Dependence

By -

                Feed, written by M.T. Anderson, is a futuristic novel that forces its readers to think about and question their own habits. Anderson’s story involving the overuse of technology really makes me think about how much I depend on it on a daily basis. It has become a way for me to communicate with people around me, fill my time, keep up with current events, get from place to place, and much more. Even my homework and classwork are centered around technology oftentimes. Because of how much I use it, to be without it seems like the worst possible option. Leaving the house without it can be one of the most frustrating moments of the day, which is truly sad. If we are moving this way as a society, then how far are we from being like the society in Anderson’s novel?
On page 141, Titus is talking about school when he says, “Now that School is run by the corporations, it’s pretty brag, because it teaches us how the world can be used, like mainly how to use our feeds… and now we do stuff in classes about how to work technology and how to find bargains and what’s the best way to get a job and how to decorate our bedroom.” His comments here about the benefits of how their school systems are using technology make me question our motives today. Are we telling ourselves that everything we are doing is for the betterment of our future? Is it actually doing helping more than it is hindering? If it is, how can we tell? Characters like Titus are so wrapped up in their own dependence on technology that they are not able to tell that it is bad for them until it is too late, like when Violet goes braindead. Will we let OUR feed feed us lies about what is important in life, or will we be able to put it down and think for ourselves before it is too late?

Comments

  1. Anna GilfillanOctober 31, 2019 at 10:38 AM

    I agree that technology is used a lot in the classroom. I think that it can be both good and bad because if we use too much technology we will not be able to think on our own. I like your question. I think that if we are not careful then I think our feed will end up taking over our lives. I think that we need to take a step back from the feed so that we can still think for ourselves. Do you think that the younger generations have a lot of things in common with this novel? Are they starting letting the feed take over their lives?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Growing Pains - The Symbolism of the Tree in Speak

By -
I have felt the paralyzing pain of internal disease. The kind of trauma that causes your mouth to curl in and swallow you whole. I, like so many other women, are walking the halls in Melinda’s shoes in “Speak.” I thought Laurie Anderson did a phenomenal job of twisting all of the tribulations a high school girl goes through, into the tree that Melinda is. Whether we’re as strong as an oak or weak as a bush, we have all gone through the disease that strikes Melinda from the inside out. Melinda is like a half-dead tree. Some parts of her strive to blossom and create beauty. Other parts are broken and diseased. Like a dead tree, Melinda needs to save herself and “cut off the damage, [so it] is possible for the tree to grow again” (187). The symbolism of a tree is significant in “Speak.” Trees reflect her growing process. In the beginning, Melinda is a sick and lifeless tree. Her view is negative and dark. She’s so far past repair, bursts of sunlight do her no good. Sunlight would be pe...
Read more

How Starr Goes from Acting to Embracing in The Hate U Give

By -
In The Hate U Give, Starr Carter is caught between two worlds. She lives in a predominantly black neighborhood, but her father sends her and her brothers to a private school where she is surrounded by white people. She talks about acting differently depending on what group she is around, which can create some identity problems. She says on page 11, "Funny how it works with white kids though. It's dope to be black until it's hard to be black." When at Williamson, she sees white kids that think it's cool to engage in black culture, but she knows they don't understand what she goes through in her Garden Heights community. She witnessed her friend Natasha's death when she was 10 years old, and she sees gang activity in her community all the time. When she is among her black friends, like at the party, they tease her for hanging out with the white kids. This reminds me of a Drake song where he says, "I used to get teased for being black, and now I'm...
Read more

Postmodernism in Curious Incident

By -
Before I start writing, I first want to acknowledge that I just really loved this book! It seemed like a lot of the class had trouble enjoying or appreciating the novel because it's so different stylistically, which is understandable, but all of those unique elements helped make the novel more authentic. The main topic I want to focus on (also what I'm writing my paper on) is how a lot of postmodernist elements were used in the novel to make Christopher come to life. While obviously not every postmodern novel is about an autistic kid, I think Haddon really used a lot of these elements to his advantage and they ended up working out really well to characterize Christopher. One of the major postmodern elements which helps this book really craft an authentic portrayal of autism is the fact that it's metafictive. Basically, this means it's a "story within a story." Readers would be extremely limited just reading the parts of the novel which are meant to be C...
Read more