English II
Man’s Inhumanity to Man: Searching for Ourselves
Prose vs. Poetry
The Bombing of a Church in Birmingham, Alabama (1963)
This exercise is designed to help us understand the difference between a piece (in this
case a newspaper article about the racially motivated bombing of a church in
Birmingham, Alabama) that intends to convey information and a poem, "The Ballad of
Birmingham," that seeks to involve us in the moment of the tragedy and its immediate
aftermath. Both of these pieces were written about the same event—the 1963
Birmingham, Alabama church bombing that killed six people, including four little girls.
Part I Directions: Read the Washington Post news article. After reading the article,
respond to the following questions.
1. Who is the author’s intended audience and purpose for this article?
2. Is the story told from an objective or subjective point of view? (Remember, a
subjective point of view is a personal view or opinion often with personal bias while
an objective point of view is impersonal and unbiased.)
3. What factual information does the writer give? State at least five facts from the
article. Does the writer generalize about the information surrounding the case, or
does he just give facts?
4. What type of diction does the writer use? Is it literal or figurative? Does the writer
use any imagery? What diction, if any, does the writer use to appeal to the senses of
the reader? (List any imagery used by the author.)
Vickie
C.
Ball,
Harlan
High
School
1
Part II Directions: Read the poem entitled “The Ballad of Birmingham.” After reading
the poem, respond to the following prompts or questions.
1.
Use complete sentences to summarize the poem stanza by stanza.
Stanza One:
Stanza Two:
Stanza Three:
Stanza Four:
Stanza Five:
Stanza Six:
Stanza Seven:
Stanza Eight:
2.
The dialogue in this poem represents the mother and her daughter. How do their
perspectives differ? Are their stances realistic? Explain.
3.
Explain an inference the reader must make about what happens in the plot of the
poem.
4.
This poem is a strong example of situational irony, which is defined as irony
involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was
intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected. What is so ironic
about what happens to the girl?
5.
Identify at least three examples of imagery in the poem.
6.
Identify one example of consonance.
Vickie
C.
Ball,
Harlan
High
School
2
7.
Identify one example of assonance.
8.
Identify one example of alliteration.
9.
Identify the poet’s tone.
10. Define the term ballad.
11. Explain specifically why the poem qualifies as a ballad.
Vickie
C.
Ball,
Harlan
High
School
3