‘Prayer before birth’ - Louis MacNeice

Question 1

what is the general over view for ‘Prayer before birth’

Answer 1

Dark poem
Tone of despair
Highly innocent speaker of an unborn child
Explores the horrors of the modern world
Rejection of the modern world
Corrupt evil world
Powerful poem from the eyes of an unborn child

Question 2

what are the Key themes in ‘Prayer before birth’

Answer 2

Tone of despair
Innocent speaker
Explores modern world and its fears
Society oppression

Question 3

what are some language points in the poem ‘Prayer before birth’

Answer 3

Anaphora of I am not yet born –reference to the title ‘prayer’
Appealing language to higher power – religious
Polysyndeton – listing of fears
Child like use of verbs emphasises fear
Imagery of pain and torture
Verbs of parental responsibility
Theatrical metaphors – life is a performance
Pessimistic views of life of how the speaker will be viewed by others
Conveys sense of death
Satanic imagery/ animal imagery – ‘beast’ dehumanises
Last stanza – only stanza not to include ‘I am not yet born’ to show deviation and shows a sense of conclusion
Enjambment – out poor of emotion

Question 4

What are some form points in the poem ‘Prayer before birth’

Answer 4

First person – powerful personal voice
Dramatic monologue
Free verse – naturalistic conversational tone
Stanzas open with imperatives
Caesura adds emphasis
The jiggered stanzas – visual discomfort/ a fractured world
Each stanza grows bigger shows problems through life.

Question 5

What other poems does ‘Prayer before birth’ link to ?

Answer 5

‘If’ – conveys hopes and feelings about navigating challenges