Ballad Of Birmingham Essay
The poem “Ballad of Birmingham,” written by Dudley Randall, in a time that is notably relevant to the gravity of the contents in the poem. This poem is about the interaction between a mother and her beloved daughter, where the daughter wishes to go roam the streets of her hometown (Birmingham), but her mother fears for the ongoing racial aggression, and does not allow her. But the time comes for her to go to church, and her mother lets her go, feeling that she will undoubtedly be safe in this “sacred” place. But much to her regret, even the church succumbs to the terror spilling throughout their town, resulting in her daughter becoming a corpse, and a symbol. This poem has a total of 32 lines, with four lines per stanza exactly. There's a
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Imagery is also present in the poem, depicting the strong brutality of the time, and the trouble flooding the streets in the form of a clash between the dynamic and the static. This is especially visible in the second stanza:
“No, baby, no, you may not go,
For the dogs are fierce and wild,
And clubs and hoses, guns and jails
Aren’t good for a little child.” There is a sour mood and tone cast throughout the poem, the time at which this poem was written further verifies the author’s background in writing such a poem. There is a dialect that is supposed to simulate the voices and speaking mannerisms of the mother and child, further adding to the story’s imagery. Alliteration is sparse in the poem, for example in the second line in the second to last stanza:
“Her eyes grew wet and wild.” In conclusion, this is an extremely grave poem, bringing a powerful image to the audience of the brutality ongoing throughout the times, and bestowing a feeling onto the reader of constant insecurity, for no one was truly safe in times such as those. There are abundant literary devices in the poem that serve as an aide to the poem’s strong message, further influencing the reader’s
Imagery is also present in the poem, depicting the strong brutality of the time, and the trouble flooding the streets in the form of a clash between the dynamic and the static. This is especially visible in the second stanza:
“No, baby, no, you may not go,
For the dogs are fierce and wild,
And clubs and hoses, guns and jails
Aren’t good for a little child.” There is a sour mood and tone cast throughout the poem, the time at which this poem was written further verifies the author’s background in writing such a poem. There is a dialect that is supposed to simulate the voices and speaking mannerisms of the mother and child, further adding to the story’s imagery. Alliteration is sparse in the poem, for example in the second line in the second to last stanza:
“Her eyes grew wet and wild.” In conclusion, this is an extremely grave poem, bringing a powerful image to the audience of the brutality ongoing throughout the times, and bestowing a feeling onto the reader of constant insecurity, for no one was truly safe in times such as those. There are abundant literary devices in the poem that serve as an aide to the poem’s strong message, further influencing the reader’s