The poem flows from stanza to stanza in a rapid incantation of all the possible dangers the child may face beginning with the creatures of fable and nightmare, and moving on rapidly to include the horrors created by humanity.
The most relevant technique that MacNeice uses is the irregular structure of the poem. Although it is presented as a prayer, the subject matter is contrasted to be vulgar, morbid and violent, heightening the effect all the more. The varied length of the stanzas and lines is a mere reflection of the chaos in the world. The deterioration of humanity is effectively brought out through the cascading lines in the poem – we are left with the feeling that with every second that passes by, the world is falling apart and humanity is losing its meaning. Overall, the unusual, irregular structure mirrors the lack of connectivity or even reasoning between humans in the world.
All through the poem, MacNeice makes great use of alliteration. He creates very devilish death imagery when he asks for protection against the ‘bloodsucking bat’ and fears that humanity may in ‘blood baths roll him’. This conveys the child’s morbid interest in death even before birth, as a reaction to the eerie atmosphere out in the world. It also suggests the atrocious scene that war has created, also referring to the corruption in the community.
Moreover, MacNeice uses repetition to further convey his worry from the hateful world. The most frequently repeated words are ‘I’ and ‘me’ suggesting a fear of his own mankind. He also constantly repeats the statement ‘O Hear Me’ And ‘O fill Me’, suggesting how the amount off channeled hate from the world is too intense for an innocent baby to handle-almost as if letting out a cry or plea for help. The statement ‘I am not yet born’ is also repeated quite frequently, showing the innocence of the child as contrasted to the devilish world outside. The technique gives the child’s prayer more power as it emphasizes his emotion and brings his fears to life.
Another effective device used by MacNeice is contrast where he creates an image of nature, when asking God to provide him with ‘grass to grow’ and ‘trees to talk to [him]’. These images are related to the positive side of the world, bringing out more clearly the piling up corruption surrounding humans.
A further relevant use of this device is related to the poem’s rhyme scheme – although it sounds like a childish rhyme, the subject it deals with is that of great matter. The regular rhyme scheme is brought to live with the internal rhyme in many statements like ‘tall walls wall me’ – not only does this effect add to the pace of the poem, it also reflects on the fast paced movement of life and the regular ‘killing’ scheme that seemed to be going on during that time of war.
Furthermore, MacNeice uses synesthesia when expressing his fear of the ‘human race’ that they might with ‘black racks rack’ him – this phrase is symbolic of the evil in the world as the dark colour, black, brings out more efficiently how the cruel world has done nothing but brought about violence and destruction in all those who live it.
Additionally, MacNeice uses personification when he mentions how ‘mountains frown at him’ – a disturbing image is created in our minds for even the only hope a person could resort to when all other hope is lost is nature – but now, even nature seemed to have deserted him.
All through the poem, MacNeice effectively creates evil, devilish images at every point. Right at the opening, he associates the world’s corruption with plagues by ‘the rat or the stoat’. The symbolisms of these animals which hint on decay reflect the decadent state of the world, and the presence of evil which lingers and continues to feed upon our humanity. Moreover, the “bloodsucking bat” signifies parasites that do exist amongst us; those with diabolical intents who live on the hard work of others without giving anything in return. The world seems to be infested with vermin and the poet tries to open our eyes to the wicked reality.
MacNeice controls the pace with great charm through punctuation, especially at the end of the poem. The penultimate stanza is one long breathless sentence and the repetition of words and sounds show the agitation of the speaker. At this point, the reader has had the catalogue of possible evils given to him - and now the child prays to be taught how to cope with the worst that the world may throw at him or he will end up a man totally undone, completely lost.
Overall, by the end of the poem, we are filled with disdain and disapproval of the state our world has come to. Louis MacNeice has brought us face to face with the undeniable reality through the eyes of an unborn baby. Moreover, as the child is not yet part of the world, the truth is delivered without bias and we come to grips with the actual state of things. The poet has suitably used language to depict a world of corruption and to open our eyes to the horrific truth we shield ourselves from.
