Capitalism and Consumerism Effects on the Division of Social Classes Anonymous 12th Grade

CaThe illusion that what we see in advertisements and commercials is what our lives can be like if we buy a certain product has been forcefully drilled into our minds by large corporations. In the novel Feed, M.T. Anderson illustrates his opinion on capitalism being beneficial for society because you have the freedom to own your own business and buy enhancements for your life. He also demonstrates that consumerism is deadly towards society because it tricks people into believing that their lives will magically be enhanced by buying an advertised product. He is able to strategically make his point through the character Violet who opens the eyes of Titus and shows him how they are being tricked by the power of consumerism, and highlighting the division among social classes.

Violet and Titus live in an imagined futuristic world, seeming perfect on the outside based on the abundance of material things, but is grim and dark underneath the surface. Everyone in their world has a feed hooked up at birth which gives them access to information, chat, music and TV shows. The feed causes them to constantly be bombarded by advertisements, encouraging them to constantly shop, making the feed the symbol of consumerism. Through the feed,...