 Hello and welcome to a summary of all you need to know about the poem Prayer Before Birth by Lewis McNeese. Now I'll explain the meaning related to this poem as it appears in part three of the Pearson and Excel International GCSE anthology. Do bear in mind that in contrast to parts one of the anthology which featured only none fiction texts and part two which was mixed of fiction short stories and poems, part three of this anthology exclusively features poems alone. So in this video I'll highlight key language and literary devices using this poem and you'll learn how to analyze it so let's get started. Now what I'll do is I'll read through few stanzas every so often stopping to highlight key literature techniques that you should be aware of. So let's begin. I'm not yet born Ohemi. Let not the blood sucking bat or the rat or the stout or the club-footed ghoul come near me. I am not yet born Consolmi. I fear that the human race may with tall walls war me with strong drugs dope me with wise lies lure me on black rags rack me in blood baths roll me. I am not yet born provide me with water to dandel me grass to grow for me trees to talk to me sky to sing to me birds and a white light in the back of my mind to guide me. Now this opening few stanzas are really really interesting because we start learning that the speaker actually is an unborn fetus. Now the title itself is interesting so again it emphasizes that this speaker is actually not born and it's written as a dramatic monologue presented almost as a powerful incantation and prayer by this fetus before they are born the one to find a world that's better than what it currently is. Now the opening declarative sentence in the first stanza I am not yet born shows the speakers an unborn fetus and they are currently in the mother's womb. Then this is your hair and this is a pause almost to emphasize that this is a prayer because they're there after state oh hear me. Then the following line let not the blood sucking bat now the alliteration hair is really really forceful blood and bat these are plosive sounds and again this shows just the dirty creatures and the really negative creatures that live on the planet and the fetus is already afraid of all of these negative influences. Moreover the fetus states or the rat or the stoat now the polycynidin hair lists all of these horrible ghoulish creatures that really walk the surface of the earth and of course what this shows is that the speaker is really fearful of these negative creatures. Moreover there's a jambon here which speeds up the pace of this poem and this incantation becomes even more frenzy as it's going on and on top of that there's this mention of the clubfooted ghoul and again this is a demon it refers to the evil of the world. Moreover the second and third line of the first stanza let not the bloodsucking bat or the rat or the stoat or the clubfooted ghoul come near me. Now what this complex sentence does is actually it's an interesting command to God it's asking and praying to God please make sure all of these evil creatures don't come and in many ways corrupt me. Now the following stanza I'm not yet born is a repetition of the first declarative sentence and this is repeated once more by the third verse I am not yet born and this repetition is almost like a refrain. It's emphasising to us that this is an unborn child and they really don't want to face these evils of the world that we have to live with. Now in the second verse I'm not yet born consul me and this verb seems to be asking God for comfort to deal with such a difficult world. Now in line five the speaker states I fear that the human race move with tall walls will me and the abstract noun fear shows that the speaker is really terrified of humanity's evil and their potential to do really lots of damage to others. Moreover this is further emphasised with the reference to the human race and what this shows is that the speaker even before being born has a unique awareness that we as a species as human beings as a human race have a great capacity for evil and they're fearful of this. Moreover the reference to tall walls will me this repetition of walls shows that in some ways the fetus is unborn child wants a barrier between these terrible human beings that do so much evil versus them so they don't get corrupted by these terrible actions. They're also afraid that the human race with strong drugs can dope them and again this is a litteration showing all the corrupt elements that they're aware of in the world. Furthermore there's this reference to wise lies law me and this is in some ways almost oxymoron not direct oxymoron however these are opposite terms and there's a sense of dissonance here it shows just how deceptive people can be. Also there's the reference to blood baths roll me and this is a direct reference to how human beings have the propensity to kill each other in war. Now in the third verse in line nine there's a reference to water grass trees and then the following line sky birds. Now this is a semantic field of nature and what this does is it sets an idyllic image and it creates hope. Moreover the speaker references trees to talk to me sky to sing to me and this personification emphasises this idyllic language. It emphasises this idea that nature can be quite rejuvenative and they want to be close to nature when they're born. Moreover the reference to the white light in many ways this connotes purity and godliness and what the speaker wants to do is be closer to God they want to be closer not only to God but also all the elements of nature that are seen as pure but the speaker. Now this third stanza is really really interesting because what