Topic > Historical and Literary Elements in the Ballad of Birmingham

Dudley Randall was a poet from Detroit, Michigan who contributed many works to African-American poetry including “The Ballad of Birmingham.” The Birmingham church bombing took place on September 15, 1963, at the 16th Street Baptist Church. It was a church with a “predominantly black congregation that also served as a meeting place for civil rights leaders.” Unfortunately, many were injured in the attack and four girls died. These four girls were: Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Denise McNair. The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, the third in eleven days, all happened because of the integration of Alabama schools. Dudley Randall uses both historical fact and literary dramatization in the poem "Ballad of Birmingham" to portray and narrate the events and feelings in the context of a mother and her daughter in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayRandall wrote his poetry with many details, some based on facts and could be confirmed by original materials. For example, the position in the poem Birmingham, Alabama when it states, "And march through the streets of Birmingham," is based on facts and could be confirmed by many sources. Another detail written by Randall that is real is when he states, “Because dogs are wild and wild / And clubs and hoses, guns and prisons.” There are many sources describing the violence and dangers that could occur during these nonviolent protests for equality. For example, an article from Stanford University states: "In the following days, images of children hit by high-pressure fire hoses, caned by police officers and attacked by police dogs appeared on television and in newspapers, sparking international outrage ". Finally, another detail Randall said could be confirmed is the line describing the devastated mother holding up one of her daughter's shoes, "Then she took out a shoe/'O, here's the shoe my little girl was wearing, But , baby, where are you?" '”. According to CNN, an editor named Gene Patterson wrote an entire article about that shoe: “A Negro mother cried in the street Sunday morning outside a Baptist church in Birmingham. In her hand she held a shoe, a shoe, from the feet of her dead child. Let's keep that shoe with her." In addition to factual details, Randall also wrote details into his poem that do not appear to be based on confirmed facts. For example, in his poem, Randall wrote, "He combed and brushed her night-dark hair, / And wet sweet rose petals / And drew white gloves on her little brown hands, / And white shoes on her feet ". Another example was: “But that smile was the last smile/to appear on his face.” However, these two details cannot be confirmed by the facts; these lines help develop communication and a stronger connection with the reader and help them imagine a more complete vision. These fictionalized materials also enhance the description of real-life events in the poem. The first example is again: "He combed and brushed his night-dark hair, / And wet sweet rose petals / And put white gloves on his little brown hands, / And white shoes on his feet." This textual evidence enhances the description because these lines are a more peaceful part of the story than the other lines. One gets the impression that the mother is calm and no longer worried. Furthermore, these lines make the daughter look pure and innocent because the actions, as well as the white color,.