Summary
"Every Morning When I Wake" is a prayer poem by the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, taken from his famous radio play
Under Milk Wood. In it, the speaker, the Reverend Eli Jenkins, prays to God every morning when he wakes and
every evening at sundown for the ordinary people of Milk Wood, a small imaginary Welsh town.
The speaker's prayer is simple and humble: he asks the Lord to keep a loving eye on all the "poor creatures"
born to die. By poor creatures he means all the mortal inhabitants of the town: innocent, ordinary beings
whose lives rest entirely in God's hands. No one knows whether they will live to see another morning, so the
speaker prays that God, who alone is immortal and all-powerful, will show mercy on them through the dark
night.
The poem also carries a spirit of generous tolerance. The speaker asks God to see the best side of the people
of Milk Wood, not their worst, for we are not wholly bad or good, and to bless and forgive them all. In the
final lines the inhabitants bow to the setting sun "but just for now": they end the day's prayer knowing they
are not permanent, and hope humbly to wake and see another day.
Written in simple language with a musical AABB rhyme scheme, the poem reads like a hymn. Its central idea is
human mortality and faith: against the shortness and uncertainty of human life, the speaker sets the mercy of
an eternal God. That is why the prayer is addressed to God and not to any king, billionaire or scientist: they too are mortal creatures, while only the Creator holds the remote of every life.
Understanding the text
Answer the following questions.
a. When does the speaker pray to the Lord?
The speaker prays to the Lord in the morning time and evening time.
b. What does the speaker pray for?
The speaker prays to the Lord for having his loving eye on all poor creatures who are mortal.
c. Who are the ‘poor creatures’? Why does the speaker call them ‘poor creatures’?
The ‘poor creatures’ mean all the innocent creatures that are on planet earth. The speaker calls them ‘poor creatures’ because they are born to die and it is not sure whether they can see another morning or not.
d. What does Milk Wood sound like? A type of wood or a place? Why?
Milk Wood sounds like a place because there is no use of article before this noun. If it is a type of wood then an
article either 'a', 'an' or 'the' must have been used according to grammatical rules.
e. Why do the inhabitants of Milk Wood bow to the setting sun ‘but just for now’?
The inhabitants of Milk Wood bow to the setting sun ‘but just for now’ because they know that they are not permanent
and they are ending the prayer of that day and wishing to see another day.
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Reference to the context
a. Discuss “Every Morning When I Wake” as a prayer to the God.
"Every Morning When I Wake" is a prayer poem by Dylan Thoma's. In this poem, the speaker prays to the magnificent
God to have mercy on ordinary inhabitants living under the Milk Wood. The speaker prays to the Lord to keep his
loving eye on all mortal poor creatures. He says the remote of all creatures is in the hand of the Lord and prays to
have mercy on them. He prays to the Lord to let him/ them see the next morning as no one knows what is going to
happen tomorrow.
b. Why does the speaker make a prayer to the God, but not to a king, a billionaire or a scientist?
The God is the creator of all beings. The God is immortal and all creatures are created and destroyed by him. The
remote of all creatures life is in the hand of the God. A king, a billionaire and a scientist are nothing in front
of the God. They are just humans created by the God. They are born to die but the Lord is immortal. Hence the
speaker makes a prayer to the God, but not to a king, a billionaire or a scientist.
c. How does the poet highlight the magnificence of the God?
'Every Morning I Wake' is a prayer poem by Dylan Thomas. In this poem, the speaker has highlighted the magnificence
of the God. He says that the God is the creator of all creatures who can destroy it too. The God is immortal. We can
see next morning because of the blessings of the God. He makes us and is guiding us. He see the best side of us as
nobody is perfect to do so. In this way the poet describes the magnificence of the God by highlighting his
powers.
d. How does the rhyme scheme of the poem reinforce its message?<
A rhyme scheme is the ordered pattern of rhyming words at the end of each line of a poem. The rhyming structure of
this poem is AABB. The rhyme scheme of the poem reinforces its message beautifully. It makes the poem lovely to
read. AABB rhyme scheme has made the poem much more attractive. It is a prayer poem in which the speaker prays to
the God to have mercy on all creatures. For this poem, the rhyme scheme that has been used is the best.
Reference beyond the text
a. Does the God exist? Give your opinion.
"Does God exist?" is a controversial topic which has been discussed since the beginning of human civilization.
It depends upon our belief. Some people believe in the existence if the God and some do not. In my opinion, the God
exists. The God live in our mind. The existence of God is like the existence of radiation. We just see the effects
of it. We don't see God but we find effects in our lives. Unexpected and miraculous things are the example of the
existence of God. Although there is no physical presence of God but the God exists in our sub conscious mind. Hence
god exists upon us and he is immortal and intangible.
