Ballad Of Birmingham 'And My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like The Sun

People express how they feel or think about certain circumstances in a myriad of ways. Some people express their emotions by the actions they portray while others take the intuitive to write down how they feel. Most literary genres explain how the writer or other people mentally or physically react to real life situations. Some literary genres directly give the reader information about the written piece while other genres use symbolism to describe concrete or abstract information. Poetry is a part of a symbolic world that toils with the emotions of the composers as well as the audiences. Poems such as “Ballad of Birmingham,” “London,” and “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,” use the literary element symbolism to explain the authenticity of a segment in a person’s life.

The symbolism noticed in “Ballad of Birmingham,” explains the many aspects of the lives of people that suffered in the Civil Rights Era. “For the dogs are fierce and wild…And the clubs and hoses, guns and jails…Aren’t good for a little child” (Randall 6-8). The majority of the United States population racially discriminated African Americans. Dudley Randall describes some of the forces used against African American citizens. The composer also uses symbolism to describe the pure innocence of a little girl. “And bathed in rose petal sweet…And drawn white gloves on her small brown hands…And white shoes on her feet” (Randall 18-20). Randall perfectly describes innocence of a little girl by using roses and the color white, both representing purity. He also symbolized sacredness and purity by conveying the assumed safety of a