What is the theme of The Ballad of Birmingham?
The poem’s theme carries the message that no place is a safe haven against racial prejudice, especially when the government does not offer equal protection. The bombing occurred in 1963, a year before passage of the Civil Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
What does The Ballad of Birmingham symbolize?
“The Ballad of Birmingham,” by publisher and poet Dudley Randall, portrays a particularly vicious event from the civil rights struggle. It memorializes the 1963 bombing of an African-American church that resulted in the deaths of four little girls in addition to wounding 21 other people.
What is the historical context of the poem Ballad of Birmingham?
It was written in response to the 1963 bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The poem was set to music by folk singer Jerry Moore in 1967 after he read it in a newspaper, and features on his album Life is a Constant Journey Home.
What is the tone in Ballad of Birmingham?
The poem “Ballad of Birmingham,” written by Dudley Randall, tells the emotional plight a mother faces before and after the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama. The tone changes slightly during the poem but supports an overall bleak, solemn and melancholy mood.
What is one of the impacts that the rhyme has on the poem The Ballad of Birmingham?
The mother is cautious in letting her daughter go downtown and the child wants to march but the rhyme does not show eagerness as much as light-heartedness. The rhyme presents a lilting, singsong feel of a nursery rhyme contrasting with the heavy topic of a church bombing.
What is the purpose of a ballad?
The key purpose of a ballad is to tell a story, with all of the fundamentals of a story included: plot, characters, narrator, dialogue, setting, drama. Some might be written about current events, whereas others are more sensational, focusing on myths or historical stories.
How is imagery used in Ballad of Birmingham?
Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “And march the streets of Birmingham”, “The mother smiled to know her child” and “She raced through the streets of Birmingham.” Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line.
What are ballads written about?
This makes the ballad easy to set to music and turn into a song. Traditionally, ballads told a story, usually of legends or folklore. In contemporary usage, the term can refer to a song, and can be written about anything at all.