Computer Flowers

All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace paints a picture in which technology and nature live together in a world of harmony. However, this poem can be interpreted as being anti-technology or pro-technology and I believe that Brautigan hopes for the unity of nature and technology. This unique poem depicts and unusual scene that sets this poem apart from so many other writings.

            One way that this poem can be interpreted is in an anti-technology light and Brautigan is writing sarcastically because this idea of nature and technology uniting seems ridiculous. There seems to be an irony in the combinations of deer and computers and “cybernetic meadows.” Nature is the first and most natural (hence the name  “nature”) thing in existence, the most basic form of life and a part of the very origins of our planet. On the other hand technology and machines come from the creativity and advancements made by humans over time.  Perhaps he believes it is unrealistic to merge the earliest creations with the most recent creations.

            Another perspective is that Brautigan hopes that one-day technology and nature will live together intermingled in the world. In the pro-technology interpretation, it is easy to see his hope for coexistence in his straightforwardly repeating, “I like to think…” He then goes into detail describing that he would like to see a cybernetic ecology and computers and mammals living in “programming harmony.” From this angle of analysis, he seems to see technology as a new creation that is equally beautiful as nature and is actually synchronized with it.

In incorporating both sides of the argument I believe he would like people to return to the ways of nature while still enjoying the benefits of technology. A passage that supports this is when he writes, “where we are free of our labors and joined back to nature” and later adds, “and all watched over by machines of loving grace.” I think that the author’s ideal world would be to have technology and nature existing side by side but knows that it is unrealistic. Perhaps, it seems so impossible that this should ever happen, that he writes this poem with an underlying sardonic tone.

From the lone post of Death

List:

Flame that lit the battles wreck

As born to rule the storm

A Creature of heroic blood

A proud though childlike form

Upon his brow he felt their breath (flames)

And looked from that lone post of death

Gallant child

Like banners in the sky

The young and faithful heart

Still yet brave despair

Repetitive imagery: flames, destruction, death, bright/heroic/beautiful/child

In the poem Casabianca, Hemans use of imagery captures the reader’s attention through the irony of the scene she paints. Despite the shipwreck that is eaten by flames and covered with the dead, there remains a young boy whose loyalty to his father causes him to remain in “brave despair.” The imagery about the flames, destruction, and the storm are continuous throughout the poem and are only interrupted by descriptions of the boy on the boat calling out to his dead Father. “The boy stood on the burning deck/ whence all but him had fled/the flame that lit the battle’s wreck/shone round him o’er the dead” is the very opening stanza that sets the scene of the destruction surrounding the boy. The setting in which the boy stands becomes very clear to the reader and makes it easy to imagine the devastation. My favorite use of imagery that Heman uses to describe the flames is when she writes, “and fast the flames rolled on/upon his brow he felt their breath/ and in his waving hair.” The reader is really able to feel like he or she is on the boat when she depicts the boy feeling the breath of the flames. In contrast to the obvious picture of death and ruin, the writings about the boy are beautiful and full of youth and innocence. The second stanza that says, “Yet beautiful and bright he stood/as born to rule the storm/a creature of heroic blood/a proud and childlike form” implies that the boy, though young, appears to be proud and fearless in the face of certain death. Each line is so beautifully constructed as to give the reader an image of all that is good in a human, surrounded by so much sadness and wreckage. Another pattern in the poem is simply that the boy keeps calling out to the father and refusing to leave until he responds. The poem continually paints the boy as a brave, loyal, proud, faithful, and gallant child but always returns to the theme of despair around him. This causes the reader to respect and admire the boy but to also feel that his case is helpless.

Always, Literature (with a comma!)

Dear Reader, Friend, (or more realistically) classmates, and teacher,

           

Whoever you may be, I pray that your love for books runs as deep as my own; and I pray that this collective love we share for books unites us in the bonds of friendship. If you are not a lover of books, as my fellow companions and I may be, I have a great hope that your seedling interest will sprout and blossom as you continue to follow this blog. If I fail to ignite a passion for various writings in you, I beg that you do not give up here. I am but a college student who has ulterior motives- (though these motives do not invalidate my devotion to literature) a graduation requirement to pass English 3 is the reason I write. I am not an eloquent writer, nor do I have a great deal of profound thoughts; no, I am merely a student who is not even majoring in English! So here we go. Assignment number one: what inspired your choice for the title of your blog?

            Always, Literature (with a comma that this website would not allow me to add in the title).  I chose this title due to the ardent belief I have that literature will always have something to teach people in the present. When these books were written, where they were written, who wrote them, fiction, non-fiction, biographical, you name it- all are irrelevant when deciding if a book teaches us something. Oh yes, I know what you’re thinking. “What does a book about Abraham Lincoln have to teach me?” you say. “I’m never going to be president! We don’t even have slaves anymore?” You’re right. But, it might contain a lesson about making decisions, peer pressure, and leadership. This way of analysis applies to all books. The significance might not always be spelled out, you might have to search for it and do some digging but I promise you it is there. While I don’t believe the challenges stated above hold any power over whether a book teaches us something; I do believes those questions help us better understand the perspective of the author, and what ideas he is targeting in the book. Literature may not be sincere, or thankful, or respectful, or be wishing you the best; but it is always. Though the appearance of books may change to ipads and kindles, the messages about people and life remain. So, until next time my dear reader

Always, Literature