, plunder and remix the art and culture created by those around us and by our literary forebears” (375).
Alright, so that isn’t from Doctorow, but it is still important. Think about it. We write so many research papers, using the words of others, that we just get used to borrowing information. However, what happens when an aspiring author sits down to write something, even a blog? They inevitably say something along the lines of something that someone else once said. No matter how original we try to be, we are always picking and choosing from those who came before us. Our technology is building on its predecessors. There is no shame in that, unless we ignore the reasoning and importance of what came before. If we are still using “it” today, or some form of “it,” then it was obviously important enough for someone else to think about.
Think about it.
Now to the issue of multi-modal literacies from the novel. Doctorow did an astounding job of showing just how many forms of technology that assault students every day. Let’s list some from the book, shall we?
· Cell Phones
· Home Computers
· Schoolbooks
· Arphid readers/cloners
· Gait Recognition Software
· Facial Recognition Software
· Fastrak/ Fastpass
· Xbox
· ParanoidLinux
· Xnet
· Blogs
· Web servers
· IM/ Chat programs
· Cryptography
· Hacking
· TV
· Radio
· Wiretapping
· Service Providers
· The Onion Router
· Clockwork Plunder
· LARP’ing
· RPG’ing
And those are just the ones that stuck with me. All of these things are distracting students, pulling their attention away from class. How can teachers get around this? Banning these technologies outright has only made students find better ways to hide their activities. Why not incorporate these technologies into the classroom?
I, for one, am a big fan of online forums for literature. Students can openly share opinions without the fear of face-face confrontation that some individuals harbor. We all know that public speaking is nerve-wracking for a lot of people, so why not help the issue and get students talking comfortably in a place that is “safe.” Aside from the obvious partial-anonymity of using forums, students can also take the time for formulate better responses rather than having to give them spur-of-the-moment. I’m not saying that students shouldn’t think on their feet, but giving them the opportunity to think more in-depth about a topic can have a profound impact on discussion.
These types of technologies can be used as projects, assisting classroom discussion or giving students extra points. In the meantime, you are providing an outlet for the need to use technology and be “connected.”
There are many teachers who view things like Facebook as the worst creation of the internet. However, let’s look at some of the things that Facebook can provide for students.
· A way to connect with others outside of their own culture, class, ethnicity, etc.
· Individuals can connect with teachers, other classmates and have a network of individuals who know what the homework is and possibly provide assistance if needed
· There are groups for writing, reading and other shared-passion ventures where students can encourage others to explore their creativity
· Teachers themselves can join groups dedicated to their discipline and share information, vent about stressful days and learn new techniques from veteran teachers.
Why should schools force students out of their “network” for the day, if they can find so much benefit in using it?
Granted, there are definitely some situations where technology is not warranted or excessive, but it can provide so many resources for classrooms that teachers should be more technologically savvy and utilize the world at their fingertips.
On a nearly unrelated note to Little Brother, I must talk about a movie I just discovered. The movie is called “The Wild Hunt.”
This movie was directed by Alexandre Franchi. It was the Best Canadian First Feature Film at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. I just happened across it while browsing for movies.
This movie starts off in a LARP setting, where students are re-enacting medieval times with factions of barbarians, knights, elves, and shamans. Of course, the movie takes a “Shakespearian Twist” and everything falls to pieces.
Taken directly from the Wildhuntfilm.com:
“Capturing the culture of costume play and the potentially dangerous intersection of real and made-up worlds, The Wild Hunt is a timely and potent comment on the consuming nature of adopting another identity, even within a game, and the modern yearning for ritual.”
Now look at this in the context of Little Brother. While they certainly didn’t adopt their characters to the point of slaughtering their opponents, they did create a scene of chaos and panic at the Civic Center. Perhaps their idea of falling to the ground, writhing in fictional pain was just as bad as taking a barbaric role too seriously. Many got trampled and hauled off to jail from their actions. It really isn’t that far of a stretch from one to the other.
Either way, I highly recommend watching The Wild Hunt, although it may get a bit too gruesome for the weak-hearted.
Would I use this book with my own classroom? Yes and no.
I love the premise of this book and students today would be able to relate to a lot of the story-line. However, there are some situations in the book that some school districts would have a hard time accepting. The sex scene, in particular, comes to mind. While it wasn’t very graphic or overly done, it could be seen as encouraging teen sex. Do other books high school students read offer such scenes? Yes. However, since this book is more modern, it may be a more influential scene than we think.
That aside, I think that there are many concepts and ideas that this book brings to light for students. Marcus, while being a sneaky teen surfing the net during class, still pays attention to his schoolwork. The fact that he is bolstered by the constitution and engages in a heated discussion is a good thing. We want our students to explore their opinions. On the other hand, I can see some teachers thinking that they will only encourage vigilantism in their students. Marcus does so many things outside of the box that are considered illegal or immoral.
This is a novel, much like Huckleberry Finn, where teachers just need to have a good introduction. There are many novels where knowing the background context alleviates a lot of immaturity, misunderstanding and ignorance about the events that are written. If we work hard to provide students with enough information which they can use to understand what is happening, their comprehension or further analysis of the material can be much more purposeful.
Will it be as easy as I’m making it out to be?
No, but it will most certainly be interesting.
This book can also be used to address technology in our everyday lives. How does it affect us? How much is too much? It is important for students to think about how much time technology really takes from their lives. It can be eye-opening to realize that you spend at least two hours on the computer every day yet can’t find the time to visit family.
If anyone has not checked out Cory Doctorow’s Blog, I highly recommend it!
In this blog, author Cory Doctorow seems to post whatever catches his fancy. That in mind, he links to other similar stories and resources that are worth looking into.
I must say, I very much enjoyed browsing through Alex Castro’s “animal portraits.”
Read it! That is my final answer.
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