Andrew Sullivan Society Is Dead We Have Retreated Into The Itold

The article “Society is dead, we have retreated into the iWorld” by Andrew Sullivan is a persuasive and explanatory piece in which he expresses his observations and concerns about the use of technology, especially iPods, as a mechanism of isolation from the rest of the world. Sullivan argues that people are constantly allowing their lives to become narrowed by the excessive use of their iPods while shutting out everyone and everything else. He uses evidence and several examples, including ones from his personal experience, in an attempt to support his claims. Sullivan is quite clever in his organization of the piece, and his style impressively encompasses descriptive language, figurative language and strong diction, but he still makes a few

From paragraphs six to ten, he switches from talking about others and comments on his own behavior and how he himself became obsessed with his iPod as he begins by saying, “Yes, I might as well own up. I’m one of them” (1). Next, in paragraphs eleven to thirteen, he provides a general and brief comment about the prevalence of apple products throughout America and how the use of these products is causing Americans to narrow their lives. He proceeds by switching to a more personal approach by occasionally using the words “you” and “your” to directly refer to the iPod users from paragraphs fourteen to twenty-one. Following this direct approach, Sullivan moves to an all-inclusive approach which includes himself and the individuals around him as he comments on their reason for isolating themselves through the use of their iPod. And finally, in the last two lines he goes back to the narrative form where he recounts the one time he forgot his iPod and had no other choice but to regain consciousness and begin to recognize and become a part of the real world again. That one mis happening caused him to pop his isolation bubble and pay attention to various activities and sounds around him. He ends by urging others to leave their iPod behind and to “try it” as the world has its own “soundtrack”. This approach used by Sullivan was effective as it included everyone. He didn’t just criticize others around him but was honest enough to admit his own faults and guilt. It shows his audience that his purpose is not to provide a biased criticism of their actions, instead, he is trying to reason with