Essay about Explication Ballad of Birmingham

She begins to list off all the reasons of why she will not let her go and starts off by saying, “No, baby , no, you may not go, For the dogs are fierce and wild, And clubs and horses, guns and jails, Aren’t good for a little child” (Randall 706). Around that time whenever there was a march the police were usually always there with their dogs, guns, and high pressure water hose in hand ready to attack, gun down, and spray any of the blacks who were so called out of line; the police even went so far as to put young children who decided to protest in jail cells in an attempt to stop the marches; therefore with the mother knowing how these marches usually end she says that the marches are no place for a little child to be due to the corrupted acts of the police. The child attempts to get her mother to see she will be ok and states, “But, mother I won’t be alone. Other children will go with me, And march the streets of Birmingham To make our country free” (Randall 706). The child only sees this march as a heroic act and not a bad thing she just knows she would be fighting for what is right, but because she is a child she is seen as innocent and does not understand the reality of the world she lives in;

The mid 1950’s and early 1960’s is considered one of many imperative turning points in history. The Civil Rights movement was a time where African Americans were fighting against the government for the same rights as White Americans. Alabama was basically the battle ground during the Civil Rights movement. 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 wear African Americans were hosed down, beaten, and put in jail because they were fighting for freedom and their rights. In Ballad of Birmingham, Randall wrote this poem mostly in iambic tetrameter, though some of the feet actually transition from an iambic to a trochaic and back. Randall

It is noted in the pope for when she heard the explosion, her yes grew wet and wild (lines 25-26). This tounced the feelings and emotions of the mother and led her to set out in seach for her daughter.

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 the

The use of these poetic techniques can make readers interpret the poem in a literal or figurative way. The literal meaning of this poem would be a man who is in love and is trying to to tell the woman he loves that feelings come first. (the literal meaning of this poem IS about a man…) On the other hand, the poem figuratively discusses about life being well balanced if we were to go with the flow and not think about reasons for why everything happens in life. For instance, stanza one emphasizes on how a person should consider their feelings first before

A mother, digging for cans and plastic to sell, wipes the sweat running down her face. The drops finish as they fall into the dirt and rubbish masking the ground. Her black and unkempt hair is tangled into a bun, with a straw sunhat atop her head, in an attempt to shield her sunburned face. Where did she find the old rags covering her frail body? She frees a pair of torn children’s jeans, from the mountains of garbage, and shoves them in a bag at her side.

    Irony is a big part in life, especially when you try to something right and it ultimately blows up in your face. This poem written by Dudley Randall  “Ballad of Birmingham” is a world shattering and ironic story of a mother trying to keep her daughter out of harm’s way, and it ultimately failed. Randall wrote his poem in dialogue to show a conversation between mother and daughter. As well as that, dialogue is used to show the hardships of growing up black especially in the 1960s.  However Randall also uses irony as an unexpected twist. Lastly he uses imagery to express the tragedy that happened on September 15, 1963. The poem “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall uses depressing irony,  ironic dialogue, and heart breaking imagery to not only have a personal impact with his audience but to also give a historical aspect during the raced biased issues during the 1960s.

The sentences in the fist stanza describe the man’s murder and the second stanza’s lines mention the way to the gallows. Accordingly, every stanza has its own topic to discuss. Thus, the reader assimilates the main themes deeper. There is a strong reciprocal action between the form and the content. As the form is changing, the following content shifts either the tone or persona. For instance, the point of view is changed in the second sestet; it is also the first time that the narrator gives information about himself and introduces the audience to the fellow prisoners. Furthermore, he adds his feelings about prison after this stanza and he also changes the form. This condition provides the relationship between the content and the form. This poem has differences from the general ballad form because it just expresses his behaviors towards the circumstances within the presence of first person.

Short fiction and poetry can be interpreted in multiple ways, based on the reader's ideas of the literature. In the poem "Ballad of Birmingham" which took place during the Civil Rights Movement, tell of a little girl who wants to march

Both these extracts show a creative, imaginative response to a particular scene, and show contrasting ways in which a poet can use diction to capture his mood and provoke a reaction in the reader. Devices such as rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, and assonance combine to form a structure of mood, a structure recognisably literary.

In the “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall, he uses irony and auditory imagery to convey the message that life could be unpredictable and full of surprised that people cannot anticipate. In this shocking piece of literature, the speakers shift halfway through the poem. The first speaker is a child who hungers for freedom in her nationality. She wanted to attend the Freedom March in Birmingham, but her protective mother advised her not to due to the potential danger of the white people that could hurt her. Instead, her mother instructed her to go to church, and sing with the choir. She had shared a smile on her child’s face, which would be the last. Later that evening, “... she heard the explosion, (and) her eyes grew wet and wild” (line

Instead, she stood up and faced her mother. She felt a vicious battle inside of her. Her darkest secret slipping from her burning eyes bursting through her veins and clenched in every muscle. She looked at that woman who had given her life, that woman that now stood five steps away looking at her both like a stranger and a long known enemy. They both looked at each other's eyes screaming hate and violence both ready. She knew her mother was not ok and she knew better but she could not help herself anymore.

On the way. Rose looked out and saw a mother making funny and silly faces and the child laughed. Rose felt her heart hurting

of the poem I believe it is meant to be taken in the context of

Lyrical Ballads revolutionized the field of poetry, and Wordsworth’s manifesto helped lay the groundwork for many poets throughout the romantic period. He managed this feat by using common language to describe the joys and struggles of the average family. This heightened the emotional response of the reader, along with the reader’s ability to relate to the themes and imagery drawn from nature. In this endeavor, Wordsworth believed that “a species of poetry would be produced, which is genuine poetry” (Wordsworth 274).