Prayer Before Birth

Question 1

Structure and form

Answer 1

• free verse: no regular rhyme or rhythm - reflects chaos, unpredictability of the world
• irregular stanza lengths: suggests the building intensity and instability
• dramatic monologue: from a fetus’s point of view - a unique voice filled with vulnerability
• repeated imperative “let me…” or “let not…”: reinforces the desperate, pleading tone
• final abrupt line: “otherwise kill me” - jarring and shocking. Shows how strongly the speaker wants to avoid a corrupted life

Question 2

Themes

Answer 2

1. Innocence vs corruption
   - the child fears becoming corrupted by society
2. Dehumanisation and control
   - warnings against losing free will, becoming a machine or cog in a system
3. War and violence
   - vivid fears of a world filled with brutality and bloodshed
4. Individuality and freedom
   - the speaker wants to keep their soul, voice and personality intact
5. Religion and morality
   - structured like a prayer - evokes God but also reflects existential fear

Question 3

Context

Answer 3

• written by Louis MacNeice in 1944
• WWII raging, macneice fears what kind f world the future generations would inherit
• the poem is like a prayer or plea

Question 4

Language and literary devices

Answer 4

• anaphora/repetition
• violent imagery
• personification
• alliteration
• juxtaposition
• metaphor
• biblical/prayer-like tone

Question 5

Anaphora / repetition

Answer 5

• “i am not yet born…” builds rhythm and intensity, reinforcing innocence and helplessness

Question 6

Violent imagery

Answer 6

• “bloodsucking bat”, “lethal automaton”
• suggests war, evil and inhumanity

Question 7

Personification

Answer 7

• “the hands would spill me”
• human touch becomes a threat

Question 8

Alliteration

Answer 8

• “dragoon me into a lethal automaton”
• harsh ‘d’ and ‘t’ sounds reflect violence

Question 9

Juxtaposition

Answer 9

• “the man who is beast or who thinks he is God”
• critique of both savagery and arrogance

Question 10

Metaphor

Answer 10

• “cog in a machine”
• loss of autonomy in society

Question 11

Biblical/prayer like tone

Answer 11

• the child is almost confessing or pleading with a higher power
• elevates the seriousness of the request

Question 12

Messages

Answer 12

• poem condemns war, dictatorship, and society’s ability to corrupt even the innocent
• its a call to conscience, asking readers to protect future generations from a world of horror
• suggests that individual morality is more important than physical survival
• the unborn speaker represents the hope of a better future - but only if humanity changes