Lines 1-4:

The poem begins with a sextet introducing an ironic critique of modern technology, the "applied science" of the title. The speaker declines to join in the widespread praise of major scientific advances. The first four lines are balanced; one and three refer to the Wright brothers and their airplane, while two and four refer to Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor who sent the first transatlantic wireless signals. The poem's description of his accomplishment as setting "the air waves in commotion" illustrates both McGinley's brand of humor and the speaker's attitude. While a commotion isn't a catastrophic event, the statement pictures air waves crowded with a jumble of discordant sounds. Clearly, peaceful and undisturbed air would be more pleasant.

Although the poem uses the first person, a speaker who like the author appears to be a suburban housewife, McGinley adopts this persona to present a satiric view of...