The Age of Earthquakes

While reading The Age of Earthquakes, my first and most prominent thought was that the book was extreme. All throughout the novel, the authors employ hyperbolic, mimicking, and condescending diction and tones (one such example of this extremity being the line “I am seven...iPhones old” when the subject’s age was questioned). As I was in the beginning parts, the extreme nature of the book did not sit well with me; I thought the writers were over exaggerating simply to condemn the newer generation and the “addiction” to technology. I bitterly observed how the authors very rarely addressed the positive impacts of technology, and when they did, it was at its surface level or it was immediately contradicted with a satirical line or picture to downplay the benefits of such technology. Simply put, I was not a fan of the book. However, as I progressed in my reading, I was pleasantly surprised. I realized that the book was using this extreme and satirical approach simply to convey the overall message: humans all across the world were connected by a common thing and that is the desire to use and have the internet. Through its use of different methods (whether that be satire, color scheme, shifts in diction, tone, factual evidence, etc.), the writers create thought provoking questions about technology’s role on an individual and in society and the implications technology may have. While the authors are not necessarily condemning technology as a whole, they are shedding light on an entirely different perspective, providing way for new thoughts and ideas, and being extreme in their ideas was simply their way of conveying their overall message. (274 words)