Friday, January 27, 2012

Little Brother Fishbowl/Liveblog - Chapters 12-17 Per. 2

172 comments:

  1. @Class:
    When do you think the DHS will come back and arrest Marcus?

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  2. @Class~ What do you think of Masha? Do you think she is telling the truth?? And if she is telling the truth about Marcus, do you think she will help Ange in the same way?

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  3. Did you agree with Marcus's opinions in the discussion with the new teacher?

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  4. @Class What do you think about the press conference that Marcus and Ange held? Do you think the reporters were legitimate?

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    1. What kind of media is legitimate? Like what we saw in class yesterday...you need to have a very discerning eye to decide what you read is true or somewhat manipulative. I'm pretty sure a lot of the reporters that covered his press conference were out for blood.

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    2. I mean legitimate as in not DHS agents. I know a lot of reporters aren't very reputable, but I'm talking about reporters vs. DHS agents.

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  5. In this section, Ange and Marcus had their first fight because Marcus was so afraid of being exposed. How do you think this compares to Winston in 1984?

    I think that it's a good sign that Marcus is paranoid, because he would probably be doomed if he wasn't. Winston grew complacent, I think, and stopped being afraid, and got caught because of it.

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  6. @Class

    Do you think the suspension of Marcus was justified with all the new rules?

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    1. No, not under any circumstances. His suspension was in total disregard for the First Amendment. He was speaking his mind, and even though he was doing so loudly, he was well spoken and his arguments were well thought out.

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    2. @Willie
      I don't really think that it was justified at all. It seems to have been considering all of the new rules, but it was also unjust because it had finally given the principal a reason to be able to get rid of Marcus.

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  7. @class- What do you think about the reporter? I know that the inner circle already talked about her, but I'd like to elaborate more. I feel like she won't turn him in, but when she told him that he no longer owns anything he's told her and he can't stop her from saying stuff, I felt like she was a bit suspicious. I would NOT want to hand over all of my secrets like that and not have any hand in what she tells the media.

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    1. Yes, but he went to her. She has every right to disclose that she is in charge and it is her story. She even said at the beginning of the conversation that night, that whatever was said would be considered confidential, but if she chose to write the story, it would become hers.

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    2. I think that Barbra could or could not be one to trust. I think that she might be the one that is like O'Brien in 1984. I also think that it was kinda weird that she was saying that she would now own the story and not him. It will probably just get him into more trouble.

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  8. @Ellen:
    I think that there were probably real reporters there, but I'm almost positive that the DHS was there.

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  9. @ Katie
    I think it's only a matter of time. In 1984, Winston accepted that he would be killed eventually, and I don't think it's much different in this situation.

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  10. @Emma- I definitely agree. I think now that he's realized the extent of what he's doing, and he's realized his fear, it might even make him stronger in his decisions and thoughts.

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  11. @Elli- I don't really like Masha. She's all for getting Marcus out, but I think that's only because he IS somebody- M1k3y. Her reaction was less than enthusiastic when Marcus told her Ange was coming too.

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  12. @Emma

    I think Marcus and Ange are closer than Winston and Julia because they are fighting.

    Marcus being paranoid is exactly what has saved him. The encryption, the Xnet, everything is much more careful than Winston was.

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    1. Willie and Emma--Do you think Ange and Marcus's relationship is more mature that Winston and Julia's?...eventhough they are teenagers?

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    2. They are technologic and intelligent. They also know more about their government. They are teenagers but know what's going on more than Julia and Winston, meaning their relationship will be successful.

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  13. @Elli
    I'm not sure how I feel about Masha. I think that she might be telling the truth, but there wasn't too much proof. For all we know, it's the DHS and they got the information from one of the people they arrested. If she is telling the truth, I think she'll put Marcus before Ange because she does not really know about Ange and Marcus is the main person in the Xnet who is causing all of the problems.

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  14. @Casey:
    Do you think that maybe Marcus will last longer? He is so careful, where Winston got really careless. What do you think the DHS will do to him when he goes back to jail?

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  15. @Class
    What do you think of the video Masha sent Marcus? Did you see any similarities to 1984 and Big Brother? The way that Kurt Rooney had control over the DHS workers really struck me as oppressive.

