Power is defined as the ability to influence the behavior of others or the course of events. Almost everyone tries to sway people into joining their side and of course has the right to do so, but how one perceives such things should tread with caution. 1984 by George Orwell was written as a forewarning to people not to give their government too much power. No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald showed a present variation of what happens when a government has too much power. The underlying message of these novel calls for individuals to think for themselves and to attempt to preserve a quality of life worth living. This argument can be disputed either way because there is no clear black and white. Still, since figures of power gaining more of it …show more content…
In George Orwell’s 1984, Winston goes on about how the proles were the key to stopping the Party. "If there is hope, it lies in the proles because only there - with 85 percent of the population of Oceania - could the force to destroy the Party ever be generated...if only they could somehow become conscious of their own strength.” (Orwell 69). Since the proles are a significant majority, they could easily overrun the Party’s power. Glenn Greenwald in No Place to Hide says numerous times that the amendments of the Constitution exist for a reason so the government does not abuse its power. “The Fourth Amendment enshrined this idea in American law. Its language is clear and succinct.” (Greenwald 3). If no efforts are taken to stop figures of power then these groups could dominate their subordinates. Of course, there is another side to the story when it comes to this topic. “The Misguided Passion of Glenn Greenwald” by Jack Shafer is an article that goes against Greenwald. Shafer says that Greenwald is too quick to the punch to defend himself and thinks everybody is after him. Greenwald has to do such things because his opinion is in the minority, and he is essentially an independent journalist and does not have a company protecting him. Journalism does not help the overall situation either because bias can be too powerful of an