Prayer Before Birth

Question 1

Meaning

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

Structure

Answer 2

-Psalm
-refrain
-enjambment
-short last sentence
-free verse
-shift in tone
-dramatic monologue

Question 3

Psalm

Answer 3

-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

Question 4

Refrain

Answer 4

-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

Question 5

Enjambment

Answer 5

The use of enjambment creates a sense of urgency and continuous flow, reflecting the speaker’s stream of thoughts and emotions.

Question 6

Short last sentence

Answer 6

-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

Question 7

Free verse

Answer 7

-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

Question 8

Shift in tone

Answer 8

There is a shift in tone from fear and vulnerability to defiance and determination as the poem progresses, mirroring the speaker’s emotional journey.

Question 9

Dramatic monologue

Answer 9

-Offers greater insiste into the speakers feelings
-made striking as they are unborn

Question 10

Imagery

Answer 10

-Dark Imagery
-Violent Imagery
-Natural Imagery
-Sensory Imagery
-Biblical Imagery
-imagery of an unborn child

Question 11

Dark imagery

Answer 11

The poem is filled with imagery of darkness, symbolizing the malevolent forces and dangers of the world the speaker fears.

Question 12

Violent imagery

Answer 12

Images of violence, such as “murderers,” “bombs,” and “guns,” evoke the speaker’s anxiety about the prevalence of war and destruction.

Question 13

Natural imagery

Answer 13

References to nature, such as “earth,” “sky,” and “stars,” contrast with the man-made horrors, highlighting the speaker’s desire for purity and innocence.

Question 14

Sensory imagery

Answer 14

Vivid sensory imagery appeals to the reader’s senses, intensifying the emotional impact of the speaker’s pleas for protection and safety.

Question 15

Biblical imagery

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

Imagery of an unborn child

Answer 16

-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

Question 17

Language

Answer 17

Anaphora
Metaphor
Alliteration
Symbolism
Allusion
Emotive language
Epiphora

Question 18

Anaphora

Answer 18

The repetition of “I am not yet born” serves as an anaphora, emphasizing the speaker’s state of existence and their plea for protection

Question 19

Metaphor

Answer 19

The poem is rich in metaphorical language, such as comparing the world to a “battleground” and “smoking bomb crater,” highlighting its dangers and chaos.

Question 20

Alliteration

Answer 20

The use of alliteration, such as “bomb” and “blood,” creates a rhythmic and ominous effect, reinforcing the poem’s themes of violence and destruction.

Question 21

Symbolism

Answer 21

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.

Question 22

Allusion

Answer 22

-allusion to hitler
-give a striking example of the horrors of the world

Question 23

Emotive language

Answer 23

-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,

Question 24

Epiphora

Answer 24

-me is repeated at the end of many lines
-possibly an accusation to god, asking how would you let all this happen to ME?