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  16. @Ellen- I think that most of the reporters were legitimate. I mean, I'm sure there were some that were there for the wrong reason, but I feel like a lot of them were legitimate. Although, when the inner circle was talking about reporters and how they twist the story, it made me kind of scared. I realize that I DO watch the news and that I base a lot of my decisions off of what I see. What if their view point is tainted? Therefore, my viewpoint is tainted and I think that's scary. I'd much rather have both sides of the story and ALL of the story, and I'm not sure we always get that. I'm not sure if it's even possible.

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    1. I agree. I get my news from pretty much three places: NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN, and various people on YouTube. It's super easy for all of the above to twist stories, taint stories, and pretty much make stuff up. That's scary.

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  17. @ inner circle
    The teacher is the O'Brien in this situation. She is trying to change Marcus's perspective about what life should be, and replace it with an alternate reality for him, which may have caused his scene.

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    1. I don't think she is the O'Brien because she's not encouraging Marcus to join the resistance. She's trying to get him to be against it.

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  18. @Ellen
    At first I didn't trust the reporters and I thought that they were going to come up with some way to figure out who Mikey was, but I think that they were actually just reporters. But I don't think Marcus was very smart about how he held the conference; I think he got caught up in all the attention and didn't think about how the reporters would spin his words.

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    1. I agree. I think he is becoming obsessed with getting his cause (Xnet) out and into the media.

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  19. @Willie- That's a really good point. I felt like Winston and Julia's relationship was really fake, like they were both in it to defy the government. But Marcus and Ange aren't like that. Although they are defying the government together, I don't think they are together to defy the government.

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  20. @Hailey Looking at it from a journalistic point of view, she is right. By giving her his story, Marcus has lost ownership of it. And Barbara is legally bound to let him know that. She has to tell him that any information that is told to her as a reporter is automatically owned by her. No matter if she was sketchy or not, being a reporter, by law, makes her statement true. So I don't think that could qualify her as illegitimate/suspicious, but I agree that she might be.

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    1. I understand that. I did not mean she was suspicious because of THAT specifically, because I realize that. I just feel like she is suspicious in other ways, and I think the way she presented that fact to Marcus (waaay late and after he had already told her everything) was a bit weird. But I do agree.

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    2. It was weird, but she wanted to be sure that she got all the information before she scared him by telling him that she now owned it. She needed to make sure that she has enough information as possible. This story is difficult as it is, it doesn't need to be made worse by missing information that she couldn't get because Marcus was too scared to tell her.

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  21. @ Class
    Is the Constitution anything that it used to be or is it a piece of paper with no power or control of the government?

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    1. @Reid
      I think that the Constitution is still very significant in our government because it still exists. It's saying something that we use it as a base for our government after so many years. At the same time, it isn't as significant anymore because we are starting to find exceptions and times when those rules don't apply.

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  22. @ Hailey--- The reporter, Barbara, seems to be caring and kind towards Marcus. He chose to give the information to her and to trust her. It would be terrible if she twisted the information and got Marcus into even more trouble, but honestly, I don't think she will.

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    1. Isn't that how O'Brien was viewed at first to us as well? We thought that O'Brien was totally going to help Winston but in the end O'Brien was the one that hurt Winston more.

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  23. @Hailey:
    There is always more than one side to a story, and reporters do usually twist what people say to their advantage. Nobody's point of view is really tainted, but we only ever hear one side, one perception of a story.

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  24. @Elli- I'm not sure about Marsha. I feel like in this book, we're never gonna be sure of anything. How are we supposed to be? Everything we read is from one point of view: Marcus's. I don't think that is always a bad thing, but it just is going to prevent us from seeing the whole of anything.

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  25. @Class
    What does everyone think of Ange? Do you like her? How is she similar or different from Julia?

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    1. I don't like her at all. I think she is similar to Julia- they are both just using Winston/Marcus, and I also think that Ange is taking the place of Van in Marcus' life. I like Van a lot more, and I think in the end Marcus is going to become friends with her again one way or another.

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  26. @Class
    What do you all think about Marsha? Is she one to be trusted or do you think that she will go back on Marcus and is just a trap to catch Marcus?

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  27. @Katie- I disagree. I feel like people's views are tainted. It's called bias. If I'm an executive of CNN, and I decide what stories we are going to cover, if we cover a story on Obama and I hate Obama, then that's going to reflect in the story. That's what I mean when I say tainted.

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  28. @Willie
    She is a DHS operative, but she's trying to get out of that job. Nobody seems to be realizing that. I think that makes her a little suspicious though.

