Dudley Randall was born on January 14, 1914 in Washington, D.C. Randall led a life of intellectual exploration, service and literary entrepreneurship. He began writing poetry at an early age and filled notebooks throughout his years, drawing inspiration from civil rights movements, work experiences, travel, and personal experiences. In addition to serving his country in the Pacific theater during World War II, Randall worked for the Ford Motor Company, the United States Postal Service, and several libraries. In the 1960s he built one of the most important publishing houses in American history, the Detroit Free Press, and went on to publish dozens of African-American authors, as well as several books of his own poetry, including some truly classic pieces (Gutstein). We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay For several years, this country has been unfair, and humanity has not always been treated equally. Dudley Randall, best known for his literary contributions, wrote a poem titled “Ballad of Birmingham” depicting inequality and racism during the early 1960s. The main themes of the poem are racism and the struggle of African Americans at the time of the civil rights movement in 1964. In the poem "Ballad of Birmingham", Randall illustrates a conflict between a child who wishes to march for civil rights and a mother who only wants to protect his son. Much of the poem reads as a dialogue between a mother and son, a style that gives it an intimate tone and provides insight into the characters' feelings. Randall uses a sad and ironic tone to describe the events of one of the most vivid and ferocious chapters of the civil rights movement, the 1963 church bombing; as a result, injuring 21 people and costing the lives of four girls. Throughout the poem the child is eager to go to Birmingham and march for freedom with the people there, the mother on the other hand is adamant that the child should not go because it is not safe. It is obvious that the child is concerned about the events related to the march and wants to be part of the movement. The child expresses these feelings in a way that appears mature and attentive to the world around him, expressing a desire to support the civil rights movement rather than to “go out and play.” This is displayed when the child says, “Other children will come with me/And march through the streets of Birmingham/To set our country free” (10-12). The mother gives permission to the child to go to church, instead of the freedom march, to sing in the children's choir in their church believing that nothing will harm her child instead of God. Tragedy, central feature of many ballads , becomes particularly clear and touching at the end, when the mother searches for her missing daughter. The most emotional scene in the story describes how you can be deceived and how African Americans have never been safe, Randall draws vivid pictures for us when he says: The mother smiled knowing her son was in the sacred place, but that smile was the last smile To come on her face because when she heard the explosion, her eyes became wet and wild. He ran through the streets of Birmingham calling for his son. (21-28) In his poem “Ballad of Birmingham” Dudley Randall explores the themes of racism and struggle; in the end, using elements of style such as repetition, rhyme and rhythmic patterns, he argues that anything can happen, even when one least expects it. Analysis of Dulce et Decorum Est Wilfred Owen's poem "Dulce et Decorum Est", shows the reality of war firsthand. He repeats the term “Dulce et Decorum Est” for” (25-27)