Agricultural Implements
Poem Analysis:
James McIntyre’s Agricultural Implements is a humorous yet thoughtful poem about the transformation of farming through mechanization. Written in simple language and regular rhyme, the poem traces how traditional agricultural labor was gradually replaced by machines. Beneath its comic tone, however, McIntyre raises an important question about technological progress: while machines make farming faster and more economical, what happens to the workers whose labor is no longer needed?
The poem begins by describing the disappearance of traditional tools such as the flail and hoe. The speaker notes that laborers “did sad bewail” when machines replaced these tools. The use of the word sad introduces an important human dimension to technological change. Mechanization is not presented simply as an improvement in farming; it also creates insecurity for agricultural workers.
McIntyre then describes the replacement of the sickle by the scythe, followed by the introduction of the mower. As the poem progresses, agricultural machinery becomes increasingly sophisticated. The reaper, binder, loader, and other machines combine several tasks that once required many workers. The line “Mower, reaper, binder, all combine” particularly emphasizes the movement toward integrated mechanical farming.
One of the poem’s central contrasts is between economic efficiency and human employment. Machines allow farmers to complete work “much cheaper,” and the poem explicitly observes that farmers become richer. From the farmer’s perspective, mechanization therefore represents productivity and economic progress. From the laborer’s perspective, however, it means declining opportunities. The statement that “Hand labor is ’mong the things have been” suggests that manual agricultural work has become almost a relic of the past.
The poem also uses historical imagery in its final stanza. McIntyre compares modern agricultural machines to ancient war chariots armed with scythes. In ancient warfare, such chariots cut down human beings; in modern farming, the machines cut down “sheaves of golden grain.” This comparison creates an amusing but striking image: the machinery appears powerful and almost destructive, yet its purpose has changed from warfare to harvesting.
The poem’s simple rhyme and conversational style make its social commentary accessible. McIntyre does not use complicated philosophical language. Instead, he presents technological change through familiar farming tools and straightforward observations. The progression from one tool to another also gives the poem a chronological structure, showing how mechanization gradually transforms agricultural life.
Agricultural Implements presents technological progress as a double-edged development. Agricultural machines increase efficiency, reduce costs, and contribute to farmers’ prosperity, but they simultaneously reduce the need for human labor. McIntyre neither gives a purely negative nor purely celebratory account of mechanization. Instead, through humor, contrast, and vivid imagery, he captures the tension between economic progress and social displacement, making the poem a relevant reflection on how technological change can transform both work and society.