Prayer Before Birth

Prayer Before Birth

Overview:

• “Prayer Before Birth” is a profound dramatic monologue by renowned Irish poet Louis MacNeice.
• The poem critically explores the fears and pleas of an unborn child who anticipates a world filled with war, oppression and deception.
• The tone of the monologue ranges from desperation to pleading, revealing the child’s immense trepidation about entering the world.

Themes:

Theme: Fear and Innocence

• The poem resonates with the theme of fear and innocence, depicting the concerns of an unborn child regarding the harsh realities of life.
• MacNeice uses potent imagery to express the potential corruption of innocence in a world embroiled in violence, prejudice, and dishonesty.

Theme: Societal Flaws

• “Prayer Before Birth” also critically examines societal flaws.
• The unborn child’s prayer makes pointed references to the issues of war, tyranny, deceit, and other social ills that humans perpetrate and suffer from.

Theme: Freedom and Control

• Another overarching theme of the poem is freedom and control.
• The speaker pleads for freedom and autonomy – a life unhampered by societal prejudices and unburdened by expectations.

Devices and Structure:

Device: Apostrophe and Alliteration

• MacNeice uses apostrophe – direct address to an object or person not present – to convey the unborn child’s prayers to a deity or higher power.
• He also employs alliteration, a repetition of initial consonant sounds in successive or closely connected words, to enhance the rhythm and appeal of the poem.

Device: Imagery and Repetition

• The poet employs vivid imagery, enabling the audience to visualise the harsh realities the child dreads.
• This, coupled with repetition, serves to drive home the gravity and universality of these fears.

Structure: Free Verse with a Refrain

• The poem unfolds in nine stanzas of free verse, consisting of unrhymed and non-metrical lines.
• A refrain, or recurring line (“I am not yet born; O hear me.”), is used to reiterate the child’s desperate pleas.

Interpretation:

• “Prayer Before Birth” is a powerful critique of the world’s inhumanities and societal injustices.
• MacNeice voices fears about the potential corruption of innocence and the crushing of individualism through a distinctive unborn child’s perspective.
• The poem stands as a potent reminder of how past actions continue to echo in the future, underscoring the importance of striving for a world that nurtures rather than destroys innocence.