Analysis of e. e. cummings’ Poem of all the blessings...

Analysis of e. e. cummings’ Poem of all the blessings which to man As Thomas Reed West puts it, the predominant literary sentiment toward the discipline of the machine has been one of lament (xii). Many authors have composed pieces dealing with industrialization and the correlated obsolescence of man. Poet e.e. cummings is among them. In his poem of all the blessings which to man, cummings describes a world to which progress will doom mankind-- a place where technology rules over humanity. Cummingss poem opens saying that the most supreme gift progress offers mankind is the an/ imal without a heart (3-4). This heartless living thing is the machine. Machines can be made to act, and can often appear as if they†¦show more content†¦That would logically serve to further squelch emotion, for if the leaders of the world are androgynous, the underclasses will follow, and without gender, where is romance (perhaps the strongest of all passions)? This gender-unspecific automated presence hopes its overthrow of humanity will be so disheartening and its subsequent reign so pacifying that its human subjects will not care enough to dream of anything better. The technological pseudobeast almost droolingly fantasizes about raptures of undream and a land of supernod/ where freedom is compulsory and only man is god (20-24). That land of supernod is a place beyond sleep, beyond even a trance. Perhaps it is most accurately described as a walking state of unconsciousness. But how can freedom be compulsory? Cummings is known for his tendency to multiply rather than restrict potential meanings, and at first this phrase seems to be another example of that very trademark (Rotella 299). In actuality, cummings is showing that freedom wont exist if these machines come to power. The humans will be encouraged to believe they have freedom; quite possibly, they will be required to believe such nonsense or be eliminated, making freedom compulsory. How would these machines beShow MoreRelatedOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagessituates organization theory within the scholarly debates on modernism and postmodernism, and provides an advanced introduction to the heterogeneous study of organizations, including chapters on phenomenology, critical theory and psychoanalysis. Like all good textbooks, the book is accessible, well researched and readers are encouraged to view chapters as a starting point for getting to grips with the field of organization theory. Dr Martin Brigham, Lancaster University, UK McAuley et al. provide a