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  29. @Reid--I am not sure anymore. I want to believe that we are free the way the Constitution says we are, but the government has added and taken away from what the document gives us so much, it doesn't seem the same anymore.

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    1. I would have to agree. People think it does, however the government does so much that the constitution can't do anything.

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  30. @Class
    Do you think that the ending of "Little Brother" will be the same as it was in "1984" where Winston had just given up since he had been broken and his ideals changed? Will Marcus's ideals change too?

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    1. No, I don't think so. This takes place in an entirely different world, and I think Marcus's youth may even cause him to be more dedicated to his cause than he would be were he, say, Winston's age, since he believes he knows better than the "grown ups". I think he's much more dedicated to his cause than Winston was (although arguably they were both very dedicated and Winston was simply capable of less).

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  31. @Hailey:
    I see what you meant now. You're right. I guess that most people are probably biased.

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  32. @ Katie
    I think that Marcus is taking more risks than Winston did, and he's making it a little more obvious. He's being more careful, but in the end, I don't think there will be much of a difference between them.

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  33. @Class
    Do you think Masha will actually help Marcus or is she just a pawn for the DHS?

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    1. Honestly I'm not really sure at this point. I think that she really might want to get out of the DHS that is planning against Marcus, but she also could be a pawn because she would want to come off as a person that Marcus can trust which she seems to have already, but that is also how O'Brien had come off to Winston. As someone he could trust. But is she really to be trusted with his life and the lives of those that have gotten involved on the XNet?

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  34. @Hailey
    I think that Marcus is telling the reporter his story because he wants the world to see his side of it. Marcus is planning on escaping with the help of Masha so he probably isn't planning on getting arrested. It was really suspicious when Barbara said that Marcus had to agree that she now owned all of the information and could do what she wanted with it. I don't think she'll turn her in, but I have a feeling that the story won't be told how Marcus wanted it to be.

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  35. @Reid

    Nowadays, it's a piece of paper the government tries to follow, and tends to fail.

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  36. @ Class
    When Gabe talked about the reoprters only taking out the bad phrases from marcuses Interview, does that remind any of you of doubble Speak.

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  37. @Reid- I think that the contistution is just a piece of paper, but he holds such a large power. It is the base of how this country runs. I think that the contistution will only remain an important document if the citizens fight for what they know are there rights.

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    1. I think it is important but it mostly symbolizes our rights; it doesn't protect them.

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  38. @Elli and Brooke
    I don't like Masha... I feel like her job makes her really suspicious. Even if she is true to what she is saying, I feel like she's trying to control Marcus or use him for something. I don't think it is a good idea at all for Marcus to go with her. It's important for M1k3y to stay and fight...

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  39. @Katie- Yea. I mean, I understand what you're saying, too. I feel like a lot of times, we expect the reporters to cover every aspect of every story. But, the reality is that they are still human and still have biases.

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  40. @Casey:
    I think that Marcus will probably do more to the government than Winston did, because he has all of the followers on the X-net.

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  41. @ Drew--- The video that Masha sent Marcus kind of scared me. It seemed like Kurt Rooney influenced the DHS workers similarly to how Big Brother influenced the Party in 1984. Do you think that Rooney will begin to have a bigger role in the story?

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    1. I'm not sure if Rooney will have a bigger part but it seems like he was thrown in there to show how the DHS is being run.

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  42. @Nia- I definitely agree. She just said it a bit too late after he had spilled his story for my comfort.

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  43. @ Brooke
    I don't think so. Cory Doctorow's book is built a little bit more on entertainment, as opposed to a warning.

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    1. Really--you think it is just entertainment? There is nothing he is warning us of? What have we been talking about every day?

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    2. But then again look at what this book has done to all of us, we are all starting to realize how close this is to our own society. I don't think that this book was written for entertainment.

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    3. I don't think that it is pure entertainment. I think that there are parts of it where it IS funny (because, well, let's face it, 17 year old boys are usually pretty funny)but I think that it is a warning and kind of a "what-if" situation.

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    4. I disagree with you, Casey. This isn't meant for entertainment at all. I think Doctorow is trying to warn us that all the things Orwell was paranoid of can actually happen in OUR SOCIETY... he wrote a more realistic 1984.

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    5. I think it's definitely a warning. A lot of the things that he mentioned have and are actually happening.

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    6. Drew completely agree. It isn't just that it can happen in our society, it IS happening in our society. And to think how similar these two society's are is really scary. There is no way this is just pure entertainment.

