Explore Anderson's interesting inclusion of the lesions that are grotesque and, yet, somehow fashionable. What do you think the author is suggesting about the role of societal norms, fashion trends, and elective surgery in the near future?

Anderson's inclusion of the lesions in Feed is similar to that of today's high-end fashion models seen on the runways. Like the lesions, alarmingly skinny models are supposed to be beautiful, yet they are at the same time disgusting. In today's society, beautiful is defined by being skinny. Since this is the trend teens go to extreme lengths to try and look just like models. The same happens in Feed. All the actors and famous stars have these lesions. In order to be cool Calista gets an artificial lesions. Calista even tells her "Don't let anyone tell you you look stupid...because seeing what's inside of you, all your guts, is just so sexy" (200).

Anderson suggests that the extremes that people go through to look beautiful will only get worse in the future. The idea of beauty in America has taken a drastic and scary turn. The societal norm is all about appearance instead of the inner beauty. This causes people to go to extremes to look "beautiful". Unfortunately, because of this, expensive plastic surgery has become the norm in America, and many people suffer eating disorders to be skinny like the models. Like in Feed, today's society is told what one should buy to look good and what styles are in. Today we are unaware of how much we actually influenced by the media.

The Teen Scene

M.T. Anderson's Feed is a work usually assigned to the genre of juvenile fiction. Consider the intended audience for the work and explore what issues may especially connect with younger readers. Anchor your discussion to at least one scene in the novel that you think exemplifies this connection to this particular audience.

M.T. Anderson’s Feed is a novel geared towards the adolescent audience by incorporating modern day teen activities such as spring break, parties, fashion and relationships with both parents and friends. The characters experience the typical drama and excitement of a teenager’s life. The language Anderson uses helps the young reader easily connect with the characters as opposed to reading adult fiction.

In Feed, Anderson foreshadows the way society is moving forward. The author intends this novel for young adults because he hopes they too can foresee the consequences of a rapid changing world. In the novel Anderson discusses important issues such as education, family values, global warming, and how technology takes over humans. By addressing these issues, he brings awareness to younger generations so they can prevent such things from happening.

Throughout Feed, fashion is a major factor that influences the character’s popularity and lives. Although the trends change much faster throughout the novel than they do in present day society, it is still representative of how every teenager needs to have the latest fads in fashion. Feed also takes this to an extreme by incorporating self mutilation as a form of beauty and style. Lesions, which are cuts on the body, develop on the character's skin and are deemed popular by a television show that plays on the feed. Quendy gets fake lesions all over her body to outdo Calista who has one on the back of her neck. Titus says, “I was disgusted, like, Huh? You can see her like muscles and tendons and ligaments and stuff through the lesions.” Marty then says, “which makes you kind of think about what’s inside, huh? Which is sexy.” This exemplifies the extent at which teenagers will go to fit in and be wanted in their social circles.

The characters attend a party hosted by Link and they experience different peer pressures. The party is a typical example of the ridicule of an outsider, in this case, Violet. They play spin the bottle which is when Violet goes ballistic and criticizes the others. Violet starts screaming, “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!” Because of Violet’s reaction, the other characters poke fun at her which is an example of how teenagers who think for themselves are not easily accepted into established cliques.

Because of these factors, young readers can relate to the characters more appropriately than any other age group. The book deals with the struggles of everyday teenage life but in a more rapidly changing way of life.

In M.T. Anderson's Feed, we are shown a world in which the line between consumer product and consumer has been blurred or erased. Cite a few examples from the novel where this has occurred and explore the consequences that the novel suggests accompany such a change.

The novel Feed, by MT Anderson, reveals a future in which the boundaries between a company’s product and its buyer are often difficult to differentiate. A primary example that Anderson demonstrates early in the novel takes place when Titus meets Violet for the first time. Due to his loss of words, the feed suggests the word in which he should use. After it recommends the word “supple,” Titus uses the word even though he is not sure of its meaning. However, the reader is then exposed to the world in which the protagonist lives by experiencing the same commercial running through his feed. Within this advertisement, the word “supple” is used in order to explain its definition.

The feed replaces things like billboards, television commercials, and magazine advertisements that one chooses voluntarily. However, Anderson portrays a world in which an individual is unable to control the media's affect on consumers through the feed when it reveals advertisements based on the interests of each potential buyer.

