Woman's Obsession With the Internet in Who Am I? by Merrill Markoe and Computers, Computers by Marty Whiddon (Essay Example)

The computer you use every day affects you more than you think. Computers are a substantial part of everyday life in an abundance of ways. Email, documents, work sites, school sites, homework, shopping, and so many more aspects of life. It is not something that people can avoid these days. Generally, it all begins on a search engine and websites pop up with the beginning of the URL “www” which means worldwide web, worldwide! Computers can affect everyone in the world. The story “Who Am I?” by Merrill Markoe, and the poem “Computers, Computers” by Marty Whiddon both describe a woman's obsession with the internet, how computers have changed who they are, and their point of view about them. 

The story “Who Am I?” by Merrill Markoe and the poem “Computers, Computers” by Marty Whiddon both describe a woman's obsession with the internet. In “Who Am I?” by Merrill Markoe it says, “At least until I started taking personality quizzes on the internet”. The story describes a woman’s experience with online quizzes. These quizzes had the woman hooked on taking more quizzes and finding out the answers that they promised. “To recoup my losses, like a woman feverishly playing the slot machines, I continued to take more quizzes” - states “Who Am I?” by Merrill Markoe, pg. 174, chapter 8, of “Write Now” by Karin L. Russel. The portion which I have underlined is an analogy to the woman's obsession with quizzes and the internet.

Similarly in Marty Whiddons’ poem, a woman is obsessed with her computer and the internet. “Computers, Computers” by Marty Whiddon states, “They’re taking over my life. My car and my home, Television, and phone. My job and now even my wife.” (Line numbers 2, 3, 4, and 5.) This is a poem in which he talks about computers and how it’s become an obsession of his wifes’. It says it's taken over his wife. Further on in the poem, it says “A woman who’d rather Enjoy a computer Than the company of a good-looking man.”- “Computers, Computers” by Marty Whiddon Line 9, 10, and 11. Page 181 of “Write Now” by Karin L. Russel. Which emphasizes the fact that the woman is obsessed with the computer. When someone would like to do something over something else, it shows how much they prefer that activity. When Whiddon compares what she would rather be doing to a good-looking man versus just a man, or even her husband, it shows that the woman, his wife is truly taken over by the computer.

Along with computers taking over their lives, computers have also changed who they are. In the story “Who Am I?” by Merrill Markoe she says, “Feeling a bit more confident, I was also getting genuinely curious about the possibility of learning something new about myself this way.” The portion I have underlined shows that she is maybe allowing herself to be changed by what the quiz has told her. The woman in Who am I? I by Merrill Markoe is having a moment of self-reflection or she is reflecting on her life because of her internet use. She believes in the answers from the quiz and changes herself because of them. Later on in the story it says, “ . . .and my choice of an abstract pattern from an assortment of designs offered me a complete reevaluation.” - “Who Am I?”- by Merril Markoe. This particular part of the sentence tells us what taking those quizzes is like. You can take them again and again, changing your answers and becoming a whole new person each time. The reevaluation that happened was from the new quiz question setup, it was a little different than the previous one. Picking another different pattern made her who she was hoping to be. “Now, thank heavens, I was ‘dynamic, active, extroverted’ and ‘willing to accept certain risks” - “Who Am I?”- by Merrill Markoe In the quote I choose it explains a time, “now . . . I was” She was no longer defined by the last quiz. The woman has changed herself and thinks about herself differently again because of what these quizzes on her computer tell her. 

She is not the only one changed by computers, in “Computers, Computers” by Marty Whiddon he describes a man who has been changed by computers. “Computers, Computers” by Marty Whiddon states, “Just thinking about it Blows a fuse in my mind.” The same sentence is repeated yet again in the poem a little later. The repetition of the phrase defines it loud and clear how the character is affected by the computers and the character's wife’s use of the computer. The character says how his life isn’t the same because of computers. “Shucks, our life ain’t the same Since she bought that blooming thing. That computer is ruining my life.” He doesn’t like that computers have taken over multiple aspects of his life. He is also at a point of life evaluation, he is recognizing that computers are changing the way he does activities, and that are changing his actions. “They’re taking over my life.” - Computers, Computers by Marty Whiddon This line is repeated twice once again this reinforces the thought and shows us that it is an idea that the author wants to portray. The way that it has changed the husband's life in the poem is that it has changed his life. The aspects about life that have changed for him are, “My car and my home, Television, and phone. My job and now even my wife.” - Computers, Computers by Marty Whiddon. 

Lastly, both stories give us insight into the characters' “point of view” about computers and the internet. To contrast the two articles Who Am I? By Merrill Markoe and Computers, Computers by Marty Whiddon they show differing views on opinions about a computer and the internet. To begin Who Am I? Merrill Markoe states, “Much to my delight the quiz was favorably impressed.” The women's delight in the way the quiz responded shows her positive outlook on the quizzes. Also in many other instances, it shows that she is “for the internet” versus against the internet. “my mood improved considerably once I clicked on the next test I could find”- Who Am I? By Merrill Markoe Another sentence that shows us that the woman is for the internet is, “All things considered, I have to say that it feels great to get to know myself at last.”- Who Am I? By Merrill Markoe Overall through the article Who Am I? By Merrill Markoe there are a great number of descriptions, where you can observe the woman enjoying the internet quizzes, and her internet use.

While that is not the case for all users of computers and the internet. Marty Whiddon's poem, Computers, Computers shows us another side to the computer and the internet. The husband in Whiddon's poem is against computers and the internet. He is not as fond of it as the women in Markoes’ article. Now onto some proof, the poem states, “Computers, Computers. They’re taking over my life.”- Computers, Computers by Marty Whiddon's. The quote is complaining about computers, it goes on to list many more key elements of his life that the computers have ruined. Where overall it’s his life that he claims it has ruined. Yet another quote that shows the husband opposing reasons to computers is, “I said, ‘Honey, that's a sin’ ”. In this quote, the husband compares taking a computer to bed as a sin, which shows how much the husband does not like computers. Just a few lines down the husband compares the computer, or using the computer to a more drastic accusation, “Now that’s akin to adultery” he is genuinely against computers and his wife's use of computers. Lots of lines of the poem later demands, “ That computer is ruining my life.”- Computers, computers by Marty Whiddon The husband has had enough of the computer and has given numerous reasons as to why he is against the wife's use of the internet. There are also various descriptions about his wife's use of a computer that defines the origin of his opposition. To begin the list, “She plays with her computer All day and all night.”, and “she tries to impress me With the Latest Technology And jibberish I ain’t ever read”, to further the reasons, “While just being online Takes up all her time” - Computers, computers by Marty Whiddon. Those are all reasons from just half of the poem. In the poem, the husband has expressed just how much the computer has ruined his life. You can understand all his worries and concern with his reasons as to why he is against the computer and the internet. 

The story “Who Am I?” by Merrill Markoe, and the poem “Computers, Computers” by Marty Whiddon have both described a women’s obsession with the internet, how they have changed who they are because of it, and their point of view is positively solid through their poem and story. The story “Who Am I?” by Merrill Markoe has shown how a woman can be obsessed with a computer, but so has the poem “Computers, Computers” by Marty Whiddon.  The articles have also both described how the people are affected and how they have changed from the experience with a computer. In Markoes’ article her point of view, about being for computers and internet quizzes is very clear and recognizable. In contrast to the article Who Am I? The poem Computers, Computers by Whiddon truly shows a husband's opposing point of view, and how one can be against the computer for what it does to someone.