Prayer Before Birth Flashcards

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1
Q

What does the title tell us?

A

“prayer” shows a sense of fear and desperation and “before birth” indicates this poem’s written from the perspective of an unborn child who prays for future guidance and to be protected from humanity

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2
Q

I am not yet born

A

Anaphora - draws importance to how if prayer can’t be answered, the poet would rather not be born at all

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3
Q

Hear me

A

Imperative verb –> Commanding a God to help them as the foetus is desperate

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4
Q

Bloodsucking bat…Club-footed ghoul

A

Child-like images –> Innocence of the foetus

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5
Q

Hear me…Near me

A

Internal rhymes –> Creates a minuscule musicality of the poem which highlights the child-like trait that the foetus is expressing

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6
Q

tall walls wall…drugs dope…lies lure…racks rack…blood-baths

A

Assonance & Alliteration –> Torture, manipulation and entrapment is juxtaposed with the nursery internal rhyme-like style

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7
Q

With water to dandle me

A

Volta –> Symbolises how long nature really lasts for as a result of violent human activities and the foetus begins to highlight the violent nature of mankind in general

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8
Q

Water…grass…trees…sky…birds

A

Semantic field of nature –> Symbolises innocent and purity as well as the beautiful imagery which is the foetus’ relief from the corruption of humanity

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9
Q

my words when they speak me…my thoughts when they think me

A

Indicates how the foetus has lost control of himself due to humanity

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10
Q

The cues I must take

A

Metaphor –> Loss of free will

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11
Q

Old men lecture me…(until the end)

A

World is against them –> Heightens complete isolation

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12
Q

Lethal automaton

A

Metaphor of a machine –> Dehumanisation

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13
Q

Thistledown hither and thither or hither and thither like water held in the hands would spill me

A

The foetus fears that it will become shapeless and directionless

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14
Q

Not make me a stone

A

Cold and Emotionless –> Wishes to retain their innocence which contrasts with the theme of the poem suggesting this is near impossible

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15
Q

Let them not spill me.

A

Meaningless existence –> Lack of human wholeness

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16
Q

Otherwise kill me.

A

Abruptness –> The foetus would rather die than live in a world in which their innate humanity has to be corrupted, casting doubt on whether it even wants to be born at all

17
Q

What is the atmosphere throughout the poem?

A

Atmosphere of hopelessness though the poet maintains a degree of determination

18
Q

How is this poem written?

A

In dramatic monologue and free verse which emphasises the irregularity of the poem itself

19
Q

What is the structure of the poem?

A

8 irregular stanzas and the length of the stanzas increases which perhaps emphasises the foetus growing closer to the destruction & corruption of the world with the start being rather innocent and, towards the end, expressing the realty of the harshness of the world

20
Q

What is special about the tone in this poem?

A

The tone contrasts with the expectations of an impeding death which is anxiousness

21
Q

Themes of?

A

Fear, Horrors of war, Humanity