Ballad of Birmingham :: Ballad of Birmingham Essays

Ballad of Birmingham         In the poem Ballad of Birmingham, by Dudley Randall, written in 1969, Mr.Randall uses of mockery to describes the events of the mothers decision, and alsoher concern for the welfare of her darling little child. It seems odd that thischild would even know what a freedom march is, but this would be considered commonplace back in the early 1960s, when Mr. Martin Luther King Jr. had rallies andfreedom marches to free the African American people from discrimination andsegregation (Hunter 6). It also seems genuinely ironic that the young child is actinglike an adult in this particular situation (Hunter 12). I think the mother wouldbe the one who would deprivation to got to the march to free her people, not the child.In the poem Ballad of Birmingham, by Dudley Randall, written in 1969, Mr.Randall uses tone and irony to describe the events of the mothers decisions, andas well as her concern for her childs well being.  & nbsp                     In the send-off stanza irony is used in order to makereading the poem more interesting. The situation in this first stanza is alsovery important. The little child is in a desperate situation and wants to helpbetter the lives of the African Americans. Randall also focuses on specific goal here. The speaker is allowing the reader to make a mental picture of onespecific march in Birmingham (Hunter 17). But, you know as well as I, that with quietude marches and rallies comes violence and hostility. This is exactly what thelittle girls mother is afraid of, this is why she will not let her go to themarch. It also seems weird that her mother is so sure that going to church,instead of going to the march, will be the best thing for her. (Hunter 19-20).Typically, a church is to be a very safe and dedicated place where no-one wouldimagine a bombing or any other type of violence to happen. What is ironic aboutthis is that going to church turns out to be the worst place for her to be(Hunter 21). Something else that strikes me funny is that her mother dresses herin her daughter in her best clothes to go to church with her. What is ironichere is that she finish up wearing them to her funeral instead (Hunter 26). Thereis also a shift in dialogue here in the fifth stanza(Hunter 27). Here thenarrator starts to conceive over. The narrators tone shows the reader the pride and