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    7. Brooke, exactly.. He is making a statement by setting it in our society. That just shows that Doctorow isn't entertaining us, he's trying to open our eyes. If you think about what reading this book has done to us (made us paranoid and talk about how corrupt our government is), anybody can see that he was successful.

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  44. @Eliza--I don't really like Ange. She reminds me too much of Julia, who I despise. I mean, at the party, she seems to have a thing for him before she even knew what he was up to. It seems to me that she is just with him in this rebellion just to be with him.

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    1. I think that's an interesting view. I like Ange, I think she's much more dedicated, both to Marcus and to the cause, than Julia was to Winston and his rebellion. To me it seems like she actually cares about what they're doing, or she would have probably left when she realized how dangerous it was. And even if she doesn't care about the cause she seems to care about Marcus enough to stick by him, which I think sets her apart from Julia, who arguably didn't really care about Winston.

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  45. @Class

    In the book, Masha discussed about how anything is traceable back through the internet. This is entirely true. If the DHS gets their hands on a key, that would ruin everything. Do you think they will?

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    1. I think that the DHS going to try and get the key,but I have suspicions of them succeeding.

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  46. @Reid
    The Constitution is only effective if the people and the government follow it. I think that with all the loopholes and people trying to get around the rules, its becoming more of a piece of paper because the citizens aren't doing anything to protect it.
    - Baergen Schultz

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  47. @Willie:
    If Masha is telling the truth, they already have.

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  48. @Class- What do you think of the debate between Marcus and Mrs. Andersen? Who do you agree with? I mean, I think that all of us would like to say we agree with Marcus, but the truth is, I agreed with some of what Mrs. Andersen said. What do you think?

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    1. I agree with Marcus because I think that it is because he has been more relate able because I have followed him through the book,however, Mrs.Andersen put up some good points that I think are hard to argue with.

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  49. @Inner Circle~ I know you've already gotten past this topic but you were arguing that national documents are not to be changed ever. I agree with this mostly, except there are many amendments (changes) to the Constitution, and in the Deceleration of Independence there is this quote:

    "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations,pursuing invariably the same object,evinces a design to reduce them, under absolute despotism,it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such government and provide new guards for their future security."

    Which more or less means that changing it is okay to change government and the way society runs under the correct circumstances. No, this political situation and this book are not the correct situation, but the fact that nothing ever changes is not true.

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    1. *Which more or less means that changing government

      my bad.

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  50. @ Katie
    I agree, in the sense that he's actually doing things. But the bigger his intentions, the more likely he'll get caught.

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  51. @Willie
    I'm sure they already have their hands on many keys since they have so many spies in the system. Masha found some way to get into Marcus'web of trust, so I'm sure anyone else could. However, I don't think they have enough keys, knowledge, or connections with M1k3y to make a difference.

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  52. @Casey:
    He is going to get caught eventually, there is not really an escape, so he may as well hurt the government as much as possible before he is arrested for good.

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  53. @Casey
    Even though it is based on entertainment it is crazy how the events and technology in this book are so similar to what it is happening today. It seems kind of like a warning to me.
    -Baergen Schultz

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  54. @ inner circle
    When Marcus was posting everything about the riot, and he almost made a huge mistake, could that have been a little bit of foreshadowing?

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  55. @Elli

    Wonderful point. The DHS is causing people to ignore this kind of thing in the book. I think you're delving to the point that Cory wants you to get to exactly.

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  56. @Class
    If you were the author of this book, how would you write the story differently?

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  57. @ Reid
    I think that Marsha is going to be part of the DHS because there have been parrellel charecters to 1984 and we've yet to meet somone who could be a possible Cherington, I think she could be.

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  58. @Baegen:
    As much as I hate to admit it, if there was a terrorist right now, the government probably would go crazy and arrest people and all of the stuff described in the book.

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    1. I think the government would really increase security even more than after 9/11, but I don't think they would take it to this level- I want to believe that they would only watch the people who the suspect, and take more logical measures to find terrorists.

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  59. @Willie
    I do think the government will get a hold of a key. Even though they think only trustworthy people have keys I think that there is just to many people for them not to get out.

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  60. @ inner circle
    Marcus and Ange actually have feelings for each other, as opposed to Winston and Julia, who have this weird forbidden romance without true love. They had more pretend feelings for each other.

