Prayer Before Birth

Question 1

“I am not yet born; O hear me.”

Answer 1

• Apostrophe:
• The speaker directly addresses an unspecified power (e.g., God, humanity, or nature) with “O hear me.”
• This highlights the unborn child’s vulnerability and desperate reliance on external forces for protection.
• It creates an intimate and urgent tone, engaging the reader emotionally.

• Imperative:
• The command “hear me” reflects the speaker’s desperation and helplessness.
• Despite being unborn, the imperative conveys urgency, asserting the child’s plea for survival in a corrupt world.

• Polysyndeton (anticipated):
• The use of polysyndeton later in the poem (e.g., “and let… and forgive… and provide”) builds on this line, reflecting the overwhelming fears of the unborn child.
• The refrain “I am not yet born” introduces this effect, mirroring the chaos and threat the speaker anticipates.

Question 2

“Let not the bloodsucking bat or the rat or the stoat or the / club-footed ghoul come near me.”

Answer 2

• The grotesque imagery of “bloodsucking bat,” “rat,” and “ghoul” personifies the evils and dangers of the world. These creatures symbolize violence, greed, and inhumanity.

• The use of alliteration (“bloodsucking bat”) creates a rhythmic, sinister effect, reinforcing the sense of horror and fear.

• This line reflects the child’s desperate plea to avoid being harmed by the cruelty and brutality that often define the human experience.

Question 3

“Let them not make me a stone and let them not spill me.”

Answer 3

• The contrast between “stone” and “spill” conveys two key fears: emotional numbness (represented by “stone”) and vulnerability or destruction (represented by “spill”).

• The metaphor of “stone” symbolizes the dehumanizing effects of societal corruption, where individuals lose their compassion and moral integrity.

• This plea highlights the poem’s central theme: the struggle to maintain one’s humanity in a world that often devalues it.

Question 4

“I am not yet born, forgive me / For the sins that in me the world shall commit.”

Answer 4

• The speaker acknowledges the inevitability of human corruption, reflecting a sense of guilt even before birth. This line highlights the tension between innocence and inherited sin, a central theme in the poem.

• The phrase “sins that in me the world shall commit” suggests that societal and systemic evils are passed on to individuals, making moral purity almost impossible.

• The tone here is deeply reflective, emphasizing the child’s awareness of their future entanglement with the flawed world they will inhabit.

Question 5

“Provide me / With water to dandle me, grass to grow for me, trees to talk to me, sky to sing to me.”

Answer 5

• The natural imagery of water, grass, trees, and sky symbolizes innocence, purity, and the essential elements of life. The child’s plea for these things reflects a longing for a harmonious, nurturing environment.

• The use of personification (“trees to talk,” “sky to sing”) portrays nature as a benevolent force, in stark contrast to the destructive forces of humanity mentioned elsewhere in the poem.

• This line highlights the speaker’s hope for a connection with nature as a source of solace and protection, reinforcing the contrast between innocence and corruption.

Question 6

Form

Answer 6

• Dramatic Monologue:
• The poem is a dramatic monologue, where the unborn child addresses an unspecified external force, perhaps God, humanity, or the natural world.

• Direct address highlights the speaker’s isolation and vulnerability. The speaker’s emotional plea creates an intimate connection with the reader, allowing us to feel their fear and helplessness.

• The urgency of the plea increases the intensity, making it clear that the speaker is attempting to control or influence the world they are about to enter, even before being born.

• This form emphasizes the tension between innocence and the corruption of the world. The monologue invites the reader to empathize with the speaker’s difficulty, which deepens our understanding of the poem’s exploration of human fragility.

Question 7

Structure

Answer 7

• The irregularity of free verse reflects the uncertainty of the future and the emotional instability the speaker feels. This aligns with the theme of vulnerability, as the child faces a world filled with both external and internal challenges.

• Refrain:
• The repeated line “I am not yet born” serves as a refrain, emphasizing the child’s vulnerability and reinforcing their plea. It creates a rhythmic pattern that ties the poem together.

• The refrain symbolizes the cyclical nature of human suffering, as the child’s plea is continuous and unyielding, showing that fear and anxiety have no clear resolution. This creates an emotional build-up, giving the reader a sense of how relentless the child’s fears are.

Question 8

Context

Answer 8

• Historical Context (World War II):
• Written during the 1940s, amid the turmoil of World War II, the poem reflects the widespread anxiety about war and violence. The speaker’s plea represents the fear that new generations will inherit the devastation caused by war.

• The historical context of war enriches the poem’s themes of innocence lost and the moral corruption passed down through generations. The speaker’s plea is not only personal but a broader commentary on the impact of war on human nature and the world.

Question 9

Themes

Answer 9

1. Innocence and Corruption
2. The Impact of War and Violence
3. The Fear of Moral and Emotional Deprivation
4. Fear of the Unknown and the Uncontrollable
5. Protection and Salvation