Ballad Of Birmingham Analysis

Contrary to the past attempt by elders to protect the youth, which involved scolding without reasoning, these two authors give their reader the naked truth when explaining the realities of this world. This naked truth is displayed when Coates tells his son “…the policeman who cracks you with a nightstick will quickly find his excuse in your furtive movements”(71). Coates doesn't avoid telling his son about the injustices that he may face nor does he avoid telling his son how this injustices will be justified. Baldwin illustrates his experience in New Jersey just as straightforward when he says “…I frightened the waitress who shortly appeared…I hated her for her white face and for her great, astounded, frightened eyes. I felt that if she found a black man so frightening I would make her fright worthwhile”(593). Baldwin uses powerful statements like “…I would make her fright worthwhile” in order to make sure his readers understand the intensity of this hatred. Both Coates and Baldwin paint vivid pictures with their explicit wording in order to be sure that the reader comprehends just how serious each matter

The tragic poem, “The Ballad of Birmingham,” begins with a young child asking an imploring question to her mother, “May I go downtown instead of out to play” (Randall, 669)?

In 1963 a bomb went of in a church in Birmingham that killed 4 little girls. And a poem called ‘Ballad of Birmingham’ (written in 1969), and states some things that happened that day. In stanza 5 the author writes “She has combed and brushed her night-dark hair. And bathered rose petal sweet, And drawn white gloves an her small brown hands, and white shoes on her feet. This discribes on of the young black

“But you may go to church instead” (Randall,15) a mother thought her child would be safer in such a sacred place rather than being a part of the march that just might have been safer. The poem “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall, has multiple themes, but the one that sticks out is violence, which is because it is so powerful and brings the whole poem together. There is also a lot of imagery shown through this whole poem that can put a horrible picture in your head because of how sad the poem really is.

The Watsons go to Birmingham was an amazing book and movie, but I personally think that the novel was better. The novel is better because it has more character depth, it shows theme better, and you can get your own understanding. The movie lacked many things including character depth.

In this essay, we will discuss two pieces of literature, Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Both pieces are “about defying what is expected of you in order to do what is right.” Plato’s allegory is about a man who was born a prisoner, stuck in one position, who is later freed and experiences life outside of the cave. King Jr. explains his reason for being in a jail. We will discuss how they were both faced with opposition, and I will detail a time where I was faced with opposition while going again societal “norms”.

James Baldwin’s “My Dungeon Shook” was not only significant but it is very relevant to modern day America. Although he has written this letter to his nephew, it is for a greater audience, it is for an audience that does not see the expense of their selfishness, it is for an audience who deems themselves innocent although causing pain to millions of lives. This writing isn’t significant because it calls out America or covers police brutality, this text is significant because of the simple fact it is written to an innocent child. An innocent child that later in his life is going to have to figure out that he is a “problem” to society just because he was born a certain way, an innocent child who will learn that no matter how much he accepts

In 'Ballad of Birmingham,' Dudley Randall illustrates a conflict between a child who wishes to march for civil rights and a mother who wishes only to protect her child. Much of this poem is read as dialogue between a mother and a child, a style which gives it an intimate tone and provides insight to the feelings of the characters. Throughout the poem the child is eager to go into Birmingham and march for freedom with the people there. The mother, on the other hand, is very adamant that the child should not go because it is dangerous. It is obvious that the child is concerned about the events surrounding the march and wants to be part of the movement. The child expresses these feelings in a way

One theme in The Watsons go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis was not built into the book numerous times, but was only a few. The theme may have only been built in a few times but the conflict to the theme had a great deal of impact on the main character. This theme is to hold on close to your family, keep a good family relationship. This theme was brought into the book by little pieces, then at the end of the book the theme was brought into the story more. This theme was shown from many perspectives, different characters felt this theme at a point in the book.

In the poem “Ballad of Birmingham”, by Dudley Randall, many different things can be analyzed. The difference in the two translations; one being a literal translation, telling the true meaning of the poem, and the other being a thematic translation, which tells the author’s theme and symbolism used in his/her work. Another thing that all poets have in common is the usage of poetic devices; such as similes, metaphors, and personification.

     The Ballad of Birmingham resembles a traditional ballad in that it tells a story in a song-like manner. The didactic tone seeks to teach us something; in this case it’s the theme of needless destruction. There are many devices the author uses to create such a tone and to tell such a story.

Dudley Randall’s “Ballad of Birmingham” is a look into the effects of racism on a personal level. The poem is set in Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The tone of the title alludes to the city of Birmingham as a whole. The poem gives the reader, instead, a personal look into a tragic incident in the lives of a mother and her daughter. The denotation of the poem seems to simply tell of the sadness of a mother losing her child. The poem’s theme is one of guilt, irony, and the grief of losing a child. The mother feels responsible for the death of her child. The dramatic irony of the mother’s view of church as being a “safe haven” for her child is presented to the reader through the mother’s insistence that the young girl

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.

Wilde’s poem, ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’ details the prisoner narrator’s first-hand experience in the prison and provides an account of a condemned man’s last days before being hung. The emotional nature of the poem allows the prisoner to express how he feels about the events he sees and the significant impact this has on him. ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’ is likely largely biographical and details Wilde’s own personal experience of being in prison. Largely, the poem explores themes of punishment, retribution, forgiveness and societal influence. Initially, the poem appears to be clearly about attacking the judicial system, however others would argue that the prisoner’s personal experience is more important because it evokes more feeling for readers and is more influential as changing societal views on prisoners compared to being an attack on the judicial system.

In April and May of 1963, Birmingham, Alabama was a focal point for the civil rights movement. Birmingham was home to one of the most violent cells of the KKK and violence against black people was so commonplace (especially in the form of explosives) that it was referred to as “Bombingham.” It was these conditions that lead Martin Luther King to arrive and organize a series of non-violent protests in the city. These protests were relatively low key and weren’t very well attended. This was due to the fact that political rivalries between King’s organization, the SCLC, and other civil right’s organizations like CORE and the NAACP. However, the Birmingham protests soon became headlines due to the response of the city’s police