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  61. @Elli- I definitely agree with you. I think that when the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution and Bill of Rights, they expected it to last a long time, but not forever. I feel like it is our duty to change the Constitution and Bill of Rights as time goes along...but APPROPRIATELY. I mean, we can't live following these rights and liberties when our world has changed completely and they don't concern us whatsoever anymore. But at the same time, I feel like we need to preserve and follow these liberties for as long as we can.

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  62. @ Reid--- I don't trust Masha. She is says that she is trying to get Marcus out of trouble, but for all Marcus knows, she could just be another spy trying to catch him. Even though she showed him the video, that could just be a plot of the DHS to capture Marcus. Marcus does not know Masha at all. He can't trust her.

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  63. @Willie
    It's really hard to tell. I don't think that they are smart enough to be able to find a key. Marcus is smarter than they are in technology and can probably block them from finding one. However, you never know if they could pull a secret weapon from their stash.

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    1. The DHS has access to all the technological knowledge in the world. I believe they can get one. I can do things like Marcus without nearly as much intelligence about computers.

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  64. @Class
    What do you guys think of Van and Jolu? They just kind of disappeared out of the story.... Do you think they will come back and have more of a role?

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  65. @Class Hailey and I have been talking a little about journalists. What do you think of journalists today? Because for all we know, they are being paid by the government to feed us false information. It's scary when you actually think about how easy it would be for the government to fake/change information. What do you think?

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    1. I wouldn't think that the government would pay journalist to change some information. I think that the journalist themselves could easily change information. I think that these days people get to much things on video and everything seems to go viral.

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    2. Journalists could totally be feeding us false information. But I think that we are still at the point in society where the information isn't false, but instead it seems to be biased based on other biased information.

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  66. @Drew- Like I said last time, I'm not sure if they will show up again, but I do think that whatever role they had before while they were still present will have some effect on the story.

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    1. However, I think there is so much pressure building up on Van (Marcus keeps thinking about her and how she reacted to Ange), that she is going to have a bigger role.

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    2. Maybe! That's a good point. I feel like maybe he will realize why she really backed out and maybe that will make him think about what he wants to do.

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  67. @Nia:
    The so called secret weapon will probably end up being a teenager. Someone smart enough to infiltrate the x-net.

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  68. Marcus has worked so hard to start a rebellion. How can he pretty much blow his cover during class with Mrs. Anderson?

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  69. @Class
    With what Mrs. Moritz said I would have to say that Marcus and Ange have a much more mature relationship. Julia was as you could say, stupid she didn't contribute quite as much as Ange does. With Ange and Marcus's relationship they care for each other and help each other and have a real passion for each other. Julia and Winston did no such thing they just kind if partnered up for some 'mission'.

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    1. I think that it is different between them because in 1984 people didn't understand real love. No one in their society has every experienced anything close to that, and in the society that Marcus lives in, people show love and compassion everyday, so I think that it would be easier to "fall in love," and also,they are young to, you always hear about people falling in love in high school then later saying what a fool and how young they are.

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  70. @Hailey~ absolutely. Obviously they would be changed appropriately and not by any political power that comes in, however if it does not keep up with us, it will be come obsolete, which is much more dangerous than it being a little bit different.

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  71. @Vanessa
    That question is very interesting. If we changed it would be a completely different story. I would not have changed much because this is Corey'story. We should not change it.

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  72. @Class
    So the inner circle was talking about this, but it doesn't seem like we've talked much about it. Do you all agree with Gabe that Winston and Julia have more of a middle school relationship while Marcus and Ange have more of the adult relationship?

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  73. @ inner circle
    I think that Winston and Julia weren't able to start a true rebellion because the people didn't have anything to fight for. They didn't know what used to be or what could be. Ange and Marcus knew what freedom was and no liked having it taken away.

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    1. This, plus the fact Marcus started an underground society with the xnet. In this case, Marcus is really Winston and Goldstein.

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    2. I think that it's also because Winston was capable of less than Marcus is. Marcus has all these skills with technology, what skills did Winston have that he could actually use against the government?

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  74. @Elly- I don't think he blew his cover at all. I feel like he was doing exactly what we are doing in class these last few days...stating his opinion. The only difference is that the class and teacher are not supporting him, unlike our class.

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  75. @Drew--I hope they will show up. I feel like Marcus might tell them that Darryl is alive and they will all work together to get him out.

