Me, Myself, and Titus

    Titus. Let’s take a minute and talk about one of the most controversial characters in the novel Feed. How do you feel about Titus? To the average joe reading this novel, Titus comes off as a self centered person, who doesn't have a care in the world for anyone besides himself and Violet at some points. But besides that, Titus is the most relatable character in the novel that I can compare to myself and also the kids of this generation. The correlation between the feed and Titus reminds me of myself on a day to day basis. I know, I’m not the only one who feels this way, am I right? But that’s covered in a completely different blog post. Anyway, Titus is very relatable to myself and the kids that were born around the same year that I was. Today, myself and the kids that are very similar in age resemble Titus in more ways than one. Let’s take a look at how Titus is the most relatable character out of all the characters in the novel Feed.

    First off, the feed itself. This is the most relatable part of Titus and the novel that I can relate to personally. Growing up, cell phones were just starting to become popular with brand names such as Motorola, Nokia, and Lg. Most of you most likely remember your first cell phone distinctly. Mine was a standard Lg flip phone with no fancy touch screen and a million of customization settings. Cell phones have changed the way of human life forever. Growing up I was always told not to rely on my phone incase of a time when I am without it. And I have stuck to this motto for the most of my life, but it is still very eminent that my cell phone does in fact have an impact on my life just like the feed has an impact on Titus. The feed controls Titus. ”There's nothing but the feed telling you” (Anderson 5) The feed tells Titus everything. This reminds me of the internet.

“That's one of the great things about the feed--that you can be supersmart without ever working. Everyone is supersmart now. You can look things up automatic, like science and history, like if you want to know which battles of the Civil War George Washington fought in and shit.” () As you can see Titus has access to research anything even though he may not be correct. In which the internet may not be. Being able to search and find results about anything in the world is a great tool. I am not saying that my phone controls my every decision like Titus but it does have an effect on my life and the way I go about certain things. If I need to find an answer to a question that I do not know I can simply count on google and the safari app on my iphone to find it for me. The pop ups and m-chat that Titus experiences on a day to day basis is the same for myself in all honestly. I know if I am on the internet, there are always ads on the side of the page advertising my most recent google search or whatever product I was viewing at some other time. M-chat is very similar to texting or instant messaging which myself and most of you do on a daily basis. I know myself personally can relate to Titus on a technology level.

Also, you may have not picked up on the fact, that in the text, Titus is a brat. He comes from a very wealthy and high class family. Personally, I do not come from this type of family. But I do know many people who are treated like Titus within my age group and that is how I can relate. Titus gets everything he wants and does not have to work for anything that he owns. To me, this sounds very much like the society that we live in today. The youth for the most part get everything they want without having to do anything for it. Take a look the next time you are out in public and see how many young children have iphones, tablets, and computers. When I was a child I was lucky if I got to play with my legos. This generation of youth has made an impression for being lazy and spoiled which is exactly like Titus. That is how Titus and I can relate on a personal level.       

Joe F. Prompt 2.

Works Cited

Anderson, M. T. Feed. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2002. Print.

Anderson's not laughing with you, his laughing at you.

Erik L.                          “Close Reading” Anderson’s use of Irony

In  M.t Anderson “Feed” irony is used to complement the satire he portrays of technology consuming us, overwhelming us , and becoming reliant on it to the point it becomes a part of us, in American culture.Irony is used to make fun of our dependence on technology throughout the novel to keep us entertain in this way but not stride of the harsh reality of how similar it resembles to our culture . In the novel we get a chuckle at a character's expense , when Titus was explaining the benefits of the feed. He  says “you can be super smart without working.Everyone is super smart now.You can look things up automatic , like science and history, like if you want to know which battles of the civil war George Washington fight in and shit” (Anderson, pg 47). Titus is completely oblivious of the fact Washington never fought in the civil war so, no one is actually “super smart”  but are just as dumb as the people who give them  wrong information when they are using the feed.But it is even more ironic if we the reader didn't know this and went on to accept what titus said was true and not bother to check if he did fight in the civil war .In the world of feed you are only as smart as the info you get from the feed and not read for yourself. It made me wonder how much misinformation is being passed and accepted through the internet today , and that is what I think Anderson is trying to make us question but at the same make an ironic joke for us to laugh at Titus.But there is more to it because he is also making fun of the us as well  who actually accept what we read on the internet because that’s where we get most of our information since it is so easily accessible.Who reads encyclopedias or history books  today to get historical facts we just google it and Titus just uses the feed , like Titus says “ your child will have the advantage, encyclopedia at their fingertips, closer than their fingertips” (Anderson , pg 47).

