Responses 4C
❧ Compare “Anti-Social Media” (immediately below) to “The Last Channel” in a specific and insightful way. Your comparison can be on theme (alienation, societal expectations, etc.), relationships (family, romance, friendship, etc.), specific words (select, delete, overwhelm, obsess, meaning, random, love, etc.), metaphor (bridge, rabbit hole, etc.), style and structure (the use of lists, quotation vs. inner dialogue, etc.), or any other aspect that compares the two pieces in a meaningful and specific way.
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Italo Calvino’s “The Last Channel” and Kim Dale’s “Anti-Social Media” are linked by their shared theme of mediated connection. Calvino’s narrator equates “the [pressing] of a button [to a] bridge... in the void” searching for its pier. This indicates the use of technology as the instrument of attempted connection. Dale’s character seeks social acceptance in her use of technology, yet discovers the “overwhelming loneliness [in] having too many friends.” This illustrates the superficial depth and fickle nature of technologically engineered relationships. Each author creates a theme of mediated connection by depicting the restrictions and feelings of isolation afforded by technology.
*** This response is very well written and makes several clear and insightful points. One thing that would improve it is to make the topic sentence encompass a specific argument (about the spaces of voids, bridges, and lonely depths?) rather than state a general point. Also, the sentences beginnning with “This indicates” and “This illustrates” are a tad obvious and could be used instead to tighten a comparative aspect. For instance, button and void might contrast with bridge and rabbit hole. Still, this is a very good response, and it makes good use of short quotes.
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At first glance, both “Anti-Social Media” and “The Last Channel” convey strong messages of social expectations. While one encourages the need to separate reality and technology, the other encourages integrating technology (social media) into their everyday lives. “I just wanted to see what was on the other channel” is seen as madness, while “obsessive refreshing” is seen as acceptable. In the end, both stories come to an agreement that the technology expected to connect us to the world can leave us feeling more disconnected than ever.
*** This response is good, although it could be better if the argument were more specific in the topic sentence. This would get the student more quickly into the texts. Perhaps the second sentence could be conflated with the first. This condensation would make the argument more clear and also give the student more space to develop the way separation and integration are explored in the texts. Also, the final point could be integrated into an expanded take on madness and acceptability.
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In the texts “The Last Channel” and “Antisocial Media,” they speak about the concept of conforming to societal expectations. These texts present the idea of hope; hope to escape from societal influences. Despite the contrast between the examples, one being metaphorical and the other being literal; they both present the impossible nature of existing in a different reality. Both characters realize that it is impossible to fully break away from the terrors of socialization and achieve independence because of the power of external influences.
*** This response identifies the main themes, yet needs to be more specific both in its focus and in the examples it uses. For instance, where are the texts metaphorical and where are they literal? I would suggest taking this distinction, putting it in the topic sentence right away, and then writing the rest of the the response about how this distinction works out in the texts. The topic sentence is accurate, yet it isn’t specific enough to be an argument. It’s more like an observation. This is often the difficult part about post-secondary writing: students need to go beyond observation and into argument. In an essay, this can often be fixed by making your thesis statement and topic sentences more specific.
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Calvino's short story portrays the TV remote as a vortex, which the character cannot detach himself from, alienating his thoughts and behaviours, resembling the "falling down the rabbit hole" metaphor from Anti-Social Media text. The obsessive refreshing described within this rabbit hole becomes instinctive, similar to the impulsive nature to switch programs. Further description of the imperatives that come inside the rabbit hole are also adjectives we can conclude from Calvino's character, for example the constant switch from "hating" and "being loved" visibly seen in the character's relationship with Volumnia. (90 words)
*** This is a very good response, although it gets weak toward the end because the imperatives and adjectives in Calvino need to be identified specifically if we are to fully grasp how they are similar to the ones which are identified in the other text.
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In both “Anti-Social Media” and “The Last Channel” the idea of conformity is presented through the hardships each protagonist endures. In “Anti-Social Media” the girl is initially skeptical towards joining social networks, comparing it to “jumping off a bridge” with a supposed positive impact but later finds herself “[falling] down [a] rabbit hole” from being mentally drained by its contents. Comparatively, in “The Last Channel” the unstable protagonist is unable to conform to societal expectations as he repeatedly tries “changing channels” of himself to fit into a world that has been “corroded within by the worm that perverts everything." (99 Words)
*** This is a very good response, although changes the ‘channels’ of his many selves might be a bit more clear. Also, the student might tighten the language so as to leave a bit more room for a closer look at the relation between bridge to rabbit hole (the latter might suggest Alice in Wonderland) and such possibilities as channels to the hole a worm makes in an apple (the latter has the symbolic meaning of a fallen world in Italy).