In rebellion to this way of life, Violet chooses to spend a day at the mall in which she takes interest to certain things that she does not have any concern with. The purpose of her actions is to confuse the feed by not correlating with her past desires. Subsequently, Violet's motives are ultimately the cause of her death in the end of the novel. Because of this confusion, she is unable to attain an updated feed after her old one experiences certain difficulties when it slowly suppresses the functions of her body. Nina with FeedTech Corp informed Violet that after reviewing her purchasing history and shopping habits, they did not feel she would be a reliable investment. She explained," ...like for example you asking for information about all those wow and brag products and then never buying anything.....Sorry-I'm afraid you'll just have to work with your feed the way it is" (247).

Lastly, toward the end of the novel, Titus argues with Violet's father. After an emotional breakdown once he is in his room by himself, Titus has a certain impulse to continue to buy one certain product. He states, "It was like I kept buying these things to be cool, but cool was always flying just ahead of me, and I could never exactly catch up to it" (279). Because of such feelings, Titus believes the cure to this hardship is to purchase.

However, this buying does not accomplish anything.

Worth it all?

With the introduction of the “book people” that Guy Montag meets by the railroad tracks, a reader is brought to wonder quite a few things. One prominent question left in your mind is whether or not the efforts of Granger, the leader of the “book people,” and his crew are in vain. Granger tells Montag “Right now we have a horrible job; we're waiting for the war to begin and, as quickly, end...When the war's over, perhaps we can be of some use in the world.”

They feel that without these records of history, civilization will lose the lessons and stories learned through the years. This is the idea that drives the group of "book people" by the railroad tracks to protect at all costs the knowledge they have gained from books.

As they talk of their plan to rewrite the books after the war is over, their passing on of stories and knowledge from person to person bears a striking resemblance to civilization before the idea the writing of records was taking place. They feel that although it is not the most fortunate situation, memorizing and passing on the books from person to person is worth it in the end if they are to keep culture from regressing with the loss of knowledge.

Their motivation shows just how clearly they understand the value of the knowledge contained in books. Granger tells Montage of their intentions, saying “All we want to do is keep the knowledge we think we will need intact and safe. We’re not out to incite or anger anyone yet, for if we are destroyed, the knowledge is dead, perhaps for good.”(152)

We believe that by doing this they are helping preserve the wisdom that humanity has gained over the course of time. The loss of hundreds years of writings would be one of the greatest tragedies of our time, because as Granger tells Montag, once the knowledge is lost, it cannot be recovered.

Things Don’t Always Seem As They Appear

In the novel, Fahrenheit 451, there are several symbols and motifs in which underlying messages are conveyed. When Granger says at the end of the book, “We're going to go build a mirror factory first and put out nothing but mirrors for the next year and take a long time to look at them?” Bradbury is commenting on the necessity of society to reflect on the past and instigate change. This quote specifically refers to Montag’s description of Clarisse at the beginning of the book, and the use of mirrors metaphorically describes the connection between the ways people perceive themselves contrasted to how they actually appear. The mirrors symbolize the juxtaposition of an imagined, utopian society, and one based in reality that focuses on individual people and their freedoms. This quote goes back to the main theme that is portrayed throughout the novel which shows, it is necessary for members of a society to know who they are as individuals and to take on ideals of their own. Without having knowledge and being able to reflect on who you as an individual; changes will not be made and therefore will hinder a society’s ability to truly be successful and prosper.

Suicide in F451

In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, there are two mentions of a suicide and a near-suicide involving two entirely different characters. One character is conformed by society and one refuses to conform to society. It’s interesting why two people who are so different from each other would want to take their own life. Suicide is believed to happen so frequently in Montag's society because the people are controlled by the government. The people do not live their own life but a life of meaningless media.

In the beginning, Mildred almost dies by taking too many sleeping pills. Montag has to call medical technicians to come change her blood. The worker is almost bored when he says, “We get these cases nine or ten a night” (15). When Montag confronts Mildred the next morning, Mildred denies that she would do such a thing and is excited to have a part in a play with the “family.” She is obsessed with the “family” and driving fast in her car. Mildred may drive fast to feel like she is alive as opposed to feeling zombie-like when she is with the “family” at all hours of the day, every day.

In contrast to Mildred, one woman loves her books so much that she is willing to die for them. The fireman get a call that a woman is harboring illegal books in her house and rush off to burn them. When ready to burn the house the woman will not leave. Montag does not want to leave her but Beatty says, “These fanatics always try suicide; the pattern’s familiar” (39). Without warning she strikes her own match and lights the books and herself on fire. She would rather take her own life and die with the books that make her happy than to be miserable by the way society has become.

Suicides may be frequent in Montag's society due to a lack of creativity and knowledge. What would cause Mildred to try and take her own life? Does her life really satisfy her?