Analysis of e. e. cummings’ Poem of all the blessings which to man
As Thomas Reed West puts it, "the predominant literary sentiment toward the discipline of the machine has been one of lament" (xii). Many authors have composed pieces dealing with industrialization and the correlated obsolescence of man. Poet e.e. cummings is among them. In his poem "of all the blessings which to man," cummings describes a world to which progress will doom mankind-- a place where technology rules over humanity.
Cummings's poem opens saying that the most supreme gift progress offers mankind is "the an/ imal without a heart" (3-4). This heartless living thing is the machine. Machines can be made to act, and can often appear as if they
…show more content…
That would logically serve to further squelch emotion, for if the leaders of the world are androgynous, the underclasses will follow, and without gender, where is romance (perhaps the strongest of all passions)? This gender-unspecific automated presence hopes its overthrow of humanity will be so disheartening and its subsequent reign so pacifying that its human subjects will not care enough to dream of anything better.
The technological pseudobeast almost droolingly fantasizes about "raptures of undream" and a "land of supernod/ where freedom is compulsory and only man is god" (20-24). That land of supernod is a place beyond sleep, beyond even a trance. Perhaps it is most accurately described as a walking state of unconsciousness. But how can freedom be compulsory? Cummings is known for his tendency to "multiply rather than restrict potential meanings," and at first this phrase seems to be another example of that very trademark (Rotella 299). In actuality, cummings is showing that freedom won't exist if these machines come to power. The humans will be encouraged to believe they have freedom; quite possibly, they will be required to believe such nonsense or be eliminated, making freedom compulsory.
How would these machines be
It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity”, these are the quotes of the famous German physicist Albert Einstein in relation to how the world has become overly reliant on technology. As a result, we have taken nature for granted while also ignoring the adverse effects of technology. The making of steam engine, the usage of fossil fuel and the creation of chlorofluorocarbon are all technologies which has benefited us greatly and are continuing to do so, but like everything on this earth there are always negatives to counter the positives This is the balance that we must find between nature and humans.
The poem “since feeling is first” is written by E.E Cummings in a stanza form with a total number of 16 lines. The sentences carry no more than nine words and no less than four words. It is about a man expressing his love to his beloved women. Cummings use of literary devices such as; metaphor, personification, imagery and denotation to express his feelings. “Since feeling is first” is a romantic poem that teaches a lesson about life. Its use of literary devices make the poem appealing to the readers.
Albert Einstein once said, “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” Imagine if Einstein was here today, what might he of said about our use of technology and our new advancements of this time? In Ray Bradbury’s stories, it is evident that technology overcomes humans. For instance, in the short story,“There Will Come Soft Rains”, an atomic bomb wipes out everything in Allendale, California except for one house, and one day, a fire hits and burns the house to the ground. Another one of his short stories is “The Pedestrian”, which takes place in a dystopian future where the main character, Leonard Mead, takes a long walk one evening and then gets arrested. Lastly, the short story “All Summer In a Day”,
Beauty is a subjective idea that focuses on the characteristics preferable to a single species that gives an advantage over another and at the cost of another species survival. Humans have created astounding empires with beautiful cities and monuments because they were the most progressive species that are able to do so because of their capacity for violence. Some empires fear for their survival, so they must eliminate any threat whether it be humans or other animals. The poem, “Thanks” by Yusef Komunyakaa, it symbolizes how humans can become single minded only driven by their own personal desires at the sake of anyone else. Humans naturally commit ugly atrocities to progress their own beauty, or at least idea of, and they instinctively oppose nature because mankind is the dark side of nature.
In Nicholas Carr’s "All Can Be Lost: The Risk of Putting Our Knowledge in the Hands of Machines." Carr starts with an example of human and technology failure. This failure, causing 49 deaths is said to be caused because humans are too dependant on today's technology and could have been avoided.
EE Cummings was and is still one of the most well-regarded and unique poets of all time. His poems were unusual, but his strange way of writing is what grabbed people’s attention and made him so special. Many incidents in Cummings’ life affected his poetry, his experiences and his personality, which could clearly be observed in the poems he wrote. Cummings became such a well-known poet due to the effect of his life events on his poetry, his peculiar writing style and his strong connection with the topics of love and lust. The struggles and successes of his life developed his poetry in a huge manner.
