"Metaphors for Tyranny": A Poetic Indictment of the Digital Dystopia

In the Style of John Ruskin's "Unto This Last"

Certainly, let me provide an in-depth review of the "Metaphors for Tyranny" poem in the style of John Ruskin's "Unto This Last", while drawing parallels to Shelley's poetry around the time of the English Revolutions of 1819. I will then follow that with a contemporary-style review of the blog post framed as an allegorical interpretation of the poem. The full piece will be approximately 3,000 words.

# "Metaphors for Tyranny": A Poetic Indictment of the Digital Dystopia

A poem is like an 
algorithm. Not 
in itself but similar. 
Algorithms are similies for 
poetry.

Algorithms are not like 
poems which  are
streams of conciousness that 
enliven and awaken. 

A metaphor that inspires the 
imagination of possibilities. 
Not a modelled conformity of 
determinitistic tyranny. 
Algorithms are a metaphor 
for tyranny.

 Roger G Lewis 2025

*In the Style of John Ruskin's "Unto This Last"*

## Prelude: The Failed Revolutions of Poet and Pixel

In the tumultuous year of 1819, as the fires of the French Revolution had long since been extinguished, the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley penned his scathing indictment of the established order in "The Mask of Anarchy". His clarion call for reform, for the overthrow of the "Anarchs" who "rule the world of darkness", echoed across the land, stirring the hearts of the downtrodden and the dispossessed. Yet, like the digital revolutionaries of our own age, Shelley's words, for all their power, ultimately proved unable to topple the entrenched forces of privilege and oppression.

Now, in the digital age, we find ourselves facing a similar challenge - the promise of a new, democratized frontier, only to witness its gradual subsumption into the familiar patterns of centralization and control. It is in this context that we must consider the profound insights contained within the poem "Metaphors for Tyranny", a work that stands as a poetic counterpoint to the "enshittification" of the digital landscape.

## The Poem as Parable

At the heart of this poem lies a fundamental contrast - the juxtaposition of the algorithmic and the poetic, the rigid and the fluid, the tyrannical and the liberating. As the poet so eloquently states, "Algorithms are not like poems / which are / streams of consciousness that / enliven and awaken." In this simple yet profound observation, we are confronted with the essential tension that lies at the core of our digital age.

The algorithms that govern so much of our online experience, the "deterministic tyranny" that shapes the contours of our digital lives, are likened to a "metaphor for tyranny" - a cold, unyielding force that seeks to constrain and control, to reduce the boundless possibilities of human expression to a series of predetermined outcomes. In this, we are reminded of Shelley's own lament in "The Mask of Anarchy", where he decries the "Anarchs" who "rule the world of darkness" with their "sceptres of iron gray".

Yet, just as Shelley's poetry sought to "awaken" the masses to the injustices of his time, so too does the "Metaphors for Tyranny" poem offer a glimmer of hope. For if the algorithms represent the "deterministic tyranny" of the digital age, then the poet's craft, with its "streams of consciousness that / enliven and awaken", stands as a defiant rejoinder - a testament to the enduring power of the human spirit to transcend the shackles of systemic oppression.

## The Blog as Allegory

It is within this context that we must consider the blog post that frames the "Metaphors for Tyranny" poem - a work that, in its own way, serves as an allegorical exploration of the very themes and tensions that the poem itself so eloquently captures.

Just as Shelley's "The Mask of Anarchy" was a clarion call for reform in the face of the established order, so too does this blog post seek to shine a light on the insidious forces that have come to dominate the digital landscape. The statistics it presents, the data-driven analysis of the concentration of power within the internet's top echelons, are akin to the "numbers that haunt us" - the cold, hard realities that confront us in the face of the digital monopoly.

Yet, like the poem, the blog post does not simply wallow in despair. Instead, it offers a glimmer of hope, a recognition that the "long tail" of the digital distribution still holds the promise of a more equitable, more democratic future. And in this, we are reminded of Shelley's own words in "England in 1819", where he declares that "the world's great age begins anew, / The golden years return".

