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Ballad Of Birmingham Analysis

Decent Essays

Ballad of Birmingham, written by the poet Dudley Randall relives a tragic moment in time in which four little girls died when a church was purposefully exploded. This poem is based on the incident that occurred in Birmingham, Alabama. This poem vividly shows the perspective of a mother losing her child. Most of the poem includes a mother daughter discussion regarding the participation of the freedom march. The mother explains to her daughter that it is far too dangerous for her to be participate, therefore she sends her daughter to church, where she believes that she would be safe. The mother later hears of the explosion and runs over to find out that her daughter had been killed by noticing her daughter’s shoe on the ground. In Ballad of Birmingham, Dudley Randall uses voice, imagery, and sound to show how the tragic event revolves around a theme of racism/mother’s love, which most readers can empathize to. The use of dialogue within the first four stanzas, reveals their struggle that revolves around of cruel racist people, that only promote threats and violence, but also deeply affects their community and livelihood. “No baby, no, you may not go,” (5). A mother fearing the safety of her child, sends her to church instead of participating in a march. This exemplifies how the theme of a mother’s love calls for her trying to protect her daughter from the violence racism that surrounds them. Although, this poem contains dialogue between two people, the narrator remains

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