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.
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.
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