Little+Brother

**//Little Brother//** Facilitator: Mr. Cameron Lane Room Assignment: Student Enrollment:

__Themes from the Reading__
 * 1) Freedom/Privacy vs. Security
 * 2) Dissent vs. Patriotism
 * 3) The Limits on Government Authority
 * 4) Open Access/Government Transparency
 * 5) Legal rights of citizens (due process, habeas corpus, etc.)

__Mr. Lane's Possible Discussion Questions__
 * 1) Discuss the tradeoffs of freedom vs. security. Are there somethings you are willing to sacrifice in the name of security? What are the limits of government authority? Think about the new total body scanners at the airport, or the thought of the government listening in on your conversations. Are these acceptable and valid uses of government authority? What privacy will we give up to be "safe?" What privacy will we give up to use technology like facebook, IM, twitter, etc?
 * 2) Are there restrictions on what constitutes appropriate demonstration of your disagreement with a particular decision the government has made? Did Marcus (a.k.a W1nst0n) and his friends go too far? Why or why not? What if the results had been different?
 * 3) This past spring Osama Bin Laden, the purported mastermind of the September 11th terrorist attacks, was killed in a daring raid on his compound in Pakistan. Some have speculated that information gleaned from harsh interrogations of Al-Qaida confederates may have supplied information that eventually led to bin Laden. If this is true, did the ends justify the means? That is, are there limits to what government can do to foreign nationals in the name of acquiring desirable intelligence? What about to their own citizens?
 * 4) Is the government always on your side? How can you tell? Who holds the government accountable? What should be the government's "rule of thumb" when making difficult decisions about national security?
 * 5) Doctorow makes some interesting points about technology and its use by citizens, governments, corporations and dissidents. Discuss how each of these actors utilizes technology in //Little Brother// and the implications of their decisions.

Discussion Questions from [|MacMillan Readers Guide]
 * 1) How does Marcus’s comment that he’s “one of the most surveyed people in the world” set the tone for the novel? Is the statement true? Compare the school Marcus describes in the opening chapters to your own in terms of surveillance, discipline, and student-administrator relationships.
 * 2) In what year or decade do you think Little Brother takes place? Cite passages from the novel to support your answer. Do you think the story could happen today? Why or why not?
 * 3) Is Marcus a good kid or a bad kid? Can he be defined by either of those terms? How might Marcus describe his code of ethics regarding being “surveyed” and his right to circumvent the efforts of the surveyors? How might you define the “moral dilemma” of reprogramming RFIDs, as explained in the novel?
 * 4) Why do Darryl and Marcus leave school in Chapter 2 and what are the consequences? Have your seemingly harmless actions ever gotten others in trouble? How did you feel? What actions did you take as a result?
 * 5) What is Harajuku Fun Madness? Why does Marcus trust HFM organizers, and follow their clues to real-world encounters with “enemy teams,” while he is highly suspicious of government operatives attempting to similarly control him?
 * 6) Describe Marcus’s capture and imprisonment. What happens to Darryl? What conclusions does Marcus reach about his government and his community as a result of his imprisonment?
 * 7) What does Marcus’s refusal to give passwords to and answer questions from government interrogators reveal about his character? How are passwords a recurring motif in the novel?
 * 8) How does the author use Marcus’s mother and father to represent different points of view about government oversight of individuals? Which parent best represents your perspective?
 * 9) List some of the technologies Marcus explains in the novel. How much of this information did you already know? How are the explanations in the novel similar to, or different from, your previous encounters with this information? Do you view the internet differently after learning this information?
 * 10) How does Marcus feel about “razorblade” corporations? Are all razorblade corporations bad? What are some of the recognizable technology companies Marcus mentions in the novel and what are his opinions of them?
 * 11) How does Marcus use the Xbox Universal and the XNet to undermine government surveillance? How does he use the internet to organize real-world protests? Is he surprised by the results of his actions? What are the most surprising similarities differences between an ARG crowd and a crowd in a real public space?
 * 12) What is Bayesian probability and how does it relate to Marcus and Jolu’s strategies for safely encrypting XNet communiqués? How does Pigspleen fit into this plan? Why does this company appeal to Marcus?
 * 13) What historical events inspire Marcus to form a protest community? Is protest the only way to determine the acceptable level of sacrificed personal freedom for the good of the nation? Cite the novel or real,
 * 14) Describe Marcus’s key system for creating an ever-enlarging circle of trusted community members. Is this is a good system? What are its flaws or risks?
 * 15) Why do Van and Jolu break away from Marcus? If you had been part of Marcus’s group, would you have stuck with him? Why or why not?
 * 16) Does the media overemphasize identity theft and internet predators while underplaying the danger of being “watched” by legal government and corporate agencies through credit card use, transportation monitoring, etc.? How has this imbalance occurred and is surveillance the greater danger?
 * 17) “Don’t Trust Anyone Over 25” becomes an XNet motto and then a merchandized slogan. How does today’s internet quicken public adoption of new ideas? Is this a good thing, a dangerous thing, or both?
 * 18) How does Marcus’s physical relationship with Ange affect his actions and attitudes? Is the absence of physical contact an important consideration when studying the internet? Do people treat others the same way in internet conversations as they do face-to-face? If not, what are the differences?
 * 19) Who ultimately betrays Marcus, and how and why? Whom does Marcus ultimately trust to save himself and his friends? Is this a surprising choice? What actions do Marcus and his confidantes take to help him regain a certain type of freedom? How does Marcus feel about going down this path?
 * 20) Is widely disseminated information always less lethal than a carefully kept secret (e.g., a how-to on weapons building or an encryption method)? Is this a great paradox of the information age?
 * 21) Marcus and his friends all seem to be quite intelligent and share a passion for figuring out how things work. Do these qualities make them safer than other characters in the world of Little Brother? Is smarter safer in general?
 * 22) Are government attempts to “protect” citizens through surveillance ridiculous to anyone with an understanding of security technology? Would America be safer if all of its citizens learned more about the computers upon which they rely? How else could/should America be made safe? By whom? From whom?
 * 23) What is Marcus’s job at the end of the novel? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages, satisfactions and frustrations of this job? Is it important to have people like Marcus on the internet? Why or why not?
 * 24) How do the afterwords affect your reading of Little Brother? Has the experience of reading this book changed your understanding of—or your standards for—security, privacy, and freedom? If so, how?