this does is it creates a general idyllic image and it shows the speaker's wish for an idyllic childhood filled with nature and purity. So let's carry on. I'm not yet born. Forgive me for the sins that in me the world shall commit my words when they speak me my thoughts when they think me my trees and engendered by traitors beyond me my life when they murdered by means of my hands my death when they lived me I am not yet born. Rehearse me in the parts I must play in the cues I must take when old men lecture me bureaucrats hector me mountains frown at me lovers laugh at me the white waves call me to folly in the desert calls me to doom and the beggar refuses my gift and my children curse me. Now the following stanzas in contrast to the previous one which has lots of idyllic imagery are really really dark. Now in this stanza the reference to I am not yet born is again repeated and then there's a zero here and then the following line again this is zero after my word sins in me the world shall commit and again what is showing is that this incantation is continuing it's slowing down the pace and of course this is in contrast to the genre that used which speeds up the pace of the poem. Also the speaker states forgive me and what this shows is that they feel that they will also be capable of lots of great sins and they are capable of committing grave crimes so that actually asking for forgiveness from God in advance. Moreover, there's the use of enjambon as I've mentioned and what this does is it speeds up the pace of the poem. Furthermore, the forgiveness is asked for the sins that in me the world shall commit and this religious language the reference to sin forgiveness makes it seem more and more like a prayer to God. Now the sins in me that the world shall commit what this shows is that the speaker has a really really pessimistic view of human nature and all the cruel things that humans are capable of. Now 914 the speaker states when they speak me my thoughts when they think me and this is interesting because it's non standard English and what this does is it obviously shows how humans all are very intertwined. So even if the fetus doesn't necessarily feel like maybe they might commit sins their actions are still indirectly affected by other evil people's actions. So when they speak me my thoughts when they think me when other people think bad thoughts they too think bad thoughts because they are part of the same human race. Moreover, there's a repetition and constant reference back to the first person pronoun me and my and what this shows us is that the speaker takes responsibility for playing a part in the destruction that humanity reeks and havoc that humanity wreaks on the world. Now in line 15 there's a reference to treason and traitors and what this shows is a betrayal that we're all inherently capable of. Moreover, there's the reference to the murder by means of my hands and the speaker really is showing hair that they believe that humanity will influence them to do evil. Moreover, there's the use of the oxymoron death and life and again what this shows is that human beings have the capacity for beauty for life but also they have the capacity to do great evil to cause and commit death. Now in the following verse there's a reference to rehearse me and this is interesting because it's almost this idea that they want to be able to rehearse life like a play before they're born whilst they're still a foetus they want God to help them rehearse the perfect life and this is an indirect illusion by the writer by the poet to Shakespeare's play as you like it where one of the characters called Jacques states all the world's a stage and again this is a metaphor for how life is almost like a play and we each are characters within this play of life. Now in line 19 this metaphor is extended in the parts I must play in the cues I must take and this extended metaphor shows that we humans are actors in God's play of life. Moreover in line 20 there's a reference to old men bureaucrats men mountains and further on in this verse there's a reference to lovers so the reference to beggars and these are all different characters who are casted and this these different characters play a role in the human play of life. Moreover there's a reference to the white waves call me and the personification and the litteration here really again emphasizes the beauty of nature the soothing aspects of nature which call to the speaker and the speaker then references how my children curse me and the litteration here shows that this unborn child is also aware that their own progeny their own children will be angry at being born into this violent and evil world just like how maybe they are going to be feeling really really sad really anxious and quite angry at also being conceived and being born into this evil world. So let's continue. I am not yet born Ohemi let not the man whose beast or who thinks his god come near me. I'm not yet born. O fill me with strength against those who would freeze my humanity would dragoon me into a lethal automaton would make me a cognitive machine a thing with one face a thing and against all those who would dissipate my entirety would blow me like thistle down hither and thither or hither and thither like water held in the hands would spill me let them not make me a stone and let them not spill me otherwise kill me now these final stanzas are really really intriguing because here in line 25 there's this repetition of line one this anaphoric reference. I'm not yet born Ohemi and this anaphoric reference to the prayer repeats the opening demand to God for some kind of salvation from the corruption that's inherent within the