Every Morning I Wake by Dylan Thomas (1914-1953)
Questions for reflection: a. Why do people offer prayers to God?
b. What do you feel when you visit the
mosque, temple, or church? Why do you feel so?
Background
of the Poet: Dylan Thomas, who was born in Swansea, Wales,
in 1914 and passed away in 1953, is well known for his profoundly lyrical and
emotionally charged poetry. His emphasis on imagination, passion, intuition,
spontaneity, and organic form might be considered a continuation of the
Romantic movement into the twentieth century, which was particularly successful
in nineteenth-century England. Thomas, who is regarded as one of the finest
Welsh poets of all time, is mostly recognized for his inventive language use
and striking imagery in his poetry. In 1945, he began working for BBC. A
radio play titled Under Milk Wood was created in 1953 during the final months
of the author's life. It is based in the small Welsh town of Llareggub and
follows one day in the lives of its rural residents. In the Milk Wood
excerpt "Every Morning I Wake" Thomas begs the great God in the poem
to have mercy on common people who live under the Milk Wood.
Theme: Hope, belief, and generosity
In the poem, the poet
expresses his belief in god and his constant hope that god will aid us in all
of our endeavors that god will keep a watchful eye on all vulnerable
creatures, and that nothing bad will ever happen to good people. He also
expresses this hope not just for himself but for all people and other creatures
who are born to die. He is focusing more on the residents of his town than he
is on himself. Instead of requesting his own joys and wishes, he is pleading
for the survival of all living things on the planet.
Rhyme & Rhyme
scheme: An extremely basic
rhythmic pattern has been added by Dylan Thomas. The poet uses the AABB rhyme
scheme throughout the poem with a clear structure. Every verse's second line
rhymes with the one before it. According to the AABB rhyming pattern, lines 1
and 2 rhymes, while lines 3 and 4 do the same.
Structure & poetry: The poem has four dactylic rhymed
stanzas of four lines each, and because it portrays the poet's thoughts and
sentiments toward God, it can be said to have a lyric poetry form.
“ Every Morning when
I wake,
Dear Lord, a little prayer I make,
O please do keep Thy loving eye
On all poor creatures born to die”
The poet says in the
first stanza that he prays every morning when he wakes up, pleading with God
for mercy and protection on behalf of all living things who will eventually
perish.
Symbolism Used: He used the phrase
"on all pitiful creatures born to die" in the final line of the first
stanza to represent all living things, including people and animals, who are
only in this world for a short time before passing away.
“And every evening at
sun-down
I ask a blessing on
the town,
For whether we last a
night or no
I’m sure is always
touch-and-go”
In this stanza, the
speaker talks about how uncertain life is. Though he is unsure whether or not
the city's inhabitants will survive the night, he frequently prays to God to
put things right and keep them safe. The speaker requests God to bless them before
going to night since he is unsure if he will see them again in the morning.
Imagery Used: Night: The Milk Wood
People's difficult circumstances, stress, or sorrows are all referred to as
night. Sun: The sun is a representation of a nice day and lovely times.
“We are not wholly
bad or good
Who live our lives
under Milk Wood
And Thou, I know,
wilt be the first
To see our best side
not the worst”
The poet here
emphasizes that although we may carry out good or bad deeds throughout our
lives, he also firmly believes that God will be the one to notice our best
selves. The world is represented by Milk Wood town, and the poet has prayed to
God not for his own blessing alone, but for the blessing of all those who live
on this planet.
“O let us see another
day!
Bless us all this
night, I pray,
And to the sun we all
bow
And say, good-bye –
but just for now”
The poet bids his
farewell but only for now because he knows that it is only temporary and that,
by God's grace, he shall have a new beginning. This last stanza appears to be
the conclusion of his prayer as well as his end-of-the-day prayer in which he
hopes to pass the night, blessed for the day he had today, to have another
great day tomorrow.
Summary: The radio play
"Under the Milkwood" contains the excerpt "Every Morning I
Wake," which was written by the poet during the last month of his life. In
this poem, the poet begs the mighty god for mercy on common people who live
under the milkwood, and it is a prayer for the well-being of all the helpless
creatures in the world who depend on the god or another for their existence. He
implores the almighty to watch after all of the helpless animals that were
created only to perish. For us to enjoy our daily lives, he wants God
to maintain a peaceful and joyful world. We seek God's favor
so that we can always offer our best effort at work, that the difficult times
will pass, and that the good times will come like the sun rising after a long
night.
Critical Analysis: In this poem, the
poet begs the omnipotent God to show pity to the common people who live beneath
Milk Wood. In this poetry, the speaker invokes God and pleads with him or her
to be kind to the inhabitants of Milk Wood. The speaker wants to introduce you
to the idea of god and persuade you that there is a supreme being in charge who
watches over us. The speaker depicts himself as a devout follower of God who
understands the true power of God. As a result, he prays to God each morning,
demonstrating his understanding of God's faithfulness. Although we must die because we
are mortal, God's blessings make life wonderful. The speaker contends that
regardless of how good or evil we may be in the course of living our daily
lives, God is aware of our best selves, demonstrating God's divine nature as a
compassionate creature.