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In both “Anti-Social Media” and “The Last Channel” the sweeping generalization was applied to prominent characters in order to normalize some social stereotypes like everybody is scrolling an endless feed in social media apps or like, in the second case, everybody who repetitively changes TV channels is considered to be “insane”. However, in a poem, the stereotypes, who “do it”, are glorified by criticizing some exceptions, those who consciously “avoid it”, while in “The Last Channel” the narrator was criticized due to an unconscious act that somehow turned out to be “the instrument of crime”.
*** This response is rigorous in the way it looks into differences between the texts, yet it also makes some statements that are hard to understand. Part of the problem here may come from expression difficulties. The definite article “the” distorts the argument of the topic sentence, since we don’t know what the generalization is (I suspect the student means In both “Anti-Social Media” and “The Last Channel” sweeping generalizations are applied…). The use of the passive voice in “was applied” also suggests that the poems aim to normalize. Isn’t it the characters who try to normalize? The poet and the characters in the poem need to be separated. Perhaps using the active voice would straighten this out. I also have concerns about the following: Are the ones using social media glorified here? Does the student mean Calvino’s protagonist is accused of a crime (rather than his use of a remote is a crime)? I suspect that some of the problems here might be cleared up if the ideas were more carefully articulated. For instance, the passive voice in “was criticized” could be made active and therefore make clear who is criticizing him.
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In “The Last Channel”, the protagonist obsesses over chasing the perfect reality. The girl in “Anti-Social Media” becomes obsessed with entertainment and being involved. Social media and the “system” influence their actions, making them develop concentration problems because they fear missing out. Calvino’s character’s habit of channel surfing takes over his life, causing him to do strange things. He is not aware of his problem. Social media invades the girl’s life in a relatable and realistic way, as she falls deep into obsession without expecting to. These stories share the idea that we become prisoners of the medium in which media is presented.
*** This response is very good: it’s clear and makes good points. I suggest, however, that a good student like this might try a more difficult angle, so that the argument gets us further from what we can already see in the texts. The student might take take an ambiguous or otherwise challenging aspect of the argument and use a more specific comparative illustration to back it up. Still, this is a very good response.
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Comparing the Obsession for Media in “The Last Channel” and “Anti-Social Media” Both stories describe how easy it is to obsess over different forms of media, as it contains addicting factors that are difficult to get under control. In “Anti-Social Media” the narrator never wanted to join social media in the first place, however, with the pressure of a consistent friend they reluctantly joined and became so obsessed that they were unable to stop scrolling. While in “The Last Channel” the narrator welcomes the idea of television channels and remote controls in everyday aspects of his life to the point that it becomes his huge obsession and main connection to the world. (100 words).
*** This response starts off strong and focused, yet tends toward plot observation in the body. Try to key into an aspect which illustrates your main point rather than observing what happens in general. For example, the student might look into the degree that Calvino’s protagonist is also pressured by others and by the media itself. The comparative degrees of pressure are more difficult to get at than the general idea of obsession, and thus they would push the student toward argument rather than plot summary. Or, if the student wanted to focus on obsession, finding an aspect of obsession which wasn’t an obvious point would work. For instance, one could look at how obsession works in terms of relationships. The student is already part way there for the poem, but could tighten the focus, then compare this with how Calvino’s protagonist is overwhelmed by his obsession at the very moment his intimacy with others is at its peak – at the moment he is about to say “I do.” Or, the student might examine this crucial turning point in Calvino’s story and try to find a matching or contrasting turning point in the other story (in which case the comparison would focus more on structure than relationships).
