Thoughts about All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace by Richard Brautigan

~First, write 1-2 paragraphs assembling evidence to argue that this poem has an anti-technology tone and message. 

This poem seems to have an anti-technology tone and message because he seems to give the speaker a sarcastic and an uncertain feel in the poem. He is being sarcastic by giving us a sense of uncertainty. He starts off by saying that he likes to think “(the sooner the better!)” of a “cybernetic meadow”, then he likes to think “(right now, please!)” of a “cybernetic forest” and ends up by saying “(it has to be!)” a “cybernetic ecology”. This is implying that the speaker wishes for nature and technology to coexist by the repetitive use of “I like to think”, but after some though he/she realizes that technology will take over humans/nature, and there never will be a mutual coexistence. The more technology, the worse.

~Second, write 1-2 paragraphs assembling evidence to argue that this poem has a pro-technology tone and 

message.

This poem has a pro-technology tone and message because the poet compares computers to beautiful flowers when says that he likes to think of a cybernetic forest where “deer stroll peacefully” past computers as if they were “flowers with spinning blossoms” . The poem ends by mentioning that if humans joined back with their “mammal brothers and sisters” and are watched over by “machines of loving grace”, humans will be freed of all “labors”. This means that having a lot of technology n the future will benefit us.

~Finally, write 1-2 paragraphs explaining which reading you think is more convincing and explain WHY.

I think this poem is criticizing technology, implying that in the future technology will dominant and dependant on, like a god watching over us with “loving grace” and that mutualism between nature and technology is impossible. There is a lot of sarcasm, and uncertainty in this poem, and the informal format just makes the sarcastic supposition that nature and technology will coexist in the future, simply not believable. If thought about logically, if humans “returned to our mammal brothers and sisters”  while technology and machines of “loving grace” would watch us over us like a god would be a contradiction/paradox. There would be almost no possibility for technology to remain while humans joined back to their” mammal brothers and sisters”  meaning stopping being civilized and joining back to being natural animals because the only reason technology evolved was because humans evolved mentally and physically. Both cannot benefit from each other, one has to suffers for  the other to gain something.