Learned
Although humanity still has many faults, Doctorow, Bradbury, and Orwell reassure readers there are leaders who are willing to take a stand against oppression. They oppose mindless submission to dictated norms. By starting revolutions and preserving the past, they help lead others to create a better future.
Fahrenheit 451 accentuates this urgency through the actions of the last scholars of society. After braving the Hound, Beatty, and his own doubts, Montag stumbles onto a group of these men. The leader of the group, Granger, astonishes Montag by proclaiming, "We are all bits and pieces of history and literature and international law, Byron, Tom Paine, Machiavelli, or Christ, it's here. And the hour is late. And the war's begun. And we are out here, and the city is there, all wrapped up in its own coat of a thousand colors" (Bradbury, 147). Granger and his friends commit entire books into memory to end the eradication of knowledge. Despite the life-threatening risk this creates for Granger and the other revolutionaries who remember books, they firmly hold onto the belief that, "[Man] never gets so discouraged or disgusted that he gives up doing it all over again, because he knows very well it is important and worth the doing" (Bradbury, 148). By saving the wisdom in books, these men hope to reestablish a stable civilization and prevent it from falling again.
The optimism of Granger lives on in the young hackers of Little Brother, Liam and Nate, who are starstruck by the leader of the revolution, Marcus. Nate stammers, "Can I just say...it is the biggest honor of my entire life to help you?" (Doctorow, 320). The government watches Liam and Nate, along with millions of other Americans. Marcus encourages thousands to fight the injustice of the Department of Homeland Security. Liam and Nate help Marcus because of the impact he has had against unrestricted government surveillance
The controversial yet inspirational actions of Marcus compares to the actions of NSA whistleblower, Edward Snowden. As journalist Ewen MacAskill explains, "[Snowden's] disclosures about the NSA resonated with Americans from day one. But they also exploded round the world. For some, like Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, it is a vitally important issue, one of the biggest of our time: nothing less than the defense of democracy in the digital age" (MacAskill). Snowden's actions released an avalanche of backlash, not just towards him, but against the government as well. For the first time, the public turned a critical eye to the surveillance policies of the NSA and US PATRIOT Act. A massive debate has raged over this controversy; should the government guarantee citizens their right to privacy or their safety against terrorists? In turn, the supporters of Snowden’s actions created projects like Courage Snowden, which spread his message against blind trust of the government’s activities. Snowden, Marcus, and Granger prove that humanity has individuals who are willing to lead the rest of society towards a freer world, despite the personal risks they face.