__Guided Reading Questions / Questions for Understanding__ The following questions were borrowed from oihsreads.wikispaces.com, which is a reading guide recommended by Mr. Doctorow on his website. Feel free to u se them as you read. However, this is certainly not an exhaustive list of questions or important points about the book. Try to compose some important questions of your own! (As a tangentially related aside, and only If you're interested, you can legally download copies of all of Mr. Doctorow's books from his website for free!)


 * 1) Chapter 1
 * 2) How did Marcus learn so much about technology?
 * 3) Who really stole the standardized tests?
 * 4) Chapter 2
 * 5) How did the people who bombed the bridge get organized, if the country is secure?
 * 6) Chapter 3
 * 7) Why did the cops arrest Marcus and his friends?
 * 8) Chapter 4
 * 9) Is the United States a democratic country? If yes, why did the DHS do this bad thing to Marcus?
 * 10) Chapter 5
 * 11) Is Marcus a Hero or a Criminal?
 * 12) Chapter 6
 * 13) What is the most important problem in Marcus life?
 * 14) What started the fight with DHS and the terrorist in the first place?
 * 15) Chapter 7
 * 16) Chapter 8
 * 17) Chapter 9
 * 18) Why does Marcus change people's Fast Track information?
 * 19) Chapter 10
 * 20) __ __In this chapter is Marcus a hero or a criminal? Why?__  __
 * 21) Chapter 11
 * 22) //What happens if someone at the party uses someone else's key?//
 * 23) //What is everyone doing with marcus at the Sutro Baths?//
 * 24) Chapter 12
 * 25) Chapter 13
 * 26) Why does Marcus not like to talk about the Bill of Rights in class?
 * 27) Chapter 14
 * 28) Chapter 15
 * 29) Chapter 16
 * 30) Chapter 17
 * 31) What does Marcus think will happened to him after the story is published?
 * 32) Chapter 18
 * 33) What if the VAMPMOB failed, how would Marcus and Ange escape?
 * 34) Why does Masha want to help Marcus?
 * 35) Chapter 19
 * 36) How can the picture be used to help Darryl?
 * 37) Chapter 20
 * 38) What will happen to the people that tortured Marcus and the other prisoners?
 * 39) Why did they play Vampmob? How can it help Marcus escape the DHS?
 * 40) Chapter 21
 * 41) Epilogue

**Other Links:** http://yhsjuniorcommunitybookdiscussion.wikispaces.com/Little+Brother  http://yhsjuniorcommunitybookdiscussion.wikispaces.com/Little+Brother+2  http://writepostread.wikispaces.com/Little+Brother  [|http://us.macmillan.com/static/**little**_**brother**_readers_**guide**.pdf] 