A Friend’s Prayer - Textual Notes
Poem Summary
"A Friend's Prayer" by Jill Wolf is a heartfelt poem about the true meaning and value of friendship. The speaker prays that friendship remains a top priority in her life and expresses gratitude for being blessed with special friends. Rather than simply sharing hopes and plans, the speaker wishes to actively help fulfill her friends' dreams and desires. Crucially, the poem emphasizes accepting friends unconditionally, seeing them through the heart, and loving them as they are without making harsh judgments.
Key Themes
Importance of Friendship: Valuing friends and placing their needs high on one's personal priorities.
Active Support: Going beyond basic companionship to actively help friends achieve their wishes.
Unconditional Acceptance: Loving friends for who they truly are without judging them.
Gratitude: Feeling blessed to have special companions in life.
Let us do these activities before we read
Activity I
Question: Read the following sentences.
I hope my friend and I win the race tomorrow.
May my friend get well soon.
Which of the three sentences 1-3 is closest to
Sentence 3 ("May my friend get well soon") is closest to a prayer. It expresses a selfless wish for the well-being and health of a friend, which is the core spirit of praying for someone.
Activity II
What would you pray for your friend? First speak about it and then write it down.
Answer: I would pray for my friend's good health, happiness, and success in everything they do. I also pray that our friendship remains strong forever and that we always support each other during hard times.
Let us read
Poem Text for Reference
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
Let me use my heart to see,
To realise what friends can be,
And make no judgements from afar,
But love my friends the
Let us discuss
1: Read the poem silently. As you read, underline the parts of the poem that you agree with.
Lines such as "love my friends the way they are" and "To make their wishes come true" are great examples to agree with because true friendship is built on unconditional acceptance and support.
2: Share the details of your underlined parts of the poem in groups and explain why you liked those lines.
I liked "love my friends the way they are" because real friends do not try to change each other; they accept each other completely.
3: Which line was underlined by most people in your group? Share it with your teacher.
"To make their wishes come true" was underlined by most people because everyone wants to help their best friends achieve their goals.
Let us think and reflect
Complete the summary of the poem by selecting the correct words:
The poet says a prayer for friendship and friends. She wants that friendship should always be an important part of her complete life. She says that her friendship makes her feel special. She wishes to do the best she can, for her friends. She
Section II: One Word Answers
1. How does the poet feel about special friends?
Blessed
2. What does the poet use to realise what friends can be?
Heart
Section III: Extract-based Questions
Read the given lines and answer the questions:
"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."
(i) Complete the sentence with the most suitable option.
These lines tell us that the speaker i
A. clever
B. caring
C. curious
D. calm
Answer: B. caring
(ii) How will the speaker make her friends' wishes come true?
Answer: by trying hard
(iii) Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
My friends will feel ______ if their wishes come true.
happy (or joyful)
Read the given lines and answer the questions:
"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."
(i) The speaker says that feelings are important to understand friendship. Which line tells us thi
"Let me use my heart to see"
(ii) Complete the sentence with the most suitable option.
These lines tell us that the speaker is ______
A. helpful
B. thoughtful
C. cheerful
D. hopeful
Answer: B. thoughtful
(iii) Fill in the blank with one word.
The speaker does not wish to make any ______ for them just as they are.
judgements
Section IV: Short Answer Questions
1: Give one reason why we can say that this poem is a prayer.
It is a prayer because the speaker asks for inner guidance to become a selfless, caring friend and wishes well for her companions without asking for anything in return.
2: Why does the speaker 'want to do more' for her friend?
She wants to do more because she deeply cares about her friends and wants to actively help fulfill their dreams rather than just listen to them.
3: Do you think that the speaker knows about the wishes of her friend? How can we say so?
Yes, she knows about their wishes because she shares their hopes and plans and talks closely with them.
4: Do you also pray for your friend? What do you wish for? Discuss.
Answer: Yes, I pray for my friends. I wish for their good health, happiness, success in studies, and that we stay best friends forever.
Let us learn
Section I: Word Meanings
Select the words that are similar to the meaning of being 'blessed':
Words given: grateful, excited, understood, thankful, relaxed
Answer: grateful, thankful
Section II: Qualities of Good Friends
Complete the missing letters for qualities of a good friend:
Words: loyal, helpful, kind, caring, honest
Fill in the blanks with the completed words:
My friend is always kind to me even when I make a mistake.
My friend shares things with me. She is very caring.
My friend is helpful because he always supports me.
My friend never lies. She is an honest person.
My friend and I believe in loyalty for each other.
Section III: Sentences on Friends
Think of any three of your friends. Write three sentences on why you like each one of them:
I like Rohan because he always helps me with my studies when I miss class.
I like Priya because she is very honest and always speaks the truth.
I like Kabir because he makes everyone laugh and shares his lunch with me.
Let us listen
Section I: Listening Activity 1 (Page 56)
What do the two friends purchase and use on the park bench?
Comic book
Section II: Listening Activity 2 (Page 56 - Picture Selection)
The activities mentioned in the audio script are:
Playing on swings
Taking walks in the park
Riding bicycles on Saturdays
Eating ice cream
Reading comic books on a bench
Let us speak
Roleplay dialogue guide for classroom activity:
A walk in the park:
Hello! Would you like to come for a walk in the park today?
Yes, that sounds fun! We can ride our bicycles and listen to birds.
I am so glad we get to spend time together!
Sharing tiffins at school:
Hi! Look, I brought parathas in my tiffin today. What did you bring?
I brought sandwiches! Would you like to share?
Yes! Sharing food with you makes lunchtime so enjoyable.
Let us write
Describe how your friendship with your friend started (Paragraph of about 80 words):
Title: How My Best Friendship Began
My friendship with Rahul started two years ago on our first day of class six. I was sitting alone on a bench feeling nervous in the new classroom. Rahul came up to me, smiled, and offered to share his textbook. During lunchtime, we shared our food and realized that both of us loved playing cricket and reading adventure stories. From that day on, we started sitting together and helping each other with homework. That simple gesture of kindness turned us into best friends for life.
Let us explore
Section I: Friendship Quotations
"A friend in need is a friend indeed."
Meaning: A true friend is one who helps you when you are in trouble or facing difficulties.
"My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me."
Meaning: A genuine friend encourages you, inspires you to improve, and helps you achieve your full potential.
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