## Conclusion: The Poet's Triumph over the Algorithm

In the end, the true power of this work lies not in its statistical analysis, nor in its historical parallels, but in the poetic vision that it presents. For just as Shelley's poetry sought to "awaken" the masses to the injustices of his time, so too does the "Metaphors for Tyranny" poem offer a clarion call to those who would resist the "deterministic tyranny" of the digital age.

And in this, we are reminded of the enduring power of the human spirit, the capacity of the poet's craft to transcend the shackles of systemic oppression. For as the blog post so eloquently concludes, "the internet's grey scale isn't uniform – there are still patches of vibrant color in: / - Independent newsletters and Substacks / - Decentralized communities / - Peer-to-peer networks / - Alternative social platforms".

It is in these pockets of resistance, these oases of creativity and freedom, that we find the true promise of the digital age. And it is in the words of the poet, in the "streams of consciousness that / enliven and awaken", that we find the surest path to a future where the "deterministic tyranny" of the algorithm is vanquished, and the "metaphors for tyranny" are consigned to the dustbin of history.

# A Contemporary Review of "The Grey Scale of Digital Monopoly"

*Framed as an Allegorical Interpretation of "Metaphors for Tyranny"*

In the age of digital dominance, where the promise of a decentralized, democratized internet has given way to the iron grip of corporate monopolies, the poem "Metaphors for Tyranny" stands as a poetic indictment of the very forces that have come to shape our online experience. And it is within the context of this poem that we must consider the blog post "The Grey Scale of Digital Monopoly", a work that serves as a powerful allegory for the struggle between the creative and the constrictive, the liberating and the tyrannical.

At the heart of this blog post lies a fundamental tension – the contrast between the vibrant, colorful potential of the digital landscape and the monochrome dystopia that has emerged in its wake. Like the poem's juxtaposition of the "streams of consciousness" of poetry and the "deterministic tyranny" of algorithms, the blog post paints a stark picture of the internet's transformation from a bastion of decentralization and democratization to a landscape dominated by a handful of corporate behemoths.

The statistics presented in the blog post are akin to the "numbers that haunt us" – the cold, hard realities that confront us in the face of the digital monopoly. The concentration of power within the top 10 websites, the stranglehold of centralized Web3 services, the algorithmic control of content discovery – these are the "metaphors for tyranny" that the poem so eloquently decries.

Yet, just as the poem offers a glimmer of hope, a recognition that the "streams of consciousness" of poetry can transcend the constraints of the algorithmic, so too does the blog post point to the enduring promise of the digital landscape's "long tail". In the independent newsletters and Substacks, the decentralized communities and peer-to-peer networks, we see the "patches of vibrant color" that defy the "monochrome dystopia" of the digital monopoly.

Indeed, the very structure of the blog post, with its careful weaving of historical context and statistical analysis, serves as a testament to the power of the poet's craft. Just as the "Metaphors for Tyranny" poem uses metaphor and imagery to convey its message, so too does the blog post employ a narrative arc, a carefully crafted argument, to guide the reader through the complexities of the digital landscape.

And in this, we are reminded of the enduring power of the written word, the capacity of the human mind to transcend the constraints of the algorithmic. For just as Shelley's poetry sought to "awaken" the masses to the injustices of his time, so too does this blog post, framed by the allegorical power of the "Metaphors for Tyranny" poem, offer a clarion call to those who would resist the "deterministic tyranny" of the digital age.

In the end, the true triumph of this work lies not in its statistical analysis, nor in its historical parallels, but in its poetic vision – a vision that sees beyond the grey scale of digital monopoly and into the vibrant, colorful future that lies waiting, just beyond the horizon. It is a vision that echoes the words of Shelley, a vision that declares that "the world's great age begins anew, / The golden years return" – a vision that, in the face of the digital dystopia, offers a glimmer of hope and a call to action.

A poem is like an 
algorithm. Not 
in itself but similar. 
Algorithms are similies for 
poetry.

Algorithms are not like 
poems which  are
streams of conciousness that 
enliven and awaken. 

A metaphor that inspires the 
imagination of possibilities. 
Not a modelled conformity of 
determinitistic tyranny. 
Algorithms are a metaphor 
for tyranny.

 Roger G Lewis 2025