# Answer to Prayer explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by James Weldon Johnson.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### Lawd

The addressee of the speaker's prayers, who answers only when the prayer is phrased correctly.

## Key lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/answer-to-prayer
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_13_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters