Monday, January 24, 2011
Blog Title
I chose motivation trials as my blog title by simple referencing my mental state after coming back from a relaxing winter break. It is always hard trying to get back into the groove of things after having a couple weeks of nothing to worry about. After break, coming back up to Davis, I'm sure every student goes through a phase of "un-motivational times." For me... let's just say that I needed motivation more than ever during this quarter. To say the least, it took me forever, it felt like, to have enough motivation to actually get caught up with all of my assignments. Actually it was short after finishing my first couple blogs, after adding the class late, did I finally get my "motivation trials." It was enough to kick-start my work ethic back to what it used to be, of course after I realized how much I was behind. :)
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
"All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace" Pro or Anti?
Richard Brautigan has artfully taken sarcasm to another level in this poem. The first time I read the poem I couldn't help but fixate my attention on the statements in parenthesis accompanied by a rather loud exclamation point. This screams sarcasm. Such a tone lead me to translate the poem in a humorous way. Brautigan portrays an "over-excited" voice that is anxious for a technology take-over. A take-over that would even invade nature. Being that nature is the exact opposite of our present day futuristic-technological-social-networking world, one can only take his tone as anti-technology. As he suggests in his last stanza humanity would be joining back with nature as machines or technology taking over our places in society is a very eery image. It reminds me of movies where technology takes over the world and tries to kill off the human race. This image alone shows an anti-technology tone. The last few words of his poem and the exact words of his title, "all watched over by machines of loving grace" can be an ironic phrase if you go back to picturing the image I stated earlier about technology taking over the world. It seems as if the author uses this phrase to make the reader think about what he's really trying to say.
On the other hand, Brautigan uses beautiful imagery so that the reader will picture this beautiful meadow with forest creatures like the deer strolling around. You can see the clear sky, pine trees, and blooming flowers all so peaceful in an untouched forest setting. Pairing this pretty image in your mind can help the reader see this future eutopia of nature and technology "[living] together in mutually programming harmony." The statements in the parenthesis could be interpreted as optimistic and anxious for this eutopia to arrive. Futhermore, proving a pro-technology tone by the author.
I personally think that the anti-technology tone is more convincing because of the overwhelming sarcastic tone the author uses throughout the poem. Since analyzing poetry is not always about looking surface deep, but looking deeper into the poems true meaning. If we were to take the poem literally, we could argue that this was a pro-technology message. Yet, the clever use of punctuation allows for interpretation of more than the literal meaning but a mocking tone that demonstrates ANTI-technology.
On the other hand, Brautigan uses beautiful imagery so that the reader will picture this beautiful meadow with forest creatures like the deer strolling around. You can see the clear sky, pine trees, and blooming flowers all so peaceful in an untouched forest setting. Pairing this pretty image in your mind can help the reader see this future eutopia of nature and technology "[living] together in mutually programming harmony." The statements in the parenthesis could be interpreted as optimistic and anxious for this eutopia to arrive. Futhermore, proving a pro-technology tone by the author.
I personally think that the anti-technology tone is more convincing because of the overwhelming sarcastic tone the author uses throughout the poem. Since analyzing poetry is not always about looking surface deep, but looking deeper into the poems true meaning. If we were to take the poem literally, we could argue that this was a pro-technology message. Yet, the clever use of punctuation allows for interpretation of more than the literal meaning but a mocking tone that demonstrates ANTI-technology.
"Casabianca" Flames
IMAGES:
The related themes of fire, flames, and burning can be brought to interpret the endearing faithful"ness" the young boy has for his father. At the beginning of the poem the flame that started the initial fire could represent the men from the other ship initiating a rescue for the boy. Throughout the poem the flames start to get larger and more immense. The way Hemans describes the flames wrapping around and streaming over the boy could represent his father's desire for him to stay on the boat. As the men from the other boat try to save the boy the flames get larger and at the boy's end, the author describes the flames almost as if they are circling above the boy. As the boy would not go on without his father's word, the flames spoke for him. The flames could be interpreted as the father speaking to his son after his death. Those flames were almost like the father trying to reach him before the other men did in order to keep him on the boat and not allow the other men to take him.
If you think of a fire or a flame at that, you would describe it as bright, warm, powerful, and some might even say beautiful. These are some of the words the author even uses to describe the boy as he stands on the ship. He is beautiful and bright. The author also describes the boy as proud, just as a flame would be burning in the wind, relentless of its surroundings. The boy is like a flame or fire. As he burns proudly on that ship only to obey his father's commands. He stands there before the flames proudly and brave. He proves faithful to his father; to stand on such a ship that is burning down resulting in his death. That young and faithful heart!
Moreover, the images of the flames relates to the commands of the father and the willing to obey by his son. A fire can be interpreted to describe the boy and his brave last stand on that ship.
- burning deck
- flames all around
- boy standing on top of ship
- flames capturing the the flag and sails while flying in the wind
- thunder and explosions
The related themes of fire, flames, and burning can be brought to interpret the endearing faithful"ness" the young boy has for his father. At the beginning of the poem the flame that started the initial fire could represent the men from the other ship initiating a rescue for the boy. Throughout the poem the flames start to get larger and more immense. The way Hemans describes the flames wrapping around and streaming over the boy could represent his father's desire for him to stay on the boat. As the men from the other boat try to save the boy the flames get larger and at the boy's end, the author describes the flames almost as if they are circling above the boy. As the boy would not go on without his father's word, the flames spoke for him. The flames could be interpreted as the father speaking to his son after his death. Those flames were almost like the father trying to reach him before the other men did in order to keep him on the boat and not allow the other men to take him.
If you think of a fire or a flame at that, you would describe it as bright, warm, powerful, and some might even say beautiful. These are some of the words the author even uses to describe the boy as he stands on the ship. He is beautiful and bright. The author also describes the boy as proud, just as a flame would be burning in the wind, relentless of its surroundings. The boy is like a flame or fire. As he burns proudly on that ship only to obey his father's commands. He stands there before the flames proudly and brave. He proves faithful to his father; to stand on such a ship that is burning down resulting in his death. That young and faithful heart!
Moreover, the images of the flames relates to the commands of the father and the willing to obey by his son. A fire can be interpreted to describe the boy and his brave last stand on that ship.
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