The End of Science Fiction

“EX MACHINA” by Lisel Mueller (1997)

This poem suggests that technology has the intellectual capability to recognize emotion and the human condition. Though machines may be able to learn about emotion, the poem suggests that they cannot understand nuance and meaning in the same way the speaker of the poem understands them.

“Things” by Lisel Mueller (1996)

The poet plays with language to illustrate a human tendency to impart human qualities on everything, including natural phenomena and objects. The speaker draws attention to the use of body part names to identify inanimate objects, enabling the reader of the poem to question what it means to be human.

“Sci-Fi” by Tracy K. Smith (2011)

In this poem, the poet considers a future in which history, sex, and the sun are all bygone elements of human existence. Instead of preserving these elements of human experience, humans have opted instead for longevity and safety.

“The Robots are Coming” by Kyle Dargan

In this poem, the poet imagines a future in which robots from space are presumed to be waiting for their chance to invade and take over earth. The poem comments on the post-industrial demise of manufacturing cities and on the hubris of industrialists such as Andrew Carnegie and Henry Ford.

“On Living” by Nazim Hikmet

Nazim Hikmet’s poem considers the importance of taking life seriously in the moment, rather than prioritizing a yet-nonexistent future. The poem used directive language and speculative phrases such as “Let’s say” to imagine possible scenarios and responses to them.