world. Now in 926 there's this reference to beast but also to God and there's this contrast this juxtaposition between the lowest beings a beast but also the highest of beings God. Now what the speaker is stating is let not the man who's beast or who thinks he's God come near me now this reference shows that they fear that both good and evil can be very negative influences on them and of course evil is represented in the beast but also good is represented in God and both of these the speakers actually afraid of now in the following verse there's this reference to those who would freeze my humanity and this is just a direct reference to tyrants who force people to do evil now this was this poem itself was actually written soon after the second world war and of course contextually speaking it was Hitler that started the second world war so this is perhaps an indirect contextual reference to those who freeze other people's humanity Hitler frees good people's humanity. Moreover the reference to those who would dragoon me into lethal automaton dragoon is somebody who's a member of a cavalry regiment so these soldiers who are a member of a regiment and essentially what the speaker doesn't want to do is to be to have the humanity numbed out of them when they are part of an army or any type of regiment. Furthermore they talk about how many people especially soldiers are made into lethal automaton lethal robots and they don't want to be a mindless killer with no identity again do you remember that Hitler in many ways a lot of the people that served under him were very brainwashed and they became almost like robots lethal killing machines and they lost this humanity so the speaker really doesn't want to have anybody such as Hitler or any kind of tyrant to influence them excessively to the point where they cause harm and evil to others. Now in 931 they don't want to be a cog in a machine and this idiom is a reference to how dictatorships can have the power to rob people of their identity. Also this cogging machine is seen as a thing with one face a thing and the repetition here of thing shows how dehumanizing things can become in a dictatorship and how people can become very dehumanized to being human towards other people to being caring and kind towards other people and essentially the speaker is afraid that they themselves might become dehumanized and corrupted by really terrible tyrants and leaders like Hitler. Now in 934 they reference how they don't want to be blown like this all down. Now this simile is interesting because it references the light fluffy down that's attached to thistle seeds and what happens to these elements of down that are attached to thistle seeds is that they easily fly away so this simile emphasizes that the narrator doesn't want to become one of those people who lack a backbone and this is further emphasized that people who lack a backbone are blown hither and thither or hither and thither and this repetition shows the mindlessness and the purposelessness of people who have no backbone and they're pushed here and there and they do whatever that they're told rather than thinking for themselves and making sure that they have some kind of humanity in their actions. Moreover in line 36 it's a reference to like water and this simile emphasizes fragile individuality. Now this second to last stanza is interesting because it shows the narrator's fear at being negatively influenced by a terrible government a terrible dictatorship and of course this has happened time in memorial lots of different leaders have come and gone who have influenced whole groups of people whole nations to commit evil atrocities. Hitler is not the first person certainly and sadly will not be the last person so this second to last stanza is the longest because it shows the fetuses fear at how people can be quite cruel and evil particularly if they are influenced by terrible regimes. Now in the final stanza let them not make me a stone now the litteration here is quite powerful it's very very forceful and it's a fetus's way of begging God to not be made and to not be turned into an inhumane person. Furthermore the metaphor stone shows that this is somebody who's insensitive inhumane and of course they are corrupted by the world to do evil deeds. Now the final line is otherwise kill me and this is a really shocking request because essentially in other words this is a request for an abortion if the narrator is saying the fetus this unborn fetus is saying if they are turned into someone who does these things someone who becomes a mindlessly thought automaton they'd rather be killed now so it's a request for an abortion if the prayer is not answered as life is otherwise meaningless if they become yet another terrible human being in this planet. Moreover this final stanza is interesting because it's the shortest stanza so it's a contrast between the longest stanza which comes before it versus the shortest one and it's very abrupt in the ending and really shocking and of course what this does is it really triggers us as readers to think. So that's all if you found this video useful do note that we have an in-depth extensive course covering all the texts and poems in parts one two and three of the Pearson International at Excel GCSE anthology. So make sure you do check it out and sign up for the course for explanations on all these texts and poems as well as model answers but also make sure you visit our website which is www.firstread tutors.com where you can find plenty of English revision worksheets model answers and online courses covering all the major English syllabuses including at Excel, AQA and IGCSE. Thank you so much for listening.