In  your opinion, why is Winston having a difficult time buying in to what Big Brother and the State are selling? Explain and support. 
Winston is having a hard time because his job puts him in a position where he still recalls what life was like before the Big Brother government took over. As a result, he can compare his life to the old life and see the corruptness of the new.


Are his small acts of defiance (questioning) a form of protest? Why/Why not? 
His acts of questioning are not a form of defiance let alone protesting. He has simply questioned the ways of the society, but he has not made any open outbursts of antagonism towards the society at all.


Compare/contrast Winston's small rebellion to a more current act of rebellion within the United States (think Tea Party Movement, Occupy Wall Street, Anti-War Protests, etc.)
The act of so called 'defiance' made by Winston most represent those of the Tea Party Movement, because they are not open declarations of opposition like those of Occupy Wall Street or Anti - War Protests, but rather simple ideas and questions that may or may not formulate into a movement that encompasses the society as a whole. 


In all facets - what they are fighting for, who they are rebelling against, the way their protests seen by the government, the way their protests are seen by the masses?
 The government does not see any protests other than the obvious ones that they must deal with through the wars that they have shielded from the eyes of their citizens. However the masses are fearful of what they have perceived to be protests in questioning the decisions of the government and having such thoughts of revolution.