Power is a driving force of human nature and society at large because it is those who hold a position of power who call the shots and decide where society will go next. As people come to understand this, they also begin to comprehend their ability to seize power and use it to identify and express the changes they want for themselves and generations to come. This idea plays a major role in the plot of Ray Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451 in which the main character, Guy Montag, is inspired to renew his dying society, a mindset fueled by the discontent he feels for the culture of absolute conformity and apathy in which he lives. Up until the moment he met Clarisse, a girl so in love with the human capacity for thought that she inspires in him a similar fascination, Montag had not openly strayed from the boundaries and expectations of his society. Yet with a single question, Clarisse exposed all of his suppressed insecurities, plaguing him with the nagging realization that he was indeed unsatisfied with his life, "She seemed to remember something and came back to look at him with wonder and curiosity. 'Are you happy?' she said" (Bradbury, 7). It was with these three words that he been given a mission to find meaning in his seemingly empty existence. He not only wanted to find happiness for himself, but he came to the realization that it was his society as a whole which had lost touch with the definition of fulfillment. By questioning Montag's happiness, Clarisse exposed the humanity within him, and he was then freed from the bonds of conformity to search for satisfaction. Somewhere deep in his subconsciousness, he knew that he wanted more from his society; he wanted knowledge, a human connection that meant something on both sides and a society in which life had value. This was only the start though, as he soon found himself combating the rest of society which was still held in the grip of the oppressive standards. He had the power to identify the changes he wanted, but he then needed the liberty to express and act upon these desires as well as the power to convince others to make the change. Outside his city it was rumored that a group of freethinkers like himself had congregated, but in order to join them, it was required that he break away from everything he knew. It was the ultimate sacrifice of identity as he abandoned the only life he could remember all in the name of creating a better version of himself and his society. A similar story of independence can be found in Cory Doctorow's, Little Brother in which a tech savvy teen who is known initially by the handle "W1n5t0n" and later as "M1k3y", real name Marcus Yallow, is subjected to abuse by the government. These accusations were based on suspected involvement with recent terrorist activity. The brunt of his anger sprouted from his treatment by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which detained him on an island and interrogated him, reducing him to the humiliating status of a criminal. The government also responded by maximizing security procedures in his hometown, San Francisco. These ranged from tracking devices to frequent pat downs. Marcus' experiences prompted him to question the authority and ethics of the government. He even went so far as to actively protest the invasive response to the bombing by starting a movement among the youth in his city. Their goal was to protest the government's violation of their rights as citizens and its abuse of authority. Much like in Fahrenheit 451, Marcus was a man with a cause who was willing to stand up for what he believed in, even as others stood down in submission to a higher power, "There was a high spot on a pile of boxes of salt rations that I could stand on and be seen from anywhere in the market... > Good evening and thank you all for coming. My name is M1k3y and I'm not the leader of anything. All around you are Xnetters who have as much to say about why we're here as I do. I use the Xnet because I believe in freedom and the Constitution of the United States of America. I use Xnet because the DHS has turned my city into a police-state where we're all suspected terrorists. I use Xnet because I think you can't defend freedom by tearing up the Bill of Rights. I learned about the Constitution in a California school and I was raised to love my country for its freedom. If I have a philosophy, it is this: > 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. > I didn't write that, but I believe it. The DHS does not govern with my consent. > Thank you" (Doctorow, 235). Even if it meant operating through a computer game such as was the case with this interview, Marcus was bent on making the world hear what he and his jamming allies had to say about their cause. Most of his protests manifested anonymously over the Xnet. This provided followers with a relatively safe medium to broadcast and exchange their views. This system of communication was one that the government could never fully control, so the public had the power it needed to make a difference in their lives. Marcus knew this and used it to his advantage. Ordinary people became an extension of the Xnet and the power of the people only continued to grow as support for the cause expanded. The interview was not only a reflection of Marcus’ adamant belief in the country's value of freedom, but also demonstrated that people have what they need to start a movement. Doctorow constructed an environment in which the capacity of an individual had the potential to expand into the empowerment of a society. Marcus had the motive, means and opportunity, an ultimate combination which would be a deciding factor in the success of his protests. Wielding his mighty weapon, the internet, he was able to spread the word of his cause. He changed the identity of his society, not by creating problems but by seeking solutions and in the process set a precedent for what it means to challenge the system. Modern society is also a model for the growing awareness of deliberate action. It is the responsibility of citizens to keep the government in check and vice versa, and it is these people who must live with their society and themselves. Public action exercises the power of the citizen and ensures a healthy balance between government and the common man, as is demonstrated by this report on the recent government shutdown, "Protester Jim Weller expressed his displeasure with the closure. 'I'm here today to stand up for my rights,' he said. 'My father was a World War II veteran, shot down in the Philippines in 1945, and for them to shut down this Memorial is absurd. He earned this'" (Hannas). The protesters who gathered at the White House, referred to as the Tea Party movement, were not fighting for world peace. They were not seeking an end to war. They were there simply there to express their discontent with the current situation. By rallying the masses, they have provided an image of empowerment and demonstrated that all it takes to start something is a willingness to take action. The sad fact is that in many cases, what a society lacks is not the freedom to change, but the courage to speak up and act out on a large enough scale to impact the whole of civilization. Every protest, no matter the size or the cause, is a reflection of a society with the hope for a better future and it is this idea of speaking up which will define the culture of the next generations. While a protest does not have to put lives at risk in order to make a difference or illicit a response from authority, what matters is that it is made up of people who are there with the conviction that their actions will change the world.