We as people rely on technology too much by expecting the machine to do something by the click of a button and get angry when the machinery isn’t working. At the beginning technology wasn’t thought of too much but at this point technology is getting people addicted from kids to the elderly.
“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity” (Albert Einstein.) As humanity progresses, it seems that people use technology to disconnect themselves from reality. “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury showcases humankind’s obliviousness to the frightening shadow looming over it, technology. Throughout the story, it reinforces the idea that technology has its own issues. “Stuff your eyes with your wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories” (Ray Bradbury.) This short story reflects Ray Bradbury’s mindset outside of his writing and the quote sheds light on the author’s point of view. As the quote elaborates, nothing can beat
Even though technology in “The Machine Stops” and technology today have many differences, many characteristics are in common. The futuristic modern technology in “The Machine Stops is very dependable as well as modern day technology, except that in “The Machine Stops” everything is machine generated. Most people today communicate on the cell phone or text messages. Frequently, people may be contacted over video messages as well. In “The Machine Stops” the most common way to communicate is by pictures or video messages with little face to face contact. Technology used in both case scenarios is very reliant for humans. For example, humans rely on the internet to look up a question if we don’t know the answer. In “The Machine Stops”, they often did not have to ask questions because the technology already did it for them. In relation to the story, they refer to when the machine stops as a “technological death”, which we can relate to the same phrase in a way that if humans did not have the access to technological works, most of our world would not be able to function. People would struggle with communication with their families, difficulties to their jobs, and wouldn’t be aware of what was happening in the world.
“You talk as if a god had made the Machine," cried the other. "I believe that you pray to it when you are unhappy. Men made it do not forget that. Great men, but men. The Machine is much, but not everything.”
Humankind is devoid of concerns towards the world that shelters them. In e.e cummings poem “Pity this monster, manunkind” is satirical criticism towards how people are evolving only to damage nature. The theme of the poem is opposition, and the author structures his poem’s form, content, punctuation and tone to complement his claim. In this poem, the author expresses his point by stating mankind is self-centered, he defends nature and natural life, and that it is useless to believe that mankind will make adequate changes to benefit nature.
Edward Estlin Cummings, commonly referred to as E. E. Cummings, was born on October 14, 1894 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was a source of vast knowledge and was responsible for many creative works other than his poetry, such as novels, plays, and paintings. He published his first book of poetry Tulips and Chimneys in 1923. Many of his poems are known for the visual effects they create through his unusual placement of words on the page, as well as, his lack of punctuation and capitalization. The manner in which Cummings arranges the words of his poems creates an image in the reader's mind of the topic he is discussing, such as a season or climbing stairs. His visual style also
What can be admired in this article is Joy’s attitude toward both humanity and technology. He understands that humanity cannot withstand a powerful transition of life. He also understands the value of technology has had on this planet. All the good it has done to our health and our society, but recognizes when enough is enough. It seems as though Joy tried to look at all the angles when considering the relinquishment of technology. He paints a clear picture that human beings cannot coexist peacefully as superior beings. Only one superior being cam exist, and if we continue with this progression of technology, he is afraid that it will not be us. Joy wants everyone to understand that when people start to create machine technology to think like us, they are playing with fire. Joy’s article can be taken as a warning (maybe even as insight) or paranoia, it all depends on how people view and feel about the progression of
Mankind has limitless potential. However, we often are first forced to break down old barriers. In the past humans have broken free of gravity and traveled through the skies. Then came the invention of the computer. The idea of millions of calculations performed each minute may have seemed absurd a century ago, but society’s dependence on it today can never be overestimated. The future, I believe, will be an era of power and energy.
In his poem "All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace," published in 1968, Richard Brautigan places the reader in a future realm: a sparkling utopia "where mammals and computers live together in mutually programming harmony" (1). He draws us in by juxtaposing images of nature, man and machine that challenge us to imagine this new world. In essence, Brautigan's poem is a supplication for that dream world, but to the modern reader it can be a land of irony.