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  1. The Secret of the Machines focuses on the implications of the rising importance of technology in our lives, commenting upon how man-made machines have now influenced our world. The various works that machines do for humans are highlighted in the poem, illustrating our ever-increasing dependence on tRead more

    The Secret of the Machines focuses on the implications of the rising importance of technology in our lives, commenting upon how man-made machines have now influenced our world. The various works that machines do for humans are highlighted in the poem, illustrating our ever-increasing dependence on them as well as the dark side of this automation of society as a whole.

    The poem is written in the first-person point of view of the machines who address humans and tell us about their origins, attributes, qualities, and capabilities, and also warns towards the end against the damaging consequences that may arise if humans mishandle machines or misjudge their nature.

    The Secret of the Machines Poem Summary

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    Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /i/ in “It will vanish and the stars will shine again” and the sound of /ou/ in “Because, for all our power and weight and size”. Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first paRead more

    1. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /i/ in “It will vanish and the stars will shine again” and the sound of /ou/ in “Because, for all our power and weight and size”.
    2. Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. For example, the words “We can” in the second stanza are repeated to emphasize the point.“We can pull and haul and push and lift and drive, We can print and plough and weave and heat and light, We can run and race and swim and fly and dive.
    3. Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example, “You shall see and hear your crackling question hurled Across the arch of heaven while you wait.”
    4. Imagery: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example, “You shall see and hear your crackling question hurled Across the arch of heaven while you wait.”
    5. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet compares machines with humans throughout the poem.
    6. Rhetorical Question: A rhetorical question is a question that is not asked to receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. For example, “And irrigate your orchards as it flows?” and “And lay their new-cut forests at your feet?”
    7. Symbolism:  The title symbolizes that machines also have secrets..
    8. Imagery: It is a description that creates a picture in the reader’s mind. It is used by the poet in the lines, “we can see and hear and count and read and write!
    9. Personification:  A thing, idea, or animal is given human qualities. We can pull and haul and push and lift and drive’. The machine is given human attributes.
    10. Hyperbole:  When a poet exaggerates in the poem, it is hyperbole. “We will serve you four and twenty hours a day”.
    11. Rhyme Scheme: The poem is composed in five stanzas with a rhyme scheme of “abab cdcd efef ghgh ijij”. This rhyming pattern is known as an alternate rhyme scheme or cross-rhyme.

    The Secret of the Machines Poem Summary

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