Introduction:
The poem by Rudyard Kipling deals with problems of technology and automation. The unquestioned utility of man-made inventions is highlighted.
Process of making machines
In the first stanza, the poet highlights the way machines are shaped and how they are managed. The raw material, iron- ore and minerals for machines are taken from the ores and mines accordingly. They were further melted in the blast furnace and in the mine. Metals were melted and turned into various designs using the hammer to be fashioned. They were also cut into different sizes and measured fit according to the required weight.
Machines: Second stanza states that the only requirement for the machine is water, coal and oil. The moving parts may have a clearance of a thousandth of an inch which may be the permissible variation from the required dimensions. These parts are closely arranged with bolts and nuts leaving only less than an inch for the movement of wheels. With such a setup, the machines are willing to work round the clock, non-stop without any rest.
Machines reduce manual jobs:
In the third stanza, the machines elucidate how they can serve human race by doing all the possible human activities mastered by machines. They say they can do various tasks such as pulling, carrying, pushing, lifting, driving, printing, ploughing, weaving, heating, lighting, mining, racing, swimming, flying, diving, seeing, hearing,counting, reading and writing.
Friend indeed!
The machines in the fourth stanza caution the readers with an unshakeable moral imperative – the Law by which it Jives! The machines represent a form of absolute truth that is particularly difficult for mankind to understand. Here machines tell us that they don’t emote nor understand different feelings such as love, pity or apology. It reiterates its dangerous nature by simply stating that a slip while handling it means instant death.
Man-made wonder:
In the last stanza the design of the machine just changes. The dream of the “perfect machinery” suddenly seems to fade out. Machines aren’t perfect. Nature always wins over. Machines aren’t miraculous creations but just a creation of the human brain. Therefore, machines although capable of great deeds, are still nothing more then creations of the human brain
Conclusion:
The use of machines in everyday life has clearly established the fact that without them life comes to a standstill. Such is our dependence on machines which carry the instructions given by us. The perpetual use of machines in all fields shows the scalable heights it has reached.
