Louis MacNeice: Poems Characters

Louis MacNeice: Poems Character List

The Birds

In "The Sunlight on the Garden", the birds are more of a symbolic character than anything else. They are mentioned once; "The earth compels, upon it/Sonnets and birds descend" (MacNeice 9/10). Birds represent freedom, and their descent represents the loss of it. In the next stanza, it seems as though the birds are the ones narrating, as the narrator mentions that they were flying. In "The Sunlight on the Garden", birds are a symbol, and for a short stanza, the narrator(s).

Unborn Baby

The unborn baby is the narrator of "Prayer Before Birth". However, it already seems to know the evils of the outside world, wishing to be protected from the filth and lies that are humanity. The narrator seems to be frightened of the world, and hopes not to be roped in to joining the evil ways of those around them. "Prayer Before Birth"s narrator expresses the desire to be seen as an individual, and would rather die than lose their individuality and good ways. In short, the narrator of "Prayer Before Birth" is a skeptic and paranoid, as well as a believer of freedom and individuality.

Narrator of "Snow"

The narrator is the main character in "Snow". They continually observe the ways of the world throughout the poem, commenting about how everything is different, and the world holds great variety. The narrator gets "drunk" on the idea of things being various, and loves to consume the world in all its glory. "Snow"s narrator is likely a believer in individuality (like the unborn baby of "Prayer Before Birth") and would likely be against racism. In conclusion, the narrator of "Snow" is obsessed with the variety and different ways of the world, loving to soak it all in.

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