In the very beginning, irony is being  employed  by how far technology has advanced that we might be ungrateful of these advances. Titus says “we went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck” (Anderson,pg 1).Isn't it ironic that just almost 50 years ago we sent a man on the moon ,which may have been one of the best human achievements, and now there's this bratty teenager who just so happen to go to the moon for vacation and said it sucks.  .This was probably my favorite line of the novel because it was so simple but set the atmosphere of what feed was going to be about.Violet durn was the “martyr” who stated so many times of how society is being consumed by the feed. She points out the irony of what quendy was doing to herself but there was another irony anderson alluded to as well.The first was when Titus says  “it was all going pretty good until quendy arrived.When she got there , it was like silence because her whole skin was cut up with these artificial lesions” (Anderson, pg 191). Titus later on says “  “it’s all for Link.I guess she wanted to outdo Calista” (Anderson,pg 192) Violet later says “it's the end , it's the end of the civilization . we’re going down” ( Anderson, pg 193). Anderson tells you here that the feed is making them lose their humanity and if that wasn't as clear to you he says it again when violet got upset playing spin the bottle . Violet  screams “Look at us ! YOu don't have the feed! You are feed.You’re feed!You’re being eaten!You’re raised for food! Look at what you’ve made yourselves! She pointed at Quendy , and went ,” She’s a monster! a monster! covered with cuts! she’s a creature!” (Anderson,pg 202). If this did not tell you what Anderson was trying to explain how technology is consuming the characters  humanity, then you probably are fed as well.

Anderson alludes irony  in a second  fashion by making fun of how we use plastic surgery to enhance our aesthetics just like Quendy enhanced her looks  in “feed” ,that ultimately made her look like a monster.But isn't there surgical practices today that can turn people into looking like  monsters. And should we question how developed surgery has gotten that it can do the reverse, and turn monsters into beautiful creatures? Aren't we heading already down this road that we are sacrificing our humanity for vanity like Quendy did to impress Link  ? Think about botox surgery or any surgery in general to enhance facial or body aesthetics. In an article by Lisa Zamosky  she states  and how we artificially purified botulinum , which is a toxic , and anyone doing botox has no botulinum risk (“surprising benefits of botox”, Lisa Zamosky reviewed by Emmy M. Graber , MD, 2012). She says they work by blocking the nerves that construct muscles, softening the appearance of wrinkles.Botox is just one surgical practice that changes the  composition of  natural human development and done for the same vanity reasons as Quendy. And the dramatic results that could happen through these type of surgeries  are provided through these pictures.

But Bill Burr, a comedian , provides some of his own insight on this and explains the satire he sees of plastic surgery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pznB7WP4P1o

Anderson’s  use of irony sheds light on how our use of technology can change our humanity  and how it could be happening already by drawing these parallels in his satire of the American culture.He draws us in with irony drawing these parallels to make us laugh throughout “Feed” only to realize, Anderson’s greatest ironic usage is that he is not laughing with you he is laughing at you.  

Erik L.

References cited:

M.T. Anderson. "Feed." , 

Candlewick Press, 2002, 2012

Lisa Zamosky Reviewed by Emmy M. Graber, MD , "The Surprising Benefits of Botox", November 28 , 2012.Web.

It. Is. An. Epidemic.

I can see it and I know you all see it too. Technology has ruined our society.

We have grown to rely on it more than ever. For instance, if you wanted to know how to make some kind of piñata for an upcoming event, all you have to do is type it into Google and voilà—you now have 50,000+ results. Nowadays, that’s what everyone does. People manipulate different search engines everyday especially on their smartphones for the rather simple things in life.

Think about it. Are you always on your phone when your hanging out with family and friends? Are you the type of person to text your friend who is sitting just a couple feet away? Do you rely on your phone or any technological device more than anything? Is your phone lighting up with notifications and drawing you away from responsibilities right at this moment?

I think technology has ruined our age. We have learned to depreciate the things that tend to make us the most content.

The little things.

“Everything I think of when I think of really living, living to the full--- all my ideas are just the opening credits of sitcoms. See what I mean? My idea of life, it’s what happens when they’re rolling the credits. My god. What am I, without the feed? It’s all from the feed credits” (Anderson 217).

In the novel, Violet starts listing the things she wants to do before her time comes. It was a list of things that were time consuming and fun do with your friends, family, and loved ones without the appearance of technology. They were things that would make her and actually anyone feel more alive then they already are. It’s crazy to think that our own society can’t go into the public without using our phones for less than ten minutes. For instance, we use our phone daily to take pictures of our food, to use maps when we are slightly lost, to look up things to do and see, or even just to check up on other people’s feeds on social media.

It’s the little things like that that distract us from what is really important.

"Technology overuse takes an immeasurable toll on our ability to give time to the things that are most important in our lives - friends, family, good food, our communities and ourselves.”

In an article titled, Friends Don’t Let Friends Overuse Technology they talk about how people are over using technology and it takes them away from the things that really matter. Its not just in this article that it’s a problem—it’s a worldwide epidemic. Yes. I said it. It’s an epidemic.

