In a Perfect World...

Richard Brautigan's poem "All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace" is about a world in which technology and mankind live together harmoniously. The poem is written in such a way that it is left up for interpretation. Some may view it as an anti-technology poem, but on the other hand it can be interpreted as advocating the increased usage of technology in our everyday lives. Brautigan effectively employs the literary device tone in such a way that the audience is left wondering what his stance on technology was. If he had a pro-technology perspective, there is definitely evidence to support that claim. The entire poem, if taken straightforward and literally, seems to advocate a world where man and artificial intelligence can live side by side as equals. Every stanza begins with the four words “I like to think,” and he goes on to describe how perfect such a world would be, like a utopia. He also uses beautiful words to describe this world, such as “mutually programming harmony like pure water touching clear sky,” “flowers with spinning blossoms,” and machines of loving grace.” A peaceful and tranquil world with these descriptions seems so inviting that hardly anyone would want to deny such a utopia.

On the other hand, if one pays close attention to the tone of the poem, there can be evidence to show that Brautigan was actually against this extreme advancement of technology. Right after he says “I like to think” in each stanza, it is immediately followed by phrases such as “and the sooner the better!”, “right now, please!”, and “it has to be!” These phrases are also all in parentheses, which seems to throw off the flow because the phrases feel like they are an aside of the poem. The exclamation points also make the statements seem very enthusiastic, to the point where they appear to be sarcastic. The sarcasm nullifies his “I like to think” statements and the audience begins to question the actual truth of every other line. His descriptions of this perfect utopia start to seem exaggerated intentionally in order to demonstrate his actual feelings that these utopian worlds are not possible.

I believe the most convincing view is that Brautigan was anti-technology. When the poem is read literally, it may appear that he is pro-technology. But the true meaning of any good poem can usually never be taken at face value—it’s not that easy. The sarcastic tone that can be found in the poem implies that he in fact does not believe everything that he is saying. At the end of the poem, he portrays the dangers of such a society when he says “and all watched over by machines of loving grace.” This seems to imply that if we were to come to the point where man and machine were equal, machines will begin watch over us and become superior to us. It seems like he is comparing such a role to that of a god.