BALLAD OF BIRMINGHAM
LITERAL MEANING
The poem is about a mother who loses her child. The child made a request to attend a freedom march through the streets of Birmingham, but the mother said no. She feared the many violent things that could befall her child in this setting. She, however, agreed that the child could attend church. She was content with the knowledge that her child was safely at church until an explosion saw her racing through the streets of Birmingham to find her child. She did not find her, but instead, found a foot of shoe in the rubble.
The poem is about a mother who loses her child. The child made a request to attend a freedom march through the streets of Birmingham, but the mother said no. She feared the many violent things that could befall her child in this setting. She, however, agreed that the child could attend church. She was content with the knowledge that her child was safely at church until an explosion saw her racing through the streets of Birmingham to find her child. She did not find her, but instead, found a foot of shoe in the rubble.
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'Mother dear, may I go downtown
instead of out to play, 1. and march the streets of Birmingham in a freedom march today? 1. 'No, baby, no, you may not go, for the dogs are fierce and wild, and clubs and hoses, guns and jails ain't good for a little child.' 'But mother, I won't be alone. Other children will go with me, 1. and march the streets of Birmingham to make our country free.' 1. 'No baby, no, you may not go, for I fear those guns will fire. But you may go to church instead, and sing in the children's choir.' She has combed and brushed 2. her night dark hair, and 2. bathed rose petal sweet, and drawn white gloves on her small brown hands, and white shoes on her feet. The mother smiled to know her child was in the sacred place, but that smile was the last smile to come upon her face. For when she heard the explosion, her eyes grew 4. wet and wild. She 5. raced through the streets of Birmingham calling for her child. She 6. clawed through bits of glass and brick, then lifted out a shoe. 'O, here's the shoe my baby wore, but, baby, where are you? Poet: Dudley Randall |
LITERARY DEVICES
1. REPETITION
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IMPORTANT WORDS / PHRASES
4. wet and wild (Stanza 7, line 25)
This tells the readers that the mother was crying when she heard the explosion, while the term wild points to the panic that overtakes the mother. Her love for her child is emphasized in these two words.
5. raced (Stanza 7, line 26)
The mother ran very quickly down the streets of Birmingham. This emphasizes her panic, and in turn, the great love that she felt for her child.
6. clawed (Stanza 7, line 28)
This word is striking in its intensity. It means that she did not simply remove the rubble, but did so with a desperation that highlights the love that she has for her child.
4. wet and wild (Stanza 7, line 25)
This tells the readers that the mother was crying when she heard the explosion, while the term wild points to the panic that overtakes the mother. Her love for her child is emphasized in these two words.
5. raced (Stanza 7, line 26)
The mother ran very quickly down the streets of Birmingham. This emphasizes her panic, and in turn, the great love that she felt for her child.
6. clawed (Stanza 7, line 28)
This word is striking in its intensity. It means that she did not simply remove the rubble, but did so with a desperation that highlights the love that she has for her child.
MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood is sad
The tone is calm and reflective
Contributor: Leisa Samuels-Thomas
Randall, Dudley. 'Ballad of Birmingham' in A World of Poetry. Edited by Mark McWatt and Hazel Simmonds McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd, 2005.
The mood is sad
The tone is calm and reflective
Contributor: Leisa Samuels-Thomas
Randall, Dudley. 'Ballad of Birmingham' in A World of Poetry. Edited by Mark McWatt and Hazel Simmonds McDonald. Pearson Education Ltd, 2005.
