WRITING PROMPTS TO BENEFIT CHILDREN IN GAZA
UNICEF reports that in Gaza, “hundreds of thousands of children and families are caught in a catastrophic situation” and that, as of November 7th 2023, over 4200 children have been killed and more than 7000 have been injured “due to unrelenting attacks”, while over 1300 others are missing. Outlining the charity’s Appeal for Children in Gaza, UNICEF spokesman James Elder explains: “Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children. It’s a living hell for everyone else.” Elder has also called for “children held hostage in Gaza [to] be immediately reunited with their families and loved ones”. Recent updates state that “hundreds of thousands of children … remain trapped in a war zone with little or no access to food, water, electricity, medicine or medical care”.
For the duration of NaNoWriMo, we will be posting a writing prompt every day and in doing so, we are hoping to encourage our community to donate to charities providing medical aid to children in desperate need in this unprecedented crisis.
These prompts have been created by writers from Wales or with a connection to Wales and its magazines and presses. The prompts are on all kinds of subjects, but many are related to anti-violence and the work of empathy, and they are offered with the simple hope that they might encourage people to donate in support of medical aid in Gaza. We include a list of suggested charities to donate to below, highlighting the Appeal to Children in Gaza.
UNICEF “continues to call for an immediate ceasefire as 1.1 million people — nearly half of them children — in northern Gaza have been warned to move out of the way of a widescale military assault, but with nowhere safe for them to go”. Elder concludes: “The humanitarian situation has reached lethal lows, and yet all reports point to further attacks. Compassion – and international law – must prevail.”
Please see the list of suggested charities at the end of the post. A new prompt will be posted until at least the end of November.
DAY 10: JANE BURN
Singing Yourself to Sleep
Lullabies, or cradle songs, have been used for centuries to soothe and offer the idea of protection to a child. They have been folklore charms to ward off evil spirits. There is a rich history of their “…lyrical emphasis on protection and guidance.”1 Lullabies are symbolic of peace and relief. They are sung to children with care and love. An old beloved lullaby is Hush Little Baby. Here are some of the lyrics (they vary from place to place, so you may find certain differences):
Hush little baby don’t say a word; Papa’s going to buy you a mockingbird.
If that mockingbird won’t sing, Papa’s going to buy you a golden ring.
If that gold ring turns to brass, Papa’s going to buy you a looking glass.
If that glass begins to crack, Papa’s going to buy you a jumping jack.
If that jumping jack is broke, Papa’s going to buy you a velvet cloak.
If that velvet cloth is coarse, Papa’s going to buy you a rocking horse.
If that rocking horse won’t rock, Papa’s going to buy you a cuckoo clock.2
What do you notice about this lullaby? The rhythm, rhyme and repetition really stand out, as does the list poem-ish, almost magical movement from item to item. It is also about fixing something broken, and continuing to fix that thing until the repair is deemed satisfactory.
You could approach this prompt from a number of angles, and responses will work as either poetry or prose.
Do you have a memory of a lullaby being sung to you, or a memory of singing one to someone? If so, what were those memories? What were the words of the lullaby sung to, or by, you? Write down what you can remember of the situation around the singing, and the words you can recall of the song. Do you see lullabies as comforting or frightening? Write down the feelings they inspire in you, be they positive or negative.
Can you invent a lullaby to help you settle into sleep as the adult you are now? What words would this song contain? Is it better to sleep and forget? To soothe yourself, or shatter yourself awake with the truth of the world? Do we need both? Do we need to answer a lullaby with an un-lullaby? Are lullabies a panacea for what we cannot explain to children? Are lullabies actually sinister at heart? That is a curious thought.
Imagine yourself as a child again – what words would help you get through a dark night. Imagine what sort of lullaby would help a child. Are lullabies about our need to repair what is broken, or might they be joy and comfort in the face of pain and difficulty?
Sources
1. O’Connor Evered, R.T. “Sing Me to Sleep” A History and Analysis of Lullabies from Around the World. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with Honors in Music, Whitman College, 2020.
2. American English Website. Sing Out Loud Children’s Songs. No author or date. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/hush-lyrics.pdf
Please consider donating to a charity providing medical aid in Gaza. We recommend UNICEF’s Appeal for Children in Gaza, but other charities include:
Palestine Children’s Relief Fund
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