TP-­‐CASTT Poetry Analysis Title
Paraphrase
Connotation
/Figurative
Attitude
(Tone)
Shifts
Title
Theme
Morgan Blanton Ballad of Birmingham
In this poem, a little girl wants to go downtown to participate in the Freedom
March today. Mom says that she can’t go b/c it is too dangerous for a little
girl. The little girls tells her that she won’t be alone. Other children will be
there to march for freedom. Mom tells her no, that she should go to church
instead. So the little girls gets dressed and goes to church. Her mother
believes that she will be safe. When Mom hears of the explosion, she races
downtown to find her daughter, but all she finds in the piles of rubble is her
daughter’s dress shoe. She wonders where her daughter could be.
“She has combed and brushed her night-dark hair,
And bathed rose petal sweet,
And drawn white gloves on her small brown hands,
And white shoes on her feet.”
The author uses the color “white” to symbolize her innocence. The author
uses imagery to describe the little girl getting ready for church in order to
create a sympathetic mood, through the image of a small, innocent child.
This imagry and symbolism further develops the author’s purpose to inform
and persuade the reader about the terrible events of 1963 through factual and
emotional supporting details within the poem.
The speaker portrays a solemn tone throughout the poem. It is obvious
through the author’s use of imagery and irony that the speaker feels sad as
he reflects on the happenings depicted in the poem. The author uses words
such as “sweet” and “small” to describe the girl. He also uses words such as
“fierce and wild” to describe the conditions at the Freedom March and the
dangers that await the protestors. The author uses point of view (third
person limited) to further portray his attitude toward the topic, by allowing
the reader to gain a glimpse into the mother’s emotional reaction to her
daughter’s questions and to the violent explosion.
“The mother smiled to know her child
Was in the sacred place,
But that smile was the last smile
To come upon her face.”
The author uses the words “sacred place, But” to indicate an ironic shift.
The church is a sacred place, but it becomes the center of despair and
disaster at the end of the poem.
“Ballad of Birmingham”
A ballad is a song that tells a story. This poem tells a solemn and despairing
story marking a dark time in Birmingham’s history.
Parents try to protect their children, but sometimes, even our best efforts
cannot protect them from worldly dangers.