Question

How does the focus of the poem “Birmingham Sunday” by Richard Fariña differ from the focus of the poem “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall? “Ballad of Birmingham” discusses the deaths of all four girls, while “Birmingham Sunday” focuses on the death of one girl. “Birmingham Sunday” discusses the deaths of all four girls, while “Ballad of Birmingham” focuses on the death of one girl. In “Birmingham Sunday” the mother fears that church may not be safe, while in “Ballad of Birmingham” the child fears the freedom protest. In “Birmingham Sunday” the child fears that church may not be safe, while in “Ballad of Birmingham” the mother fears the freedom protest.

Answer 1

“Birmingham Sunday” discusses the deaths of all four girls, while “Ballad of Birmingham” focuses on the death of one girl.

In "Birmingham Sunday" Richard Farina uses verses 2-5 to identify the name of each of the four girls, giving them their own verse in the song. In "Ballad of Birmingham" the mother refuses to let her child go down to the protests happening in the streets for fear of the violence. She sends her child to church instead. The church, however, is bombed and the daughter dies.