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  76. @Drew
    I don't really think Van will show up. I think that her point was to show that there might be some people in the society that know whats going on, but aren't getting involved. She may support Marcus's ideas, but she wont get involved herself. I dont think she will come back
    - Baergen

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  77. @Elli- Exactly. But, I don't think that most people in the world would understand that. I feel like if certain people were given that power to change the Constitution and Bill of Rights appropriately, they would abuse it. It has to be the right time and the right person.

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    1. But then when is the right time? Who is the right person?

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    2. Yea, is there ever a right time or a right person? Anybody given that power could make mistakes.

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  78. The rule of innocent until proven guilty is a rule that doesn't seem to be followed in this book. What do you think?

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    1. I agree. It seems when they took Marcus they assumed he was guilty and it seems like they were trying to make him commit to a crime that he didn't do.

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  79. @Hailey- I do agree with some of the things that Mrs. Andersen said. She was right about the Constitution being changeable- you need to be able to bend if you don't want to break. But I disagree with a lot of what she said, too. I totally disagreed with her statement that the duty of the government is to protect the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, IN THAT ORDER. She's basically saying that people may not be happy, and they may not be free, but it's okay if the government is doing their best to keep us alive. And I feel like we should have the right to be happy, first of all.

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  80. @Elly:
    I think that the government is following this rule, but using horrible methods to prove their guilt.

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  81. @ inner circle
    I'm not sure whether or not Van will become a bigger part of the story, but I do think that Van feels/felt something for Marcus. The way that she cares about Marcus provides a good indication as to their feelings toward each other.

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  82. @Baergan
    I think she will show up again. I agree with what you say that she knows what's going on and isn't getting involved, but I think she is going to help eventually because Marcus is going to need her. They are such good friends (or were) that when Marcus needs help, she might come for him.

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  83. @Ellen
    I want to believe that journalists are sort of telling the truth. Some of the stories that they present are over exaggerated, but some sound realistic. I think that it is scary to think that they could be paid by the government. However, especially on the news, most stories sound like they happened but I think that the journalists tweak them a little to make them more interesting.

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  84. @Class

    Do you think Marcus is both Winston AND Goldstein? He's trying to take down the DHS, and he started the underground rebellion with the xnet.

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  85. @Drew
    I think that Van and Jolu must return. I don't think the story could just end without knowing how Van and Jolu turn out. Van and Jolu were to close to not continue to be in his life. Just because Marcus is trying to rebel against the government doesn't mean they are going to stay away for ever.

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  86. @Elly
    Glad you found a computer that works(: I think that is very true. The government assumes that people are guilty. It's crazy to think how messed up our government would be if people weren't given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to being guilty or innocent.

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  87. @Hailey and @Brooke~ Well isn't that the problem? That if we grant the power to anyone, then someone will come around and abuse it. However, if we don't change it ever, it will become (sorry to use the same wording) obsolete.

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  88. @Drew
    I think that Van may come back since she had already come back unexpectantly when he was walking to the bus with Ange, but I don't think that if she does come back that she will do anything that will do much besides that Van might admit that she does like Marcus and that she always has that will probably lead to him and Ange having problems ultimately leading to stupid ideas and actions and perhaps even getting caught.

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    1. I agree. I just think that since Van and Marcus were taken to jail at the beginning of the book together, it would be odd to just cut Van off from the story.

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  89. @Elly- I agree with you. They treated Marcus like he was guilty, for some crime or another. Although if the DHS were asked about it, they would probably say that they had evidence against him.

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  90. @Brooke
    I'm not sure if I would say "middle school", but Winston and Julia's relationship was certainly less developed. I feel that Marcus and Ange actually do have real feelings for each other beyond just the sexual aspect of it, while sex was the only aspect, really, for Winston and Julia. That was really the only thing keeping them together, while Ange and Marcus seem to be bound by more.

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  91. @Joe
    I agree with you. They all went through the torture at Treasure Island together... how could that just be dropped from the story?

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  92. @Emma- I definitely agree. I believe that happiness should be first, as well. The thing is, there in are so many conflicts in that statement. What if the thing that makes someone happy goes against making other people happy? It is SOOO frustrating to me to think about that. I just....Grrrrr. I wish that there was an easy way around problems like that, but obviously there isn't.

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  93. @Class
    Do you think that Van will come back into the story? Or Daryll? Or will Marcus be arrested and see Daryll in jail again?

