The Message of "All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace" by Richard Brautigan

The poem “All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace” by Richard Brautigan gives an anti-technology tone and message. The first thing that jumps out as anti-technology is in each stanza there is a line in parentheses, all ending with exclamation points. These lines all are asking for a world of technology to get here quicker, or to happen sooner. In the first stanza, the line is “(and the sooner the better!)” and the way that it is inserted into the poem seems to be in a sarcastic tone. The line seems out of place, almost as if it is mocking the lines that follow it.  Brautigan does this in all three stanzas, suggesting that he does not agree with the images of nature and technology interacting that he writes in the rest of the poem.

            Another reason this poem is anti-technology is from the images that are presented. In the first stanza the image is of mammals and computers living in a “mutually programming harmony”, which seems to be a contradiction. Mammals are not programmed; they are a product of nature. This image suggests that mammals will become programmed to be like computers, acting out the programmers will. In the third stanza Brautigan describes a time where us, humans, will be able to go back to nature, but be “watched over by machines of living grace”. This brings to mind the idea that humans and all of nature will be inferior to the ever-watching machines. A warning of sorts, that technology could get out of our control and take over the world.

            “All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace” by Richard Brautigan can be understood as a pro-technology poem as well. The images in the poems all are of nature and machines interacting peacefully. Use of words such as harmony, pure, peacefully, free, grace and loving all set a tone of good things to come from the interaction of technology and nature. The message can be read as the more technology advances; the easier it will be for humans to go back to nature and simplicity. All while being watched by “machines of loving grace”.

            I believe that the poem is anti-technology. This is because those 3 lines at the beginning of each stanza in parentheses jump out at me as stark contrasts to the mood of the rest of the poem. The urgency of those lines just does not fit, and gives me the sense of mockery and disagreement with the rest of the poem. The image that comes to my mind of being watched over by machines is of the movie “The Matrix”. Where humans are unaware of what nature is and are controlled by the machines. This poem is stating that technology should not be mixed with nature.