Dudley Randall Ballad of Birmingham Makenzie Compton Meghan

Dudley Randall: Ballad of Birmingham Makenzie Compton, Meghan Dempsey, Brianna Hoehnke, Sylvana Williams

Dudley Randall • • • Born January 14, 1914 in D. C. (Whitt) Mother was a teacher and father was a minster African-American poet (Whitt) Had his first poem published when he was thirteen in the Detroit Free Press (Jacques) Served in WW 2 (Whitt) Had many jobs including library work (Whitt) He founded a pioneering publishing company called Broadside Press in 1965 (Jacques) Political writer(Whitt) Heavily influenced by the Civil Rights movement Most notable and recognizable work "Ballad of Birmingham"

Quotes from Dudley Randall "Then washed in the brightness of this vision, I saw how in its radiance would grow and be nourished and suddenly burst into terrible and splendid bloom the blood-red flower of revolution. "

Background & Summary • The premise of this poem is set on the day of the 16 th street church bombings of 1963 • The poem opens with 4 stanzas detailing a little girl asking their mother in various ways if they could attend the marches and rallies happening throughout the city advocating for civil rights, while the mother says that it is too dangerous • The child gives in and follows the mothers wishes, instead of attending the city marches the child opts to attend the church service. • The last 4 stanzas of the poem are narration and explains the aftermath of the mother's decision • Then subsequently there is a shift and at end of the poem (last 2 stanzas) states that the child went to the church was involved in an explosion

Background Cont. • in September of 1963, the KKK bombed the African American 16 th Street Baptist Church, which was the largest black Baptist church in Birmingham at the time. (Morrison) • Sunday morning Four church ushers (Addie Mae Collins, Denise Mc. Nair, Cynthia Wesley, and Carole Robertson) were in the basement of the church preparing to start the church services. (Morrison) • Klan members had placed 15 sticks of dynamite under the church stairwell, near the Girls' location. (Morrison) • All 4 girls were killed while twenty other parishioners were seriously injured. (Morrison) • In the initial aftermath, no one was charged. It took more than a decade, and a change in the social and political climate, of the United States before one of the Klan members, Robert Chambliss, was convicted of first -degree murder. (Morrison) • Chambliss began serving his sentence when he was convicted in 1977 and remained in prison until his death in 1985. (Morrison) • Two other men were convicted of the murders of the four girls. In 2001 Thomas Blanton was found guilty of murder and received a life sentence so did fellow Klan member, Bobby Cherry, in 2002. Cherry died in prison in 2004. (Morrison) • None of the convicted men ever acknowledged their guilt. • Their deaths made America focus on the realities of racism and racially motivated terrorism in their own backyard (Morrison)

BALLAD OF BIRMINGHAM “Mother dear, may I go downtown Instead of out to play, And march the streets of Birmingham In a Freedom March today? ” “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. ” “No, baby, no, you may not go, For the dogs are fierce and wild, And clubs and hoses, guns and jails Aren’t good for a little child. ” She has combed and brushed her night-dark hair, And bathed rose petal sweet, And drawn white gloves on her small brown hands, And white shoes on her feet. “But, mother, I won’t be alone. Other children will go with me, And march the streets of Birmingham To make our country free. ” 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 wet and wild. She raced through the streets of Birmingham Calling for her child. She 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? ”

Figurative Language/ Literary Devices • Rhyme-A, B, C. B • Iambic Pantameter • Ballad • Alliteration • Foreshadow and Situational Irony • Symbolism: . Sacred place = church, safe place. . . Freedom March = modern civil rights movement • Imagery- Smell, See, Touch/Do, Hear • Repetition • Asonance: "No, baby, no, you may not go"

Type of Poem/ Speaker • This poem is a ballad which is defined as a songlike poem that tells a story, often one dealing with adventure and romance. We know it is a ballad based on the title "Ballad of Birmingham" entailing that the poem is a ballad. • The speaker of the poem is originally a mother and a daughter then shifts to a narrator outside of the situation.

Mood & Tone • The mood and tone of the poem is very serious and intense. Due to the tragedies that occurred in Birmingham that day, the poem reflects the feelings of horror and how quickly it all happened. This gave a seriousness and intensity to the poems tone and mood.

Theme • At this time, no place was safe from the tragedies of racism, even a place of worship.

Works Cited • Whitt, Margaret. "Randall, Dudley. " In Samuels, Wilfred D. , ed. Encylopedia of African-American Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc. , 2007. Bloom's Literature, Facts On File, Inc. fofweb. infobase. com/activelink 2. asp? Item. ID=WE 54&WID=102239&SID=5&i. Pi n=EAFL 315&Single. Record=True. • Jacques, Geoffrey. "Boyd, Melba Joyce. " In Samuels, Wilfred D. , ed. Encylopedia of African-American Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc. , 2007. (Updated 2011. ) Bloom's Literature, Facts On File, Inc. fofweb. infobase. com/activelink 2. asp? Item. ID=WE 54&WID=102239&SID=5&i. Pi n=EAFL 050&Single. Record=True. • Gillespie, Carmen. "Addie Mae Collins in the works of Toni Morrison. " Critical Companion to Toni Morrison: A Literary Reference to Her Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc. , 2007. Bloom's Literature, Facts On File, Inc. fofweb. infobase. com/activelink 2. asp? Item. ID=WE 54&WID=102239&SID=5&i. Pi n=CCFTM 0747&Single. Record=True.