Literary Analysis Essay on Ballad of Birmingham

Introduction

The poem "Ballad of Birmingham" is one of an insightful and critical poem written by Dudley Randall in 1969 using tonal variation and irony to present events and situations mothers' decisions within the social system as well as issues affecting children's well-being (Lortie, and Dubek,85-95). The purpose of the paper is to analyze the history behind the poem "Ballad of Birmingham, " relating to the time and the social movement that derived the central theme. The paper also describes how the poet connects to the poem itself.

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The popularity and historical background of the poem "Ballad of Birmingham " was based on the theme of loss of children within the society as a result of continuous violence and war. Dudley wrote the poem to respond to the instance of a bomb blast that occurred in 1963 in the one Birmingham's street Baptist church. Dudley was an African American citizen born on 14th January 1914, in Washington, D.C. His parents moved to Detroit, Michigan city in 1920(Poetry Foundation,2020). The poet began writing at the age of thirteen years old, and his poem was first recognized by Detroit free press in 1927. The poem addressed the challenges African American citizens were facing at that time, and it significantly related to the poet's background (Encyclopedia.com,2020).

The bombing of the street Baptist church linked to racial and ethnic motivations that led to the lost life of four innocent young girls with African American origin and marked the start of the Civil Rights movement in the federal government of the United States of America. Dudley took such a sad event that is still in memories of most American citizens. He transformed it into writing using poetic styles as a tool for communication to show how racially motivated terrorism occurred during that time frame. The poem was written in the form of a conversation between a little girl and her mother requesting to attend ongoing protest in the city of Birmingham. Still, her mother was expressed a lot of concerns regarding brutality and racial discrimination being carried by police officers and terrorists in the street. She instead preferred her daughter to go in a holy place, the church which ironically turned out to be a massacre place. Her daughter could have safer in the protest rather than hiding within the sacred walls targeted by the racially motivated terrorists. The poet used a sad tone to express his internal feelings and relationship he had with people killed during the 16th street bomb blast that occurred in the Baptist church. The reader can easily use a tone of sadness to determine the ending of the poem.

The major theme addressed in the poem "Ballad of Birmingham" is the fight against racial discrimination and mother's love. The poet achieved these by presenting the argument between the daughter and her mother, and narration of the historical bomb blast occurred at that time during the Civil Rights Movement. The daughter wanted to be part of the freedom liberation movement. Still, the fearful and loving mother preferred her daughter to seek refuge in place initially seemed to be a safer place of which later confirmed to be a critical area that leads to the death of innocent people. During the time the poem was written, the police officers used security dogs, water hoses to attack and deter African American groups that marched to seek their Civil Rights.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Dudley used his poem to channel the issues affecting African American citizens. Racial discrimination, brutality, and mass killing of innocent people were the main them of the poem. The poem "Ballad of Birmingham" was a reflection of the poet's background, and the church was the central place used as meeting ground for civil rights leaders; thus, the bombing of the church was racially motivated.

Works Cited

Encyclopedia.com., (2020). Ballad of Birmingham | Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved from https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/ballad-birmingham.

Lortie, StarShield, and Laura Dubek. "Back to Birmingham: Three Poets Remember the Sixteenth Street Church Bombing." Living Legacies. Routledge, 2018. 85-95. Retrieved from https://content.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/download?dac=C2017-0-47363-1&isbn=9781351603775&doi=10.4324/9781315106311-14&format=pdf

Poetry Foundation, (2020). Dudley Randall | Poetry Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/dudley-randall.