"All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace"

              Richard Brautigan's poem, "All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace," contains ambiguous perceptions about Brautigan's opinion of technology. First, with his repetitive use of the phrase "I like to think" at the beginning of every stanza, Brautigan implies that there is a negative relationship between technology and nature (or the world in general). Thus, feelings of sarcasm can be detected as Brautigan continuously emphasizes his wish for "harmony" and "peace" between the two, even though it seems unlikely for that to happen (line 6 & 13 respectively). Not only that, but by incorporating phrases like "and the sooner the better" and "right now, please" in parentheses, Brautigan conveys a sense of urgency within his poem that demonstrates his frustration over technology's incompatibility with nature - possibly because of technology's inevitable harmful effects on the environment.

                On the other hand, Brautigan appears to include a hopeful mood within his poem, which suggests that he does not entirely despise technology. From Brautigan's use of terms like "programming harmony" and "cybernetic forest/ecology," he appears to desire a balance between technology and nature (lines 6, 11, & 19). The poem's feelings of hope could represent the author's wish that scientific achievements would stop contributing to the destruction of Earth. Therefore, although it appears unlikely that a mutually benefitting relationship can exist between nature and technology, Brautigan's poem portrays the possibility of a world in which the they can co-exist.

                Although there is evidence that supports both arguments, I believe that the poem has a more negative attitude towards technology because of the poem's overall tone of mockery. In general, Brautigan chooses to use exaggerations like "cybernetic forest/filled with pines and electronics," which evoke feelings of disbelief and demonstrate that the idea of nature and technology co-existing is unbelievable (lines 12 & 13). Furthermore, with phrases like "pure water" and "clear sky," Brautigan appears to be highlighting a few of the problems that technology has caused in our world (lines 7 & 8). Thus, this whole poem appears to be rather ironic because the author is wishing for the co-existence of technology and nature under nonexistent conditions.

Hidden Imagery

Step 1:

-nuns in convents
-hermits in cells

-students in pensive citadels

-maids at wheel

-weaver at loom

-bees soar

-peak of Furness fells

-foxglove bells

-prison

Step 2:

            The poem I selected to analyze is "The Sonnet" by William Wordsworth. To describe the conveniences of the sonnet's structure, Wordsworth chose to use images of nuns, hermits, students, maids, and weavers, who are depicted within their respective locations or jobs. Although these images appear to be different, they all demonstrate the limitations of these people's lives. His purpose of using these images was to portray how all of these people can be satisfied with their seemingly inadequate lifestyles, and that these people would actually become distressed if they were to be removed from the habits they are accustomed to.

            By illustrating these people's contentment with what they have, Wordsworth conveys his appreciation for the restrictions of writing a sonnet. Despite the fact that most people would view limitations as a burden, Wordsworth explains how they can actually be beneficial to writers. So even though the sonnet's structure has specific requirements, Wordsworth implies how it is easier to write sonnets because they already provide a writer with a rough outline. As a result, he states how complete freedom can actually be even more difficult for writers because there are absolutely no guidelines given.

            Even though Wordsworth uses his imagery to convey how much he appreciates the sonnet's structure, he also disobeys its rules by repositioning the location of the volta and by breaking the rhyming pattern in the last two lines. In addition, Wordsworth chose to use the imagery of bees soaring, which suggests the idea of liberty and contradicts the other images' portrayal of confinement. I believe he uses this imagery of freedom to depict the creativity that all humans possess. Although people can be content with the limitations they are given in life, it does not mean they cannot add new ideas into their lives. For example, bees are also restricted to monotonous jobs of pollinating flowers and making honey, but they are also gifted with the ability to fly, which contradicts the idea of limitations. Thus, I believe that Wordsworth is conveying how the sonnet's structure is a useful guideline for writers, but that innovations can be made for those who are comfortable or experienced enough. 

By Mayday Parade

     Although the band, Mayday Parade, composed this title for one of their songs, I chose to use it as the heading for my second essay in the Western Civilization class I took during the first quarter. The essay topic was to compare and contrast Sigmund Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents and H. Rider Haggard's SHE on their perspectives about civilization and the primitive. In addition, I was required to incorporate the historical background of each author and explain how this affected their opinions.

     After struggling through several ideas, my final thesis portrayed that both authors viewed civilization as superior to the primitive. However, while Haggard primarily focused on the accomplishments made by civilization and the  faults made by the primitive, Freud concentrated on explaining how every civilization would cause some form of suffering to its citizens. The reason for the differences between the two author's opinions was because of the contrasting time periods that they lived in. Haggard lived during the Age of Imperialism, which was filled with optimism and nationalism. Meanwhile, Freud endured the harsh realities of the inter-war period, in which violence, racism, anti-Semitism, and authoritarian regimes flourished.

     The reason I chose this title as a heading for my first blog was because I was really proud of my essay. Although writing is usually not one of my strengths, I felt that I had done remarkably well for this particular essay. Despite my inability to break free from the 5-paragraph structure used throughout middle school and high school, I was finally able to experiment with new forms of writing and to expand my writing skills. Though writing is still difficult for me, I was glad to realize that I had improved.