The Meaning Behind Machines of Loving Grace

Brautigan’s Poem, “All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace” has a negative tone and message. In the beginning of each stanza are words in parentheses that show the sarcasm used. This implies that the follow messages after every stanza are false showing that Brautigan is against technology. The message in the parentheses are enough to show what the poet really means through his use of sarcastic demands such as “right now, please!”, “it has to be!”, and “the sooner the better!” Both the exclamation marks and the parentheses interrupt the flow of the poem making them seem like outcasts that do not belong to begin with. I believe that although this poem may seem harmless, I see it as a warning that technology would soon take over.

This poem demonstrates qualities of pro-technology. There are several scenes where it shows how nature and technology can coexist harmoniously. The line “where deer stroll peacefully past computers,” show how naturally both can exist in each other’s presence without disturbance. This may be symbolic for the fact that technology can be beneficial to nature and thus create some kind of utopia. It would be a positive change that even nature would learn to cope with it.

I believe that even though this poem can also be seen as pro-technology, I see it more as anti-technology by the way this was initially written. Although it may be a good thing that “we are free of our labors,” the lines that say we can return “to our mammal brothers and sisters” imply that we are savages and technology may surpass us. The lines, “programming harmony,” sound as though harmony does not exist and that we have to program it. If computers were to program harmony, then it would seem pretentious. Computers do not have feelings and therefore it is highly impossible for it to program harmony or any other natural state of ease. The title “All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace” sounds odd in a way where it seems like the machines are the all mighty and powerful source. The part where it says “All Watched Over By Machines” made it seem as though the machines are Gods that can see our every move. This is scary because that would mean that we live in a world without privacy.

The Lovely Design of Doom

A fat and white spider

A white moth

White piece of rigid satin cloth

Dead wings

Paper kites

Heal-all

Design of darkness

Witches’ broth

Snow-drop spider

Robert Frost’s poem, “Design,” tells a story about the circle of life. The dimpled spider on white heal-all catches its prey, the white moth. The adjectives fat and white describe what the spider looks like. The word fat showed that the spider feeds well in order to sustain life and satisfy its hunger. The line that says “like a white piece of rigid satin cloth” does not make any sense because satin cloths cannot be rigid which makes this sentence abstract and incoherent, but it does describe the moth.

 Death is definitely described in this poem in the line “death and blight” that compare with the “ingredients in a witches’ broth.” Witches are a negative aspect and death and blight, a plant disease, become mixed into this shows how deadly situation can be for the moth. Frost used the color white to describe the two most important creatures in this poem, the white spider along with the white moth. White is usually symbolic for innocence which this poem does not show by having nature take place and showing how the circle of life works.

The beginning of the second stanza asked why the flower was white when the color white usually meant purity and perfection when that very flower allowed the white spider to sit there and be hidden, waiting for an insect to pass by and fall into the trap that leads to the kill. Towards the ending of the second stanza, the poem showed how even the most beautiful thing can be deadly. The design that the spider created was as trap in which the moth falls prey. It is just nature and natural for the little spider to create such a huge design that “govern in a thing so small” so the spider can live and feed itself. That is just how nature works. The living creatures are either on the top or on the bottom of the food chain. In order to survive, the creatures must kill to nourish their own bodies to live. Nature does not have sides, it just either benefits one or the other. The spider having to be white was able to use the white flower as its advantage to camouflage itself so others would not see it.

Trip to a Different World

Have you ever wanted to go on a trip right away just to escape all the troubles and worries you might be having or feel like your life is not as exciting when compared to others around you? Sometimes I feel this way and in order to escape this feeling of despair and boredom, I would open up a book and start to read. Reading is like a movie in your head. The words in the books I read transforms into motion pictures in my mind. Every book has its own story that one would feel as though he or she is apart of. The book I recently read was The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks in which I was taken into a completely new world. I felt as if I was the main character, Ronnie, who had to make all the decisions she had to face. In general, it is just simply amazing reading about the characters living in different lives compared to my own. They have their own situations and decisions to make that all vary according to the books.

I believe that reading in general is very important. Reading can help increase the vocabulary that people use and it allows people to learn more about things that they did not take note of beforehand. Knowledge expands in the minds of many and this process is due from taking time in one’s life to just simply open up a book of their choice and start reading. That way, people can just let their minds wander and have their imagination take over. This is also another way to relax and escape reality for a while.

I chose this title because that is how I see it. If one wants to take a trip to a different world that he or she is unfamiliar to then by all means, open up a book and start to read. When people read, they are taking trips to different worlds that they are not use to in their average, daily lives.