So sometimes reviews can get a little stale, especially ones that tear down something that the general public seems to like. If a reporter is overly critical and the reader disagrees with his/her opinion, the article can easily come off as an unreasonable, ranting tirade. Virginia Heffernan, on the other hand, attacks one of the most beloved new devices – the iPhone – in a way that instead of putting off readers, makes them laugh.
Heffernan’s article is successful because it’s hilarious. Just like in satire, people are more accepting to potentially offensive messages if they’re laughing. So Heffernan’s witty use of sophisticated adjectives, personification, and metaphors describing her hated iPhone lend themselves perfectly to her piece. I mean, as soon as you call a phone, “Refined, introverted, mysteriously chilled,” as Heffernan does in her second sentence, you’ve hooked the reader to see what the heck you’re talking about.
Maybe Heffernan goes a little extreme in her tirade, but that’s kind of the point. I doubt that she was actually “fighting rage” at four in the morning, as she said she was, but it just makes the article that much funnier. I especially enjoyed the exchange between Heffernan and the AT&T saleswoman in which the iPhone is compared to a newborn baby. Priceless.
The thing is, through the laughter, some of what Heffernan says truly rings through. I agree with the fact that the keypad on the iPhone is hard to use (I don’t personally own one, and my fingers are pretty clumsy I guess), and Heffernan’s whole bit about thinking with her thumbs as opposed to her forefinger had me in stitches. So did the way she characterized the iPhone’s word suggestions as bossy and insincere.
Overall, the article was a laugh, and a refreshing one. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/magazine/05wwln-medium-t.html?em
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2 comments:
I like the article too, but more because it's better to read a review that reads like a story rather than a straight-up opinion. The article is written as a journey, rather than "This is what I thought and why I thought it." I think that contributed to the article more than the satire element.
I also loved this article, in fact I "blogged" it myself a couple of weeks ago. It was hilarious,and I agree with your statement that because it's funny people are more open to criticisms on the "beloved" iPhone.
I happen to disagree with The Cribbit, I feel the humour was the main strength of the review. True,the fact that it reads like a story makes it more engaging, but if had just read like a story and hadn't been funny I doubt I would have kept reading. The humour is what ultimately kept me interested and made the review stand out from others.
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