Ballad of Birmingham

The poem "The Ballad of Birmingham, by Dudley Randall, is based on the historical event of the bombing in 1963 of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s church by white terrorists. It is a poem in which a daughter expresses her interest in attending a civil rights rally and the mother fearful for her daughter's safety refuses to let her go. In the poem the daughter in fighting for the course of th eoperessed people of her time/generation instead of going out to play. She is concerned with securing the freedom of her people during the civil rights era in the 1960s. Hence, in lines 3 and 4 she says "And marc the streets of Birmingham". "In a freedom march today.

In response to her desire and request, her mother would not support her joining the freedom march, explaining to her the implications for a young girl. The mother reminds her about the dangers she could meet on th way, referring to the opressors in line six as "The dogs are fierce and wild" and would use their dangerous weapons (in line 7) clubs, horses, guns and jails to stall her every move. Her mother even reminds her that such weapons and jail houses are not a good for a young person.

In her determination to be part of the freedom fighters, the daughter tries to win her mother's agreement and approval for her to join others in the March. She tells her mother that other children will also be marching today to make the country free.

The mother would not change her mind to let her daughter go. She has the fear of and possibility that th eweapons of destruction, could be used. So she contrived a way out for her dauther to redirect her energy to a safer direction, the church, saying that you may goo to church instead. She believed that being at church, a place of safe haven would be the better choice not knowing what would happen that day.

Remembering the way her daughter dressed on her way to church the mother showed satisfaction in the belief that her daughter had adhered to her explanations and not joined the freedom march. "The mother smiled to know her child was in a sacred place" (line 21 and 22). However the mother's happiness would abruptly end when danger calls the way of her beloved daughter. It was evident that danger did come and the mother's smile beame "...the last msile to come upon her face. (line 23-24).

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