‘My Friend’s Prayer’ is a poem by Jill Wolf. Jill Wolf is an author known for her children’s books, particularly those featuring whimsical and imaginative themes. The poem highlights the value of friendship and how it should be accepted unconditionally. Here the notes on this poem contain – a summary, themes, central idea, message of the poem, explanation and analysis of the poem and poetic devices. NCERT Class 6 Students can Click here to access more resources.
Notes – A Friend’s Prayer Poem
Poem: My Friend’s Prayer
May my friendships always be
The most important thing to me.
With special friends I feel I’m blessed,
So let me give my very best.
I want to do much more than share
The hopes and plans of friends who care;
I’ll try all that a friend can do
To make their wishes come true.
Let me use my heart to see,
To realise what friends can be,
And make no judgements from afar,
But love my friends the way they are.By Jill Wolf
Summary of ‘My Friend’s Prayer’
The poem “A Friend’s Prayer” by Jill Wolf is about the importance of true friendship. The poet expresses a deep desire to be a good friend, valuing friendships above all else. They feel blessed to have special friends and promise to always give their best to support and care for them. The poet also wants to help make their friends’ dreams come true and understand them from the heart, without judging them. Overall, the poem is a heartfelt prayer asking to be a loving and accepting friend.
Summary in Points:
- The speaker expresses their desire for friendships to be the most important thing in their life.
- The speaker feels blessed to have special friends.
- They want to give their best to these friendships.
- The speaker wants to do more than just share hopes and plans with their friends.
- They want to actively work to make their friends’ wishes come true.
- The speaker wants to use their heart to understand their friends better.
- They want to avoid judging their friends from a distance.
- They want to love their friends for who they are.
Theme of ‘A Friend’s Prayer’
The theme of the poem “A Friend’s Prayer” is the value of friendship and the qualities of being a good friend. It emphasizes love, understanding, support, and acceptance in friendships, showing how important it is to care deeply for friends and help them without judgment. The poem highlights the selfless and unconditional nature of true friendship.
Central Idea of ‘A Friend’s Prayer’
The central idea of the poem “A Friend’s Prayer” is the poet’s wish to be a loyal and caring friend. The poet expresses the importance of friendships and prays for the ability to understand, support, and accept friends just as they are, without judgment. The poem highlights the qualities of a true friend, such as love, compassion, and a willingness to help friends achieve their dreams.
Key Points of the Poem “A Friend’s Prayer”
- Friendship is important: The poet values friendships and wants them to always be a top priority in life.
- Gratitude for friends: The poet feels blessed and lucky to have special friends and wants to be the best friend they can be in return.
- Support and caring: The poet expresses a desire to help friends not just by sharing, but by actively supporting their hopes and dreams.
- Helping make dreams come true: The poet promises to do everything possible to make friends’ wishes and goals a reality.
- Understanding from the heart: The poet wants to understand friends deeply, using their heart to see the true nature of friendship.
- Acceptance without judgment: The poet asks to love and accept friends as they are, without making judgments, appreciating them for who they truly are.
Explanation & Analysis of ‘A friend’s Prayer’
“May my friendships always be
The most important thing to me.”
Vocabulary: Important: Having a great value or significance.
Explanation: The speaker (poet) is wishing for his friendships to be the most important part of his life. They want to value their friends above everything else.
“With special friends I feel I’m blessed,
So let me give my very best.”
Vocabulary: Blessed: Very lucky or happy.
Explanation: The poet feels lucky and grateful to have special friends, and because of this, they want to do their best for their friends in return.
“I want to do much more than share
The hopes and plans of friends who care;”
Vocabulary: Share: To give something to someone else. Care: To feel concern or interest in something or someone.
Explanation: The speaker wants to do more than just talk about hopes and plans with their friends who care for their friendship. It means that they want to be active and supportive.
“I’ll try all that a friend can do
To make their wishes come true.”
Vocabulary: Wishes: Desires or hopes.
Explanation: The poet says that he will do all things and efforts possible for his friends to help them realise and fulfil their wishes and dreams. It means that the speaker promises to do everything a good friend should do to help their friends achieve their dreams and wishes.
“Let me use my heart to see,
To realise what friends can be,”
Vocabulary: Realize: To understand or become aware of something.
Explanation: The speaker wants to use his heart i.e. emotions & feelings (and not the only the intellect or logics) to understand the true nature of friendship. The speaker wants to understand his friends deeply and appreciate what true friendship means; how great and important friendships can be.
The poet wants to understand their friends not just with their eyes but with their heart, seeing the goodness and potential in their friends.
“And make no judgements from afar,
But love my friends the way they are.”
Vocabulary: Judgements: Opinions formed about someone or something. Far: A long distance away.
Explanation: The poet promises not to judge their friends from a distance or without knowing them well. Instead, they want to accept and love their friends just as they are, without trying to change them.
The poet wants to say that instead of judging his friends he would love them unconditionally.
Poetic Devices in Poem ‘My Friend’s Prayer’
These devices enhance the emotional impact and beauty of the poem, making the themes of friendship more relatable and vivid.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem is written as couplets with each set of two lines has a same rhyme scheme AA or BB or CC etc. For example, “blessed” and “best,” “see” and “be,” creating a smooth and rhythmic flow.
- Tone: The tone of the poem is gentle and thoughtful, reflecting the deep care and sincere feelings the poet has for her friends.
- Repetition: Repetitive use of the word “friends” emphasizes the speaker’s desires and intentions regarding friendship.
- Alliteration: The use of similar sounds at the beginning of words, such as in “May my”, “friends I feel,” ‘much more”, creates a musical quality.
- Imagery: Phrases like “use my heart to see” evoke visual and emotional imagery, helping readers understand the depth of friendship.
- Metaphor: The poem often refers to emotions and qualities of friendship in a way that implies deeper meanings beyond the literal words.This is evident in the lines:
- “Let me use my heart to see,” – This implies that the speaker wants to use their emotions to understand friendship, rather than relying solely on their intellect.
- This metaphor conveys the idea that emotional understanding is crucial for true friendship.
- Personification: The speaker gives life to abstract concepts like friendship, expressing wishes and hopes as if they can respond.
