Imagery in Poems (due Jan 10)

Step 1:

-hermits in their cells
-nuns in convents
-bees soaring
-peaks of Furness fells

Step 2:

Well the poem seems to offer a few images that show how different people/ objects in the world are all connected with one another. The two images that I will choose to analyze will be the nuns in their convents and the "bees that soar for bloom." I believe that these two images have a similar role in this poem because when I think about a nun in her convent, I think about how devoted she is to her prayer and how calm and peaceful she is being in her room. This image makes me think about how people are satisfied with the path that they have chosen and are not afraid to stay the course of which they have chosen.
Along with the bees that soar for bloom, this image of the bees makes me think about a large group of hard-working bees that are flying around in the spring time, looking for various flowers to pollinate. This image represents the natural order of everyday life; the bees are a part of natures plan that says that they will pollinate during the bloom (springtime) to keep the natural order at its equilibrium. The image of spring also makes me believe that they poem wants to convey a sense of tranquility and comfort, where as the bees are conveyed to be natures humble workers to keep that tranquility and peace.
Finally, the way that the image of the nun and the bees work together to convey the poem's message is a bit unorthodox but works well together. As I mentioned before, the bees soaring for the bloom conveys the natural order being a good thing and so the nun being in her "convent's narrow" room almost portrays that natural order for the nun being a negative thing. But in reality, the nun is content with the way she is leading her life just as the bees are content with theirs. The meaning of this poem to me seems to be that things are fine the way they are and you should't try to change the order of things because everything is as it should be.

Analyzing "All Watched over by Machines of Loving Grace"

At first glance, the poem "All Watched over by Machines of Loving Grace" by Richard Brautigan seems to have this message of pro-technology but delving into the poem it can also be translated as a means to be against technology. In the beginning of each stanza, there is a line in parentheses that seems to pop out in a sarcastic manner, causing me to believe that those lines are intended to be against the rise of technology. The first stanza, for example, has this line: "I like to think (and the sooner the better!) of a cybernetic meadow" which takes the poem in an unorthodox approach to what i believe sarcasm. It even comes off a bit sardonic because the poem reads so Utopian; Brautigan makes this vision of the future seem almost impossible because nature and technology are two completely different aspects of life.
Going back to my first impression, there are many instances of pro-technological vibes coming from this poem. The poem in its self has descriptions of nature and technology living together in harmony and even describes this through imagery of combinations of the two. Lines such as " cybernetic meadow" and "spinning meadows" causes me to imagine a forest where the plants are electronics that take the from of trees, flowers and bushes. Brautigan's denotations of this poem are in favor of technology because as the last stanza declares, he wants to be able to forget about society and live among "our mammal brothers and sisters" while being "watched over by machines of loving grace."
In my opinion, the reading of the poem which is anti-technological is more convincing to me because I don't believe that Brautigan meant for people to take this piece as a literal message of nature complementing technology but rather more of a message of nature versus technology. Since the dawn of technology, people have been fearful of the day when the machine would take over and destroy its creator and Brautigan is aware that these two elements are never meant to share the world as equals. The poem, although deceiving at first, is meant for the reader to become fearful of technology and be aware of the current power it holds in today's (and even in his time) society. To be honest, the idea of being "watched over by machines of loving grace" does not seem appealing at all.

Breaking down the title.

Aside from trying to be funny and pull from the all too familiar phrase, my blog title refers to my nasty disposition to put off books because I don't feel like reading them. As a kid I enjoyed all kinds of books and literature was such a great escape for me but as I grew older, it seemed like I didn't continue with the aforementioned passion for literature. Having books to me means having the knowledge of past generations in a convenient and portable rectangular package; a book can show you life lessons that you would have never imagined possible.
What I'm looking forward to in this class is regaining that fire and admiration for reading to be able to just grab a book and enjoy it's company. You might be wondering why my high school classes didn't ignite my literary flame and I have an answer: my high school English classes were in all honesty a joke. The material that was covered and the literature I was exposed to actually inhibited my chances to enjoy reading again. It is important for me to enjoy reading because not only was it something I remember being fun but also it could further improve my grades here in Davis.
A book is more than just a bunch of pages bundled together; it's the doorway to knowledge and information. Having books can ultimately be the reason you succeed in life because the information locked away inside of them is important. The only way to retrieve that information, however, is by sitting down and reading that piece of literature, one page at a time.