Poetry and Pop Culture

The machinimaization of Langston Hughes’ poem “Suicide’s Note” detracts from the poem’s original tone. By using footage from a video game, as well as music used in a videogame ad campaign, a casual tone is created instead of a serious poem. It may have not been the creator’s intent but the visual aspect was too cartoony and bright. Also the fact that one comes back it life in a videogame means that suicide becomes a point of hilarity instead of an issue of morality. The portrayal of the poem in this way severely detracts from my enjoyment of the text. I have trouble taking it seriously in the context of a videogame I played when I was younger while trash talking my friends.

Within Popular Culture there is a great of amount of poetry and poetic references. In movies there are often poetic references. For example in the action movie Equilibrium, William Yeats’ poem He wishes for the Cloths of Heaven is quoted. In the moment in which this poem is quoted Sean Beans character has been caught for feeling and is about to be killed by Christian Bale’s character. In this instance the quote enhances the moment dramatically. Not only do the lines spoken refer to the situation, but also the use of poetry as a empathetic device enriches the dialogue and scene. In fact the choice of poetry connects deeply to the theme of the movie, which is that it is repression of emotions can lead to the destruction of humanity.

Those Ever-Loving Machines

In Richard Brautigan’s poem All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace an image of a world in which both nature and machines live and operate side by side. Brautigan paints a picture in which meadows and forests are filled with computers and electronics. Though the poem appears to at first be in favor of this integration, the language and style are satirical in nature. Many of the lines within this poem are literally dripping with sarcasm. For example, the parenthesized statements seem to denote a sort of fanaticism that is reminiscent of mind control.

Despite the evidence to the contrary All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace could easily be a poem in support of technology and its integration into our world. The diction is very supportive of a world in which technology works with and advances nature. If read in this way it appears that there is nothing better than this incorporation. With the facilitation of freedom, co-operation, and peace technology could bring, what is there to criticize. The parenthetical statements in this context would seem excited and full of optimism.

On comparison of these two viewpoints it seems that the former is more a much stronger argument. Since the overall the tone is slanted toward a negative view of technology. Though the diction appears to support technology this actually adds to the effect of the sarcastic tone. The description of animals and people being able to commune in the last stanza seems farfetched, for technology would not enable that. If anything it would prevent that communion from happening. Also there is much greater evidence in support of the anti-technologic viewpoint.

Design (post #2)

In Robert Frost’s poem Design, there is one main recurring image. In the poem the image is described as a moth carried by the spider which is on a flower. Both the insects were white but the flower was said to be blue. The author see’s this image one morning and is inspired by the appalling sight of the spider making its meal on the moth. The author then ends the poem pondering the influence of design in the sheer coincidence of the event. By design the author refers to the influence of a divine being. In fact the majority of the poem has a ritualistic feel to it, which the image of the spider and the moth contribute to. This is manufactured by the description of the spider holding up the moth. In my mind’s eye I see a the spider holding up the moth, crab like, to present as a possible sacrifice to begin the morning right. That line in particular, to begin the morning right, reminds me of Aztec rituals to keep the sun alive. The reference to a witch’s broth also adds to the ritualistic imagery. For the act of witches brewing potions is a very ritualistic process. To the author the image of this spider holding up the moth seems to have been designed; the whole image could not have occurred purely on chance given the manner in which it appeared. In fact the image itself is conflicting for the colors white and blue are generally pleasant and innocent colors. Yet the image itself is much darker, a spider holding its meal or darker still a sacrifice, is a deadly and sinister image. The description of the spider as being fat and dimpled insinuates that the spider is well fed and must therefore do this often. That fact makes the author wonder what kind of designer would create such terrible beauty. Which poses the question is the spider innocent if it is simply doing what it was designed?