Prayer Before Birth Flashcards
Meaning
The poem explores the fears and concerns of a speaker who addresses a prayer to God or a higher power before being born into the world.
The speaker expresses fear of the corrupt and violent world they are about to enter, emphasizing their vulnerability as an unborn child.
They show a Desire for Protection
Hope for Innocence
MacNeice criticizes the societal structures and values that threaten the purity and innocence of the unborn child.
Structure
-Psalm
-refrain
-enjambment
-short last sentence
-free verse
-shift in tone
-dramatic monologue
Psalm
-poem resembles a psalm which is a sung prayer
-highlighting that this is a plea to god, who is the only person that can help them, displaying helplessness
Refrain
-i am not yet born
-creates a sense of continuity
-reinforces helplessness
-suggests anxiety as they keep feeling the need to remind us, they want to emphasise that they are not yet born, not allowing us to forget
Enjambment
The use of enjambment creates a sense of urgency and continuous flow, reflecting the speaker’s stream of thoughts and emotions.
Short last sentence
-ends with a command
-suggests a death from god is sympathetic
-if death is worse it shows the extremity of how bad the world is
Free verse
-The poem is written in free verse, lacking a regular rhyme scheme or meter, reflecting the speaker’s raw emotions and stream-of-consciousness.
-suggests disorientation, reinforcing anxiety
Shift in tone
There is a shift in tone from fear and vulnerability to defiance and determination as the poem progresses, mirroring the speaker’s emotional journey.
Dramatic monologue
-Offers greater insiste into the speakers feelings
-made striking as they are unborn
Imagery
-Dark Imagery
-Violent Imagery
-Natural Imagery
-Sensory Imagery
-Biblical Imagery
-imagery of an unborn child
Dark imagery
The poem is filled with imagery of darkness, symbolizing the malevolent forces and dangers of the world the speaker fears.
Violent imagery
Images of violence, such as “murderers,” “bombs,” and “guns,” evoke the speaker’s anxiety about the prevalence of war and destruction.
Natural imagery
References to nature, such as “earth,” “sky,” and “stars,” contrast with the man-made horrors, highlighting the speaker’s desire for purity and innocence.
Sensory imagery
Vivid sensory imagery appeals to the reader’s senses, intensifying the emotional impact of the speaker’s pleas for protection and safety.
Biblical imagery
Allusions to biblical concepts and figures, such as “God,” “angels,” and “sin,” add depth to the poem’s spiritual themes and the speaker’s invocation for divine action.
Imagery of an unborn child
-the refrain of i am not yet born constantly juxtaposes the commands within each stanza
-within the readers mind there is always a sense that an unborn child and these bad things should never mix, and yet they are bound to
Language
Anaphora
Metaphor
Alliteration
Symbolism
Allusion
Emotive language
Epiphora
Anaphora
The repetition of “I am not yet born” serves as an anaphora, emphasizing the speaker’s state of existence and their plea for protection
Metaphor
The poem is rich in metaphorical language, such as comparing the world to a “battleground” and “smoking bomb crater,” highlighting its dangers and chaos.
Alliteration
The use of alliteration, such as “bomb” and “blood,” creates a rhythmic and ominous effect, reinforcing the poem’s themes of violence and destruction.
Symbolism
Symbols, like the “prison,” “fear,” and “death,” represent the constraints and threats faced by the unborn child, adding depth to the poem’s imagery and themes.
Allusion
-allusion to hitler
-give a striking example of the horrors of the world
Emotive language
-eg make me a stone
-teh whole poem is filled with emotive language
-make me a stone makes the reader feel a sense of loss,
Epiphora
-me is repeated at the end of many lines
-possibly an accusation to god, asking how would you let all this happen to ME?
