Prayer before birth Flashcards
(15 cards)
Structure in prayer before birth
-written in free verse
—> reflects writers chaotic fear about the world
-presented as a monologue or plea from unborn child
-each stanza grows longer
—>increasing intensity
—>mirroring the rising anxiety and horror about the corruptions of the world
-prayer-like structure
—>reflects religious views of writer
—>the unborn child is praying for a good life
Themes in prayer before birth
-religion
-corruption
-influence
Tone in prayer before birth
-pleading and desperate
—>child begs for protection against the evils of the world
-fearful and distrustful
—>a complete lack of faith in humanity
-inevitable
—>no avoiding the worlds corruption
Alliteration in prayer before birth
“Bloodsucking bat”
“Tall walls wall me”
“Strong drugs drops me”
“Wise lies lure me”
“Black racks rack me” -guttural alliteration
“Blood-baths roll me”
“Grass to grow for me” -guttural alliteration
“My thoughts when they think me”
“When they murder by means of my hands”
“Lovers laugh at me”
“White waves call me”
Anaphora in prayer before birth
“I am not yet born”
-repetition emphasises urgency and helplessness
What is there juxtaposition and contrast between in prayer before birth
The innocence of the child and the cruel and harsh outside world
What does the lack of rhythmic consistency show in prayer before birth
The unpredictability and chaos of the world
Imperatives uses in prayer before birth
“O hear me”
“Console me”
“Provided me”
“Forgive me”
“Rehearse me”
“O fill me”
Stanza 1 ideas
-reveals the poem is from the point of view of an unborn baby
-“rat” and “bat” represent disease
-“ghoul” represents evil spirits
-asks for protection against evil spirits and disease
Stanza 2 ideas
-clarifies the child wants protection from the human race
-asks to be guarded from addiction and war
Stanza 3 ideas
-asks for provisions
-child has knowledge of poverty and wishes to be blessed with necessities to live
-asks for wisdom and moral guidance
-“white light” has connotation of God
Stanza 5 ideas
-personification, natural elements and humans seem to actively work against the speaker
-list-like accumulation, piling up of hostile forces conveys and overwhelming sense of doom
-varied length line creates a breathless, rushed feeling as if the unborn child is running out of time and is overwhelmed
Stanza 4 ideas
-use of a passive voice “speak me”, “think me”, “live me” suggesting a loss of innocence
-religious imagery “forgive me” and “sins” evoke Christian ideas of guilt, the original sing and the need for redemption
-personification of words and thoughts acting independently, feeling the idea of a loss of control
-paradox, “my death when they live me” refers to the idea of others living through the child
Stanza 6 ideas
-idea of not being manipulated and led into a false sense of security by people who are fake
-the short length of the paragraph highlights it’s urgent and desperate tone
-isolated command of come near me, further emphasising the strong rejection of corruption
Stanza 7 ideas
-dehumanising diction “freeze my humanity” “cog in a machine” “a thing” represents fear of being stripped their individuality
-symbolism, “cog in a machine” infers a loss of free will and being reduced to a soulless part of a system
-long flowing sentences which reflects the growing number of threats against him
-enjambment creating a breathless rush that mirrors the writers panic
-climax of the poems prayers, as it is the longest and most detailed
