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The poet begins the poem on a positive note on computers. She initially gives an introduction to how her computer usually functions well. She uses the personal pronoun 'My', thereby establishing that the poem is restricted only to a specific computer and does not address computers in general. She begins by heaping praise on her computer. Although the poem refers to a specific computer, the work that she attributes to it, is common to all computers.
The Computer has a lot of positive effects
Computers are generally programmed in a way that it obeys the commands given. The initial computer performed mathematical operations. It later on got updated to new versions, that in today's world it is rather difficult to perform tasks without a computer.
The poet beautifully compares her computer with a human who can perform all tasks, and is brainy. Human beings are supposedly the highest in the hierarchy and are capable of feeling, thinking and being creative. She compares the machine to humans depicting that they have taken over the activities of humans.
Computer performing mathematical operations
With the advent of technology and internet, one has the world in his fingertips. Human beings can use the internet to know and collect information about everything in this world. Irrespective of it being science, Maths, Languages, General Knowledge, Space, the internet has details. Again the poet compares the computer to a human, learning something by heart. When one memorizes something, they would blurt it out the same way no matter who asks them. Similarly the computer also has mountains of information.
She also seems to mention that she just has to click her mouse to get information. This could mean that she is still using the older version of the desktop or that she has attached a mouse to a laptop. Generally laptops come with a touch pad, but the poet using a mouse indicates that she is using a older device, since the touch pads work real smooth in new devices.
Computer with mouse
In the earlier days, when there was no internet or computer, people had to spend a lot of time researching and searching for the information they needed. They spent days together in libraries and would take more than a day to get a tiny piece of information. But with the help of internet, she had to only type the questions and the answer would project on the screen within a few seconds of entering. She could gather information without moving or stressing out so much.
Searching for resources can be stressful
The poet slowly starts discussing on the recent problems that she faces with the computer. Like all other machines, and devices that function with the help of technology, the computer also has its own flaws. Although it might be compared to a human being, one must understand that it is a device and can go wrong at times. At times like these, there is not much of use for a person to get angry.
Man angry with the flaws of the computer
She makes another comparison to a human as she calls her computer absent-minded. Generally absent-minded people do not have a specific plan and forgets about everything. They do not know or pay attention to what they are doing, as their mind is pre-occupied with something. The computer does not have a mind, but the CPU is the brain of the computer. She indirectly states that there is a problem with the functioning of the computer.
Absent-minded person
She then gets into the particular details, as she says that that her computer does not save her work. Sometimes when people work on a file or project, they tend to put a lot of effort into the research. It would also take them time to type it up. When it is in the process or once it is completed, the device has to save it in a folder, so that it can be sent or used later on in the future. But sometimes, the system can hang, and the file might not be saved. This creates a lot of stress to the user, as he/she has to type it all out from the beginning.
The poet is stressed about the files
The poet says that, not only does the computer save the documents and file, but also makes it vanish. The files that are typed, no longer exists in the device as it is not saved. Sometimes the files get deleted as well. This is a cause of concern as the user might end up in a problem if he/she does not submit the document before the deadline. It also takes extra time to work on it again. The poet feels that it is dreadful since she could use that time for some productive work.
File being saved
Apart from not saving the files of the poet, the computer also does not check for spellings. Usually computers can have applications that are either included in the Microsoft office or from outside, like spellchecker or Grammarly. Human beings naturally tend to make mistakes and may spell a word or two wrong in a hurry to type things out. There can also be people who are unsure about the spellings of certain words. The computer comes to their aid at these times. But the poet's computer does not check the spellings which makes her disappointed.
Spell check
She also states that the documents that she types out is not saved in the computer, and even if it is saved, she does not know where it is, as it gets saved in some random folders. She denotes this as the computer hiding the files, that it disappears after working on it.
As things were getting problematic with her computer, things got even serious when it got infected with a worm. A computer worm is a malware that can disrupt the computer's activities. It makes copies of itself into the device and every other devices that is connected with it also gets infested with the worm. She again compares this event to a human gobbling food. After the worm got into the computer, it started behaving in a weird manner that made the poet really uncomfortable, as she did not know how to handle it.
A worm infested computer
The poet's computer which had been behaving abnormally, and had been infested by a worm malware, had to face even more problems in the forthcoming days. The computer got a virus one day and everything fell apart. A computer virus is a program that once it gets into the computer, it turns all the other programs by modifying them. The programs in the computer gets twisted and does not work as they are originally supposed to work. It infests the computer with a code on its own, one that the computer is not used to.
Computer infested with virus
The poet again makes a comparison with a human, as she says her computer fell sick after catching the virus. Generally humans tend to get infected with a virus which makes them fall sick with a flu or fever. They cannot perform all the tasks as they were when normal, as their body might be tired. The computer also cannot work normally once it is infested with the virus. Just like how a human consults a doctor to get treated for his/her virus, the computer also needs to be checked by a specialist who is well versed in hardware and software. The poet calls him/her as doctor.
Technician checking the computer
When the technician checks with the computer for finding a way to eliminate the virus, the poet suddenly gets an instinct that she may also be responsible for it in a way. When people keep over working a device, it may get a few faults. One needs to take care of a device and should not overuse. She asks if the computer needs a rest, to the person. She also considers it as a human, who needs to take rest after a long day of work.
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