Me personally, I couldn’t imagine a life without directly communicating with the people I care about verbally. I think that technology ruins our ability to make connections with those around us. For instance in the book, no one can really talk to each other without their feed and no one can relate to the simplest things because they are being told what to do and what to think all the time.

Now, that I think of it… Is technology brain washing us? Are we conforming with what our society wants rather than what we want ourselves? Do you see how and why this is becoming an epidemic?

In the article by PR Newswire, they developed a plan to help other reconnect. They said, “It’s for people of all backgrounds as a way to bring some balance to the increasingly fast-paced way of life and to reclaim time to connect with family, friends, the community and ourselves(PR Newswire).” I think this is a wonderful way to redevelop the loss connection between people because of technology.

Life is short. We don’t always get to chose the life we want, but I think it’s the people rather than the technology that’s in our hands that keep us grounded. It’s the human connections that make us who we are and make us content. Last question that I will pose, who would you be without the use of technology at the tip of your finger and how would that effect the people around you?

Prompt 4

Sonthavy Kem

Works Cited

Anderson, M. T. Feed. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2002. Print.

PR, Newswire. “Friends Don’t Let Friends Overuse Technology.” PR Newswire US 19 Mar. 2012: Regional Business News. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.

Seen 3:21 am

M.T. Anderson has made me aware of the fact that technology is now taking over our basic way of life. Not only our way of life as a society, but also the way we communicate in relationships. Throughout the novel "Feed", the author takes readers through an exaggerated journey that portrays the consumerist lifestyle we Americans live daily. However, he also focuses on relationships and the effect their "feeds" have on their ability to communicate efficiently. He also highlights this new type of broken English in the novel that seems to be normal to the characters. I will be incorporating this theme into my short story, a modern day conversation between two individuals through text messages. While reading, it will be beneficial to pay close attention to the narration of the main character. You will be able to see the process of miscommunication through their messages.

"hey Jonathan" 

"Heyy whats up its been a minute" I'm a little shocked that she remembers me. She's been so busy lately and It's been a couple weeks since I liked her picture on instagram.. I think it was that one picture from that Halloween party.  Yeah so.. for her to hit me up now is a little strange, but I like it. 

  

"Ive been alright.. busy with school and other bs" I don't know what to say to her. 

"Anyways I was thinkin' about u and can i ask you something?" Oh what is she going to ask me. I hate it when people ask me that specific question. Do me a huge favor and just ask it because it is less frightening to me when you ask something straight up. 'Can I ask you something' sounds like you're about to call me out on something I did wrong.. I don't know.. but for some reason I feel like she's going to ask me about that one night I accidentally told her I wanted to be with her.. I texted her things like 'I miss you so much.. Blah blah.. I love you and need you blah blah blah'.. But oh man, if she asks me that I'm going to tell her I was just drinking way too much.  

"Yeah sure whats up?" Keepin' it calm and collected. 

  

"Well u remember that one time you hmu (hit me up) around 3am telling me you missed me.. and you care about me. Is it true?" I knew it. I knew it! She always does this.. like can you get the hint. It was 3am and I was obviously sauced (drunk). Couldn't you figure out I was not my usually self when I told you all of those things? Oh well I don't want to hurt her feelings so I'll just act like I don't remember a thing. 

"Wym? (what do you mean)" Keepin' it calm and collected. 

"Nvm (never mind)" ... What? She's just going to give up like that? THAT WAS EASY! Oh I definitely dodged that bullet. I mean she's cool, intelligent, well spoken, and surely a babe but I'm not the relationship kind of guy. I don't like to be tied down, you know? But the fact that she doesn't elaborate gives me a mixed feeling.. It's weird but now I want to know.. okay I'll ask.

"Oh wait.. do you mean that time i texted you around 3am? Well did i make you smile? :)" I don't really care if I made her smile.. I want her to think I do though cause then it'll be like way too easy to see what she wants to tell me.  

  

"It did, aww ur so sweet.. you are so unexpected but idk if i.." 

"forget it" Forget it? Okay obviously she likes me but does she think I'm not good enough for her or something? Like how am I suppose to feel? What does she mean by 'idk if I'? You don't know if u what? Like I'm suppose to be the one who isn't into you lol.. Why would you even text me in the first place if you wanted to tell me that.. Well truth is, I can see myself liking her but we tired it once and it was just a fail. It didn't work out the last time mostly because she didn’t feel our connection. I would love to start it up again, but she can't know that.. I'm going to act like I don't care. . . Even though I do.

"Well okay yeah idk either.. Lol whatevs.. I was sauced." Keepin' it calm and collected. 

"Really? I was going to say I didn’t know if you would be willing to give us a second chance.. But I guess you don’t want that.. Thanks anyways ASSHOLE."

-Christopher H