iPod People

     The iPod people in an iWolrd? People with wires coming out of their ears, making them unaware and oblivious to the outside world. Cut off from any social interaction from others. Walking around mindlessly bumping into objects and people. These are some of the ways that Andrew Sullivan describes the people of New York City. He took a trip there and noticed something strange... something unexpected. It was much quieter than he thought it should be. He wrote this editorial to share to people what MP3s and iPods have done to our society. Sullivan uses a technique of description that makes the reader feel very suspicious of portable music players.
    This technique he uses to catch the attention of his readers is mysterious. When he describes the headphones, he never actually uses the word, “headphones.” He describes them as, “white wires hanging down from their ears.” In doing this he makes the headphones look very suspicious. It leads one to believe that these white wires are some sort of electrical device that is keeping people from connecting with the outside world. He claims how they are “oblivious” to the outside world.
    In my mind, this description makes me picture some sort of alien invasion where the aliens implanted devices in us to control our every move. While we all generally know what he is talking about, it helps us to stay interested on his topic and we begin to look forward to more pieces to the mystery of the “white wires.” (279).