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Ballad of Birmingham
72
Overview
Historical Contexts
Conclusion
- Introduction-
Author, Historical Contexts, Theme
- Literary Elements
Irony
Symbolism
Tone
Diction
- The poem is written in a traditional narrative style form of a ballad
- Dudley Randall, African-American poet, born on January 14th, 1914, died on August 5, 2000.
- The Ballad of Birmingham response to the 1963 bombing.
- Randalls poems are best described as simplistic and realistic.
- Ballad of Birmingham was written in remembrance of the victims
- We focused on a discussion of the poem’s use of irony, symbols as well as its tone and diction.
- Allows readers to gain a sense of empathy for the mother and by extension for the cause of civil rights.
Theme
- The poem is written in a traditional narrative style form of a ballad
- Ironic death in a place of safety and sacredness
- Peace and violence
- Sadness and grief upon losing a child
Irony
Church:
Going to church turns out to be the worst place for the daughter to be.
Clothes:
Mother dresses daughter in her best clothes to go to church. It's ironic that she ended up wearing them to her funeral instead.
Color: No matter how hard the mother tries to have her daughter conform to the "whites", they are ultimately the ones who kill her.
Smile: That smile was the last smile to come upon mother's face because if the mother thinks her daughter is going to be in a safe place.
Tones
Symbols
Diction
"Wet and wild" (26)
Crying is a natural instinct and the wildness of her eyes can also be attributed to natural instinct.
"Clawed" (29)
The word "clawed" has a connotation of urgency, and even helplessness.
Shoes /white gloves -represents the mother’s fear and panic, also symbolize death of the daughter
"And drawn white gloves on her small brown hands, And white shoes on her feet".
Small brown hands/ night-dark hair - represents that she is a black people
"She has combed and brushed her night-dark hair, ..., And drawn white gloves on her small brown hands..."
Tone of innocence
"…Mother dear, may I go downtown…”.
Tone of joy
“…No baby, no, you may not go, for the dogs are fierce and wild…” .
Tone of grief ans loneliness
“…her eyes grew wet and wild..”