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“Anti-social” and “The Last Channel” are both short stories surrounding addictions to various forms of media that the 21st century has become known for. The narrator from Anti-social describes the dependence as an “obsessive refreshing”, fueled by paradoxical loneliness that’s both exacerbated and temporarily alleviated through “meaningless comparisons, pointless envy and random laughter”. However, the Narrator from “The Last Channel” suggests that his behavior is no addiction at all, but rather carried out with clear intention. He acknowledges the superficiality of it all, while also suggesting at a deeper meaning for those with the ability and patience to decipher it. (100 words)
*** This is a very good response, although it needs proofreading for expression details and format (in bold above).
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Through run-on sentences and blasts of imagery, Dale and Calvino mimic the visual media humans consume. Both explore the mental toll of over-consumption, one must always be doing something, no coming up for air. These images give us snippets but no real story. By seeing only “the pearl on her father's ascot tie…(and) the veil embroidered with silver” one would imagine a beautiful wedding not the “irreparable wound” of rejection given at the alter. The authors want to avoid “obsessive refreshing and/ too little sleep” by encouraging caution before streams of social media introduce oceanic currents of consumption. (99 words)
*** This response has many good points, but also needs proofing. For instance, “one must always be doing something, no coming up for air” creates a fused sentence (f.s.). Also, make sure that ideas are clearly connected to the topic sentence (the second sentence needs to be more clearly connected). Finally, the notion that a story has to work a certain way is a bit odd, especially since Calvino’s story is brilliantly crafted and he uses gaps very effectively. On the other hand, the writing is lively and the use of quotes and the final sentence all work very well.
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Beginning with the narrator’s compulsive need for finding the perfect television channel, Calvino expertly displays the addictive and destructive nature of media. The impulsive tic of flipping from one channel to the next ends up consuming every aspect of his life. This addictive nature is also evident in Dale’s Ant-Social Media. The poem depicts a girl “[falling] down the rabbit hole" of media platforms, despite initial apprehensiveness towards joining the “newest social media fad”. Her thoughts and behaviours now revolve around these networks. In both stories, we see these characters becoming devoured by the media they initially consumed. (100 words)
*** This is an excellent comparative overview of the two texts. It could be even better if the student got closer to a particular comparative aspect of the text. For instance, is there the equivalent of a ‘rabbit hole’ in Calvino?
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“Anti-Social Media” and “The Last Channel” both deal with the subjects of relationships and alienation. In Anti-Social Media the subject of relationships is looked at through the initial interaction between the two friends talking about how social media would allow the anti-social friend to connect with others instead of continue her course of isolation. While in the Last Channel we follow a man seemingly held within an isolation room as he describes the room, he transitions and eventually begins to talk about his relationship with a girl Volumnia. In both pieces of work, we see how relationships with others began to change the two main characters, at first their relationships whether they be of friendship or romantic origin start off well but as time moves on destroys both these people leaving them in loneliness and alienation.
*** This response demonstrates an understanding of the texts, yet it is too long (136 words) and it doesn’t present us with much in terms of argument or analysis. It more or less summarizes what happens in each text.
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Alienation and social expectations play a major role in “Anti-Social Media” and “The Last Channel” poems. The similarity between both articles is having to meet the social standard expectation's role in their daily lives to act in a certain way and to behave in a certain manner. Not being able to follow the standard expectations will get you alienated and separated from the rest of society. In the poem anti-social media by Kim Z Dale, she wrote about a girl being pressured into social expectations and others wanting her to be just like them by telling her “Come on. Absolutely everyone does it.” (Anti-Social Media by Kim Z Dale) meaning they want her to follow in their footsteps and enter the world of social media. This made her fall into a trap of social expectations and never fully satisfied with herself. Always wanting other people to love her before loving herself first and to truly accept who she is as a human. In the last channel one world is slowly falling apart and by letting himself get sucked into an endless cycle of believing in his own curiosity. Getting deeper into his addiction, falling into a rabbit hole. Cycling through endless channels and not stopping until getting interrupted by society. In the end, he repeatedly justifies his actions. The main difference between anti-social media and the last channel is that in anti-social media the main character is still young and has many more opportunities to change the outcome of what she thinks of herself and how can social media affect her health. In the last channel, the main character seems to be lost and still searching to find meaning in life cycling through different channels trying to find his calling.
*** At 290 words this response is far too long. For all assignments, you will lose marks if you write substantially over the maximum length. Five or ten words over the limit will not lower your mark, yet writing two or three times the length would make it very difficult for an instructor to mark. Some instructors would fail it outright, while others would read up to the maximum and stop there. (I’d be inclined to do the latter). Otherwise, this response is a good general overview of the two texts. Yet the student needs to hone in on one aspect that compares the texts in a specific and insightful way. There are also far too many expression errors (in bold).
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