Monday, March 14, 2011

Getting Past the Initial Shock...

I'll admit that I am one to judge a book by its cover...and Feed did not look like it would be my kind of book at all. I decided to get past the cover and begin reading and the first few pages did not spark my interest either. It wasn't until page 13, when Violet was introduced, that I was intrigued. I had to read the first few pages over because they honestly did not make any sense to me. The characters were using made-up words and talking about the moon. As I kept on reading, things began to make sense to me and I actually grew to like the novel. Another part of the novel that really helped me attach myself to it was the examples of information that is being heard on the feed (like on pages 14-15). The relationship between Titus and Violet also piqued my interest and allowed me to come to the conclusion that this novel can work for a wide variety of students due to the various relationships and the theme of being bombarded with media messages.


This novel also led me to think further about how our society is affected by advertisements from all sources of media whether it be the television, radio or internet. I don't think I ever really thought about how much I am personally affected by advertisements, but after reading Feed, I am definitely more aware. I have even found myself thinking about how companies use their ads to encourage you to make a purchase and how these ads personally appeal to me. I think that this could raise some interesting and beneficial discussions within a classroom. Students realize the pressures that these media messages place upon them (whether it be to buy certain items, eat at certain restaurants or visit certain attractions or places of interest) and I am interested in seeing how they would react to a discussion on the topic.

I was doing background research on Feed and found this blog that talked a little about how slang was developed by Anderson and used in the novel:

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6 comments:

  1. RichMarch 18, 2011 at 12:44 PM

    I think most people do not understand the amount of advertisements we witness in just one day. These ads certainly have an affect on us whether we are aware or not. But how do we combat this constant bombardment?

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  2. Cassie ShiveMarch 18, 2011 at 3:37 PM

    I like how you brought up advertisements. In my seminar class, we spent a great deal of time talking about that and branding and the effect it has on students. Even in Ship, we experience it. Next time you go to the CUB, look at all the ads for Pepsi.

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  3. AmandaStarMarch 18, 2011 at 7:36 PM

    I think you introduce very important topics that our students will feel as well. Most students do judge books by the cover, I know I did as an adolescent. You also talk about how it took you a while to get into the book, as it did many of our fellow classmates. This is something to keep in mind when introducing books like this. How could we(teachers) help our students get past instances like this, because face it, things like the book cover and the begining of the book not catching attention could really hurt our students and not push them to actually read the book. By introducing the book with a fun activity to give them an understanding of what is to come could really be beneficial. As well as reading the begining of the book in class out loud could really help students become involved. IT was really hard to understand what the characters were talking about when referring to the moon because we don't travel to the moon, but introducing the book in the viewpoint of us traveling to the beach would be something for students to be better hooked by. As well as going over the language and slag that is used to help them understand. By knowing your students, and hearing the slang that they use in the classroom, you could even use that against them with connection to the slang that Feed discusses.

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  4. Miss Lauren B. Nearhoof March 20, 2011 at 4:34 PM

    "This novel also led me to think further about how our society is affected by advertisements from all sources of media whether it be the television, radio or internet. I don't think I ever really thought about how much I am personally affected by advertisements, but after reading Feed, I am definitely more aware."

    For my media class in high school, we were required to count as many ads that we were encountered by in one day. It was unreal! I don't think we do, as consumers, realize how ads affect us. How many times do we unknowninly sing a catchy tune from the radio ad and realize it's for dominos or the local restaurant? It's scary, and it's very much brain-washing us to consume all the products out there.

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  5. AlysiaMarch 20, 2011 at 8:12 PM

    The picture you chose here fits perfect with what we have been discussing. We are wrapped so much into media and advertisements that we often do not realize it. I think what you chose to do with your students would be a great awareness lesson. We have to remember our students will be even more into technology than we are.

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  6. RenewStewApril 25, 2011 at 5:44 PM

    It's scary to think how much our thinking is controlled by media/ads, etc. You wonder if you really ever buy anything for a real reason? Thanks for your honest feedback on your reading process. I didn't get quite so into Feed, but it's message resonates.

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