Poetry · Chapter
Answer to Prayer explained
A humorous dialect poem about a man who learns that the proper way to pray is not to ask the Lord to send him a turkey, but to ask the Lord to send him to a turkey.
What happens
A humorous dialect poem about a man who learns that the proper way to pray is not to ask the Lord to send him a turkey, but to ask the Lord to send him to a turkey. After months of ineffective prayer, he changes his request and immediately gets his Christmas bird.
Themes in this chapter
Faith and Spirituality
The poem explores the nature of prayer and faith, suggesting that effective prayer requires not just devotion but also proper form and understanding of divine logic.
Characters to notice
- Lawd
The addressee of the speaker's prayers, who answers only when the prayer is phrased correctly.
Key passages
“Der ain’t no use in sayin’ de Lawd won’t answer prah; If you knows how to ax Him, I knows He’s bound to heah.”
It's useless to claim the Lord won't answer prayer; if you know how to ask Him properly, He is sure to hear you.
The speaker establishes the central premise that prayer works when done correctly.
“You got to use egzac’ly de ’spressions an’ de words To show dat ’tween yo’ faith an’ works, you ’pends on works two-thirds.”
You must use exactly the right expressions and words to show that between your faith and your actions, you rely on actions two-thirds of the time.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of precise language and the balance between faith and works.
“So on de night ’fore Chris’mus w’en I got down to pray, “Lawd, sen’ me to a turkey,” I had de sense to say.”
So on the night before Christmas when I knelt to pray, I had the sense to say, 'Lord, send me to a turkey.'
The turning point where the speaker rephrases his request, leading to its fulfillment.