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    1. I don't think that Daryll will be coming back. I have hunch that he is gone because his role in the beginning seemed so minute that it is not necessary for him to come back.

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    2. Yes, I think both of them will come back. They both seem important, and I don't think either of them have fully played out their roles yet.

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    3. See, I feel like his role was a lot more prominent than Van's or Jolu's, so I do think that he will be coming back.

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  94. @Vanessa:
    It sounds like you're saying that the government isn't messed up already. Which isn't really true. Take SOPA and PIPA. They are trying hard to control us.

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  95. When Marcus walked into the pricipal's office, he had been watching the class that Marcus came from. Isn't that a little creepy to anyone? Why was he watching the class that Marcus was in? Does anyone think that he could have told the teacher what to say in order to make Marcus mad?

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    1. I don't think that they would have told the teacher what to say to make him mad, I think that if he wanted to make him mad he could have easily done it himself.

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    2. They might be tracking him and his movements. As the DHS said he was a marked man and would be tracked and followed. So this must be part of their actions. But yes it is creepy.

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  96. @Julia- I definitely think Daryll will come back into the story. I feel like his role was too prominent for him not to come back into the plot.

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  97. @Inner Circle
    Can we really say that Marcus is like Goldstein? We never even met Goldstein.

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  98. @ Drew--- Van and Jolu didn't want to be a part of what Marcus was doing, so they left. I don't think they will become good friends with Marcus again unless Marcus succeeds in gaining freedom and justice for what was done to them. Also, Van may have felt betrayed and disrespected by Marcus when she saw him and Ange together. Marcus loves Ange a lot, so I don't think that he will end their relationship to mend the relationship with Van.

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  99. @Brooke Yeah I completely agree. Winston and Julia were so awkward around each other that it physically hurt me. It hurt. Marcus and Ange are more mature, and I think that their feelings are more real. (Then again, there are a lot of things more real than Winston and Julia's feelings...)

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  100. @ inner circle
    To me, Winston is nothing like Marcus. Winston was too afraid to actually make things happen, and Marcus doesn't really hesitate.

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  101. @Elly
    I don't think that they are following that rule. They are so caught up and paranoid about the terrorists, that it seems as though they forgot about that rule. It's like they're pretending that the people are innocent until proven guilty, but I don't think that they actually are. They are determined to find the terrorists no matter what the cost.

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  102. @Katie
    I know that the government is corrupt. But imagine how much worse it would be if people weren't innocent until proven guilty.

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  103. @Julia
    I don't know if Daryll will come back, but I think his legacy or the story he sparked with make a difference.

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    1. I agree completely. It's like in Fahrenheit 451 with Clarisse. She was there for such a short time and we all thought that she would come back but she never did. It was only her legacy.

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  104. @Elly
    I think that they are not following the rule, but are pretending to. They are doing everything they can and more to catch the terrorists, and I think that at this time, they don't care about the rule.

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  105. @Vanessa:
    True. But as I said before, if there was a terrorist attack today, the government might end up doing the exact same thing as in the book.

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  106. @ Gabe
    I definitely agree. Earlier in the book, Marcus was talking about how the internet was his haven and how he feels safe there.

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  107. @Class- Like Mrs. Mortiz said, I don't see any difference between Marcus and M1k3y. What do you guys think?

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  108. @Maggie
    I'm just so conflicted with this... friendships and relationships are changing everything. I feel like Van should come and help but that would change things with Ange and Marcus... it's just odd that relationships are getting in the way.

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  109. @Class

    Here's the song Micheal talked about:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_(song)

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  110. Going back to what the inner circle was talking about earlier, I don't think that Marcus is the only smart kid in the world. I think that if Marcus gets arrested again, or is killed, or if anything happens to him, the rebellion he has started isn't just going to go away because he does. There are other smart kids that can help run the Xnet and other revolts without Marcus being there.

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  111. @Ellen- I agree. I still feel like part of it is because they have the same interest in bringing down the DHS, but that's a part of love. Not the entire part of love (like Julia and Winston), but part of it.

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  112. @Hailey
    They are the same... They are both techno-savy and wanting to take down the DHS. I don't see any difference either.

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  113. @ Class- Do you think that since Jeb was released from Treasure Island, Darryl will eventually become free again too?

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  114. @Katie
    That's true. I would like to think that our government would be better, but it's hard to say!

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  115. @Casey

    He does hesitate. He's afraid to do radical things until Ange inspires him to be rebellious.

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