Symbolism In Ballad Of Birmingham, By Dudley Randall

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Ballad of White Supremacy Maureen O 'Hara once said “In the beginning it was all black and white.”.This reflects on an essential point: all colors-all people- might be understood within these two colors. In the poem “Ballad of Birmingham”, by Dudley Randall, a mother tries to keep her daughter out of harm 's way from cruel white racists. Failing tragically, and results in the only thing left of her daughter, a white shoe. The speakers are the mother and daughter. Randall uses fearful imagery with intention to show how cruel the racists are. The symbolism used in the poem aims to cover what is primarily the cause of fear: color. At last he uses an unforeseen synecdoche as a way to portray the daughter. The poem embarks on an eye opening journey with fearful imagery, symbolism, unforeseen synecdoche, and irony to show how white supremacy prevails over society. Symbols of attack one imagistically used to illustrate control over African-Americans. The speaker adds words like, "For the dogs our fierce and wild, and clubs and hoses, guns and jails"(Line 6-7). The speaker describes dangers that they endure especially at a freedom march. To illustrate the dangers, they included violence and a demanding obedience. Even more, the speaker admits,"I fear those guns will …show more content…

The poem itself is a giant pot of irony.The mother tries all throughout the poem to protect her daughter. The irony in that is no matter what she did her daughter still died. Randall used irony to show one was safe nowhere, not even church. He shows that white supremacy and racial issues are everywhere. Hidden throughout the poem, ironic theme was placed right there for everyone to grasp at it. As an example he uses imagery, he uses “sacred place”(22) to signify a safe place. He was referring church to be a safe place where no matter the color of their skin, they were all safe in the hands of god. That simply wasn’t the

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