The “Ballad of Birmingham” poem written by Dudley Randall, is about a bombing that happened in the town of Birmingham, Alabama in the year of 1963. This poem is a conversation between a child talking about a march of freedom. The child asks her mother if she could go march with massive crowds, but her mother disagrees because she is worried about her safety. Her mother insists on her to go down to the church where it is safe to play with the other children. Shortly after the child went to the church, an outbreak happened. The mother went to go look for her, but finds out her daughter had died in the explosion along with other children. The reason behind this terrorist attack is rooted in an act of racism, segregation, and the civil rights movement.
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The inspiration behind behind the poem happened around the same time the civil rights movement began, and segregation was a big matter. It began when President Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to accomplish the same thing in the United States. In the 1960’s, they both wanted to have black and white’s have equality and have the same freedom. Both Kennedy and King stood up for what they believed in and paid the ultimate price for trying to achieve equality for everyone. Just like the children that died at the church at Birmingham, they too paid the ultimate price for equality. This was a major issue and had to be conquered to have peace between each race. There needed to be a way to settle the civil rights movement peacefully, however, that’s not how it happened in …show more content…
is one of the bravest courageous man in history. In August of 1963, a month before the bombing occurred, he delivered a speech about African American’s having the same freedom as the white race. He wanted people to stand up for what they believe in and take action. The poem states, “But, Mother, I won’t be alone. Other children will go with me, And march the streets of Birmingham, To make our country free,” (Randall 1082) as the child is wanting to go walk on streets to make the country free, her mother refuses to let her. Instead, the mother lets her child go sing choir with the other children, and the mother soon finds her young girl has lost her life. Reading the poem, readers can see how she is an African American because she is wanting to march for freedom for her country. Relating to the social context of the poem, African Americans were just wanting equality.
While the poem “Ballad of Birmingham,” deals with social context, historical context fits in it as well. The bombing of Birmingham, was a bad day for many African Americans. Many wondered who was responsible for the bombing. The town of Birmingham, had a witness and saw part of the Ku Klux Klan, dropping off the bombs. “The FBI named four suspects within days of the bombing: Thomas E. Blanton, Robert E. Chambliss, Bobby Frank Cherry, and Herman Frank Cash”
The inspiration behind behind the poem happened around the same time the civil rights movement began, and segregation was a big matter. It began when President Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to accomplish the same thing in the United States. In the 1960’s, they both wanted to have black and white’s have equality and have the same freedom. Both Kennedy and King stood up for what they believed in and paid the ultimate price for trying to achieve equality for everyone. Just like the children that died at the church at Birmingham, they too paid the ultimate price for equality. This was a major issue and had to be conquered to have peace between each race. There needed to be a way to settle the civil rights movement peacefully, however, that’s not how it happened in …show more content…
is one of the bravest courageous man in history. In August of 1963, a month before the bombing occurred, he delivered a speech about African American’s having the same freedom as the white race. He wanted people to stand up for what they believe in and take action. The poem states, “But, Mother, I won’t be alone. Other children will go with me, And march the streets of Birmingham, To make our country free,” (Randall 1082) as the child is wanting to go walk on streets to make the country free, her mother refuses to let her. Instead, the mother lets her child go sing choir with the other children, and the mother soon finds her young girl has lost her life. Reading the poem, readers can see how she is an African American because she is wanting to march for freedom for her country. Relating to the social context of the poem, African Americans were just wanting equality.
While the poem “Ballad of Birmingham,” deals with social context, historical context fits in it as well. The bombing of Birmingham, was a bad day for many African Americans. Many wondered who was responsible for the bombing. The town of Birmingham, had a witness and saw part of the Ku Klux Klan, dropping off the bombs. “The FBI named four suspects within days of the bombing: Thomas E. Blanton, Robert E. Chambliss, Bobby Frank Cherry, and Herman Frank Cash”