Critical Analysis of Gary Turk's Poem 'Look Up' - Essay

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of Gary Turk's poem 'Look Up,' examining its critique of technology and social media's impact on modern society. The essay explores the poem's themes of isolation, virtual connection versus real-life experiences, and the dangers of over-reliance on digital platforms. It delves into the poem's key lines, tone, and message, highlighting the poet's call for a 'social media detox' and a return to genuine human interaction. The analysis draws parallels to other literary works and discusses the poem's profound influence on the author, who reflects on their own experiences with technology. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of the poem as an eye-opener, urging readers to reconsider their relationship with technology and prioritize real-world connections. The essay also includes references from the poem and other sources to support the analysis.

Running head: RESPONSE ESSAY
“Look up” by Gary Turk
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1RESPONSE ESSAY
“Technology has made us Gods, even before we deserve to call ourselves human beings.”
The above quoted lines of Woody Allen clearly indicate the sway which technology
holds over our lives. The various entities of the world are highly dependent on the modern
innovations like smart phones and internet for their day-to-day activities. It is often seen that
when a particular thing is put to great use then its misuse also entails with that. The misuse as
well as the negative impact of the present technology as well as innovations is a case in
instance. The poem “Look up” by Gary Turk, a poet, writer and award winning filmmaker
seeks to portray the danger of the too much use of the modern technology particular the
virtual world and their effect on the lives of the users of those innovations (Garyturk.com.
2018). This poem tries to demystify the myth of social media’s virtue world with lines like “I
have four-hundred-and-twenty-two friends, yet I am lonely. I speak to all of them every day,
yet none of them really know me”(Turk, G. 2014). The poem gives a poignant narrative of
the hollowness of the friendships formed over the virtual platforms and how people are
actually wasting their lives trying to chase the mirages over the internet in lines like “When
we open our computers, and it’s our doors we shut. All this technology we have it’s just an
illusion. Community companionship a sense of inclusion yet, when you step away from this
device of delusion, you awaken to see a world of confusion”(Turk, G. 2014). Thus, according
to an article, “You get the point. “Look Up” means put the smart phone down” (Time. 2018).
The poem became an instant hit among the present generation and its video has “attracted
more than 500 million views worldwide” (Garyturk.com. 2018). This essay intends to give an
analysis of the poem “Look Up” by Gary Turk and in the process, will also provide an
overview of the over-reliance on the social media platforms.
According to an article, the poem depicts “the pitfalls of social networks on a social
network” (Washington Post. 2018). The poem emphasizes the fact that although the various
social media platforms have brought us more closer with people from different parts of the

2RESPONSE ESSAY
world but in reality it has made our lives even more fragmentary. He even goes to the extent
of saying that there is nothing social about the social media in lines like “I took a step back
and opened my eyes, I looked around to realize the media we call social is anything but”
(Turk, G. 2014). He clearly outlines the pitfall of the over-dependence on the various social
media platforms in lines like “A world where we’re slaves to the technology we mastered,
where information gets sold by some rich greedy bastard….but no one will be if a group
message will do” (Turk, G. 2014). The tone of the poet suggests that he is wandering on the
thin line between the “being and nothingness” of Jean-Paul Sartre. The lines between reality
and the virtual world are clearly getting blurred for the poet as he himself confesses in lines
likes “We edit and exaggerate, crave adulation. We pretend not to notice the social isolation.
We put our words into order and turn our lives a-glistening. We don’t even know if anyone is
listening!” (Turk, G. 2014). Thus, he calls the contemporary society as “a generation of
idiots, smart phones and dumb people” (Turk, G. 2014). The solution which he proposes to
overcome this predicament is a complete social media detoxification in lines like “So look up
from your phone, shut down those displays, we have a final act existence a set number of
days. Don’t waste your life getting caught in the net, because when the end comes there’s
nothing worse than regret…..Live life the real way” (Turk, G. 2014). The poet Robert
Browning has articulated the concept of seizing the moment and living in that particular
moment in the poem “The Last Ride Together”,
I and my mistress, side by side
Shall be together, breathe and ride,
So, one day more am I deified.
Who knows but the world may end to-night?

3RESPONSE ESSAY
Turk seems to be influenced by this concept when in the later part of the poem he
articulates “Be there in the moment, when she gives you the look, that you remember forever
as ‘when love overtook’. The time she first held your hand, or first kissed your lips, the time
you first disagreed and you still love her to bits. The time you don’t have to tell hundreds of
what you’ve just done”(Turk, G. 2014). Thus, the poet advises his readers to have real
experiences rather than having “make believe experiences” over the virtual media.
I would like to say that the poem had a profound influence on me. At this point of
time I would like to say that earlier even I was a part of that group of people whom Turk calls
as “idiots, smart phones and dumb people” in his poem “Look up” (Turk, G. 2014). However,
the poem was a real eye opener for me. The poem kind of made me think what I have been
doing with my life till now, literally living a virtual life rather than having a real life. The
lines of poem like “I can’t stand to hear the silence of a busy commuter train when no one
want’s to talk for the fear of looking insane. We’re becoming unsocial…..It’s not very likely
you’ll make world’s greatest dad, if you can’t entertain a child without using an iPad. When I
was a child, I’d never be home” really struck a chord with me (Turk, G. 2014). These lines of
Mr. Turk reminded me of the lines of T.S. Eliot from the play “The Cocktail Party”, where
one of the characters says,
“They make noises, and think they are talking to each other;
They make faces, and think they understand each other….”
Thus, the poem adequately depicts the dangers which our generation is facing with
our over-reliance on the virtual world and if we do not stop this process then there will come
a time when the actual world will seem completely unreal to us (Ashburn 2018). Herein, lies
the importance of the poem and must be seen as an eye-opener by everyone.

4RESPONSE ESSAY
Therefore, from the above discussion it becomes clear that technology has greatly
simplified our lives but at the same time it has also exposed us to a variety of problems which
entails with the benefits of technology. The poem “Look Up” by Gary Turk adequately
portrays the dangers of the over-dependence on the various social media and their long term
effects on our society and also on our individual selves.

5RESPONSE ESSAY
References
Ashburn 2018. Social Buzz: Viral video says 'step away from technology'. [online] Fox News.
Available at: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/05/07/video-questioning-our-social-
media-addiction-goes-viral.html [Accessed 5 Mar. 2018].
Browning, R., 1906. The Last Ride Together. GP Putnam's Sons.
Eliot, T.S., 2011. The complete poems and plays of TS Eliot. faber & Faber.
Garyturk.com. 2018. About | Gary Turk. [online] Available at: http://garyturk.com/about/
[Accessed 5 Mar. 2018].
Time. 2018. WATCH: Spoken Word Video about How Social Media Ruins Lives Goes Viral
Thanks to Social Media. [online] Available at: http://time.com/88203/look-up-social-media-
gary-turk/ [Accessed 5 Mar. 2018].
Turk, G., 2014. Look up. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 25.
Washington Post. 2018. This video will make you want to put down your smartphone.
[online] Available at:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2014/05/05/this-video-
will-make-you-want-to-put-down-your-smartphone/?utm_term=.519714975e63 [Accessed 5
Mar. 2018].