Line to Line Analysis of “Every Morning I Wake” by Dylan Thomas
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
Explanation: Every morning when the speaker wakes up he/she prays to god asking him to protect all living beings and show mercy on them. He regards all living beings to be “poor” meaning weak and unfortunate which are fated to die one day.
And every evening at sun-down
I ask a blessing on the town,
For whether we last the night or no
I’m sure is always touch-and-go.
Explanation: And every evening when the sun disappears or daylight fades, the speaker asks blessings for the people of Llareggub for their safety and happiness. He/she fears that they may not pass the night and see the morning sun. He/she is sure that it is always uncertain for them to stay alive till the morning. Here “touch-and-go” stands for something that is “possible but very uncertain”.
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 our worst.
Explanation: The speaker confesses that the people of Llareggub who live under Milk Wood, a wooded area in the hills, are not entirely good or bad people. They have both possessed both qualities within them. He/she hopes that God will be the first person to see the best side ignoring the worst one and bless them.
O let us see another day!
Bless us all this night, I pray,
And to the sun we all will bow
And say, good-bye – but just for now!
Explanation: Most probably, it is night time. The speaker begs to God to let the residents of Llareggub see another day. He/she prays to him to keep them safe all night so that they can see the morning sun and bow to it. Here “day” symbolizes life and happiness, whereas “night” symbolizes threat and suffering. The speaker also asserts that they will say goodbye to the sun once again in the evening but just for the moment expecting to see the next day.
Understanding the text
Answer the following questions.
a. When does the speaker pray to the Lord?
Ans: The speaker prays to the Lord every Morning after he wakes up and in the evening after the sunset before going to bed.
b. What does the speaker pray for?
Ans: The speaker prays for the blessings in order to ensure the safety and happiness of the people living in the town under the wooded area of Milk Wood.
c. Who are the ‘poor creatures’? Why does the speaker call them ‘poor creatures’?
Ans: All living things in the earth including the inhabitants living under the Milk Wood are ‘poor creatures’. The speaker calls them ‘poor creatures’ because all living things are weak and helpless before the magnificence of God. They are born without a proper objective, just to die.
d. What does Milk Wood sound like? A type of wood or a place? Why?
Ans: Milk Wood sounds like a type of place with tall and dense trees. It seems to be a name of a wooded area because the initials are capitalized like a proper noun without any article in front.
e. Why do the inhabitants of Milk Wood bow to the setting sun ‘but just for now’?
Ans: The inhabitants of Milk Wood bow to the setting sun ‘but just for now’ because they have hoped to see the sun again in another day. They believe God will protect them all through the harsh night allowing them to see the Morning sun.
Reference to the context
a. Discuss “Every Morning When I Wake” as a prayer to the God.
Ans: “Every Morning When I Wake” is a prayer to God by the speaker who most probably is in-charge of the town under Milk Wood. Every morning when he wakes up he prays to God asking him to protect all living beings particularly the inhabitants of his town and show mercy on them. He also prays in the evening after the sunset for the blessings of God for his people. He has a fear that they may not sustain the harsh night to see the morning sun. He claims that they are not entirely good or bad but a mixture of both. Begging God to see only their best side, the speaker expects that they would survive the extreme night to bow to the morning sun.
The speaker is a selfless person who asks for love, compassion, and strength for the feeble and helpless people to endure the sufferings and pains in their lives. He prays two times a day- in the morning and in the evening before going to bed, so that God would hear him.
b. Why does the speaker make a prayer to the God, but not to a king, a billionaire or a scientist?
Ans: The speaker makes a prayer to God, but not to a king, a billionaire, or a scientist because to him all the creatures except God are feeble and helpless who are born just to die. Only almighty God can grant the capacity to his people to endure the earthly harshness. For him, this life is the magnificence of God, and only he can protect it from danger. A king, a billionaire, or a scientist can have worldly wealth and authority, but it is God whose will controls everything on earth.
c. How does the poet highlight the magnificence of the God?
Ans: The poet highlights the magnificence of the God by presenting him as an almighty force who is caretaker of all poor creatures of blood and flesh. He frames this poem in the form of a prayer where the speaker is begging God for safety and another day. It proves how magnificent God is.
d. How does the rhyme scheme of the poem reinforce its message?
Ans: The poem follows the pattern of end rhyme with the consecutive lines rhyming together. It rhymes in AABB CCDD EEFF GGHH pattern. This simple rhyming scheme suggests the simplicity of the prayer where the speaker prays to God for the most basic thing that is safety of life.
Reference beyond the text
a. Does the God exist? Give your opinion.
Ans: I think God exists in some formless state and this universe is operated through his boundless power. There are so many things that humans can never understand, among which God is one. God can only be the logic behind the existence of planets, galaxies, universe, and most importantly life. If God does not exist, life is ultimately meaningless. If this life is doomed to end in death, then ultimately it does not matter how people live. The faith in God provides people a motivation to pursue life on this earth. Therefore, I think, with my strong intuition, God exists.
b. In his Epistle to the author of the book, The Three Impostors (1768), Voltaire says, “Even if the God didn’t exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” Write an essay highlighting the importance of the God in the society.
Ans:
The Importance of the God in the Society
People’s faith in God helps to build organized societies and also promotes love, compassion, and humanity among the social beings. It provides power to people to handle difficulties and extreme situations in their lives. The peace in this world only can be maintained if people get the power to forgive through their belief in God. Like Voltaire says, most significantly, even if God does not exist, it is necessary to invent him for the betterment of all humankind. While we can’t say anything about why God created man, we can perhaps find some reasons behind men’s creation of the concept of God. They are:
1: Motivation
God is the ultimate form of goodness. He represents what is good, noble and holy for human beings. He is just, compassionate, loving and epitome of ultimate sacrifice. When we have some standards to follow, we lift ourselves up morally and spiritually.
When we follow the virtues of God, we become divine.
2: Hope
Human civilization is based on hierarchy where everyone is better or worse than others in some parameters. We have some winners but a large number of losers in the race of achieving success in this world. The successful people are followed and worshiped by men who aspire to be like them. The successful people become even more successful using the laws of the world for their advantage while the losers are caught in the vicious cycle of failure. Their belief in God gives them hope that at least before God, they are equal with the rest of the world.
3: Mortality
Man is the most intelligent creature of this world. We know that we have to get old and die one day. This knowledge of death is a great source of pain and hopelessness for us. The concept of God gives us life beyond death in the form of after-life or heaven. If you believe in God, you can die peacefully in the hope that you will be reborn again.
4: Social Bonding
The believers of common God and religious groups work together much more easily than the groups made on the basis of any other concept like nationalism, organizations etc. It is another matter that religion also creates conflict between the believers of different Gods. When other social bonds are stronger, the reliance of God reduces.
5: Purpose of Life
Religions are good for teaching us a large number of values and give us a purpose in life. You can trace the origin of all virtues in some religion. Once we have purpose in our life, the journey of life becomes more bearable and even enjoyable.
The notion of God has so many advantages for human societies. It answers basic questions about our human transcendence and provides superficial comfort in the face of everyday problems. As a product of human imagination, this idea appeals to people and has been passed down through religion and culture. And this inheritance from human ancestors have somewhat contributed to make this world worth living.
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