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.
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