The Poem Ballad Of Birmingham By Dudley Randall

The poem of “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall discusses African American girl who wants to join the march for the civil rights movement, but her mother insists it is too dangerous. As a alternative, the mother persauades her daughter to go to church for safety purpose; however, the white terrorists bomb the church. When the mother is desperately searching for her daughter, she finds only her daughter's shoes to be remained at the shattered church.The form, the meaning, and the settling of the poem assists the reader to comprehend deeper meaning of the poem. enhance the reader's ability This poem is based on an actual historical incident that happened in Birmingham- the bombing of the grace street Baptist church four little African-American girls were killed in the bombing. The word “Ballad” from the title suggests it is a ballad or narrative poem that depicts the discrimination down in the south during the early 60s. Throughout the poem, the poet uses ending rhymes in the 2nd and 4th lines of each stanza. Therefore, it is an ABCB rhyme scheme. For example,
For example, “Mother dear, may I go downtown/instead of out to play/and march the streets of Birmingham” (1-4). The little girl asks her mother if she can join the march rather than playing with her friend instead.It is ironic because a little girl behaves and thinks like an adult. Another ironic incident is that the mother prepares to dress her daughter in white clothing in order to attend church; however, her daughter gets bombed in the church. For instance, “And drawn white gloves on her small brown hands/and white shoes on her feet/for she heard the explosion” (19, 20, 25). Therefore, her daughter's white clothing for church ended up as a funeral dress instead. The mother puts white clothing on her children because white symbolize purity and innocence. She wants her children to dress like an angel; however, the white terrorists kill her