Ballad of Birmingham

In the poem Ballad of Birmingham, by Dudley Randall, written
in 1969, Mr. Randall uses of irony to describes the events of the mothers decision,
and also her concern for the welfare of her darling little child. It seems odd that this
child would even know what a freedom march is, but this would be considered
normal back in the early 1960's, when Mr. Martin Luther King Jr. had rallies and
freedom marches to free the African American people from discrimination and
segregation (Hunter 6). It also seems very ironic that the young child is acting like
an adult in this particular situation (Hunter 12). I think the mother would be the one
who would want 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, and as well as her concern
for her child's well being.
In the first stanza irony is used in order to make reading the
poem more interesting. The situation in this first stanza is also very important. The
little child is in a desperate situation and wants to help better the lives of the African
Americans. Randall also focuses on specific culture here. The speaker is allowing
the reader to make a mental picture of one specific march in Birmingham (Hunter
17). But, you know as well as I, that with peace marches and rallies comes violence
and hostility. This is exactly what the little girls mother is afraid of, this is why she
will not let her go to the march. 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 sacred place where no-one
would imagine a bombing or any other type of violence to happen. What is ironic
about this 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 her in
her daughter in her best clothes to go to church with her. What is ironic here


is that she ended up wearing them to her funeral instead (Hunter 26). There is also a
shift in dialogue here in the fifth stanza(Hunter 27). Here the narrator starts to take
over. The narrator's tone shows the reader the pride and joy that the mother takes in
her child's appearance (Hunter 29). It also gives the reader some sense of
reassurance and cleanliness as the mother is brushing her daughters night-dark hair.
She also dresses her in the same fashion (Hunter 36). She tries to dress her all in
white, which is the symbol for purity. But no matter how hard the mother tries to
have her daughter conform to the "whites", they are ultimately the ones who kill her
(Hunter 41).
Something else that is ironic comes about in the sixth stanza.
The mother smiled to know her child was in the sacred place, but that smile was the
last smile to come upon her face. This gives the reader a sense of what is about to
happen(Hunter 44). This stanza is ironic because if the mother thinks her daughter is
going to be in a safe place, why would this be the last time she would ever smile?
The figures of speech that Randall uses in this poem also give
the poem a touch of irony. He uses two types of figures of speech, and he uses them
very well. First, he uses the metaphor. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which
one thing is likened to another, different thing by being spoken of as if it were that
other; implied comparison. He uses this in stanza five to hint to the reader that the
child is an African American female(Hunter 47). He also uses it in stanza seven to
show how angry, afraid and worried her mother gets when she hears the explosion.
The other figure of speech that Randall uses is repetition. He uses the saying, "No,
baby, no, you may not go", in stanza two and then again in stanza four. This saying
expresses the worries and fear that the mother has for her little girl.


Another big factor in this poem is the use of tone. First, there is a
tone of innocence in the first stanza (Hunter 51). The young child tries to act nice
and innocent to her mother, in the case that her mother might let her go to the
march(Hunter 55). Secondly, there is the tone of concern for her child's safety. Her
mother tells her that there are dogs, clubs and hoses. These things were used on
protesters and marchers to control the crowds when they grew too large and had
gotten out of hand. Next, there is the tone of joy in the fifth stanza and in the first
half of the sixth stanza. Her mother takes pride and joy in getting her daughter ready
to go to church. She is also joyful that her daughter is going to church instead of
going to the march (Hunter 59-61).
But, if you notice, in the seventh stanza that tone of joy
immediately turns to grief and loneliness. The move from the sixth to the seventh
stanza is when the explosion occurs(Hunter 64). The mother doesn't know what to
do. The mothers tone in the last two lines of the poem gives the reader a feeling of
grief and guilt. The word baby the mother uses implies the mothers affection for her
lost daughter. I don't know how, but for some reason her mother feels that
something has happened to her child, so she runs through the streets of Birmingham,
Alabama calling for her child. She clawed through bits of glass and brick, then lifted
out her child's shoe. From this finding the mother knows that she has lost her
daughter forever. In conclusion, I personally think that this poem was well written
for the simple fact that Randall is not afraid to confront the problems that these two
races had between them. He describes things that had happened in this time period
to get his point across vividly to the reader. With that said, I leave you with one last
question: If her mother had let her go to the march like she asked, would she still be
alive?