Question

Read the stanzas below from the poem “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall and answer the question that follows.



“Mother dear, may I go downtown
Instead of out to play,
And march the streets of Birmingham
In a Freedom March today?”

“No, baby, no, you may not go,
For the dogs are fierce and wild,
And clubs and hoses, guns and jails
Aren’t good for a little child.”

“But, mother, I won’t be alone.
Other children will go with me,
And march the streets of Birmingham
To make our country free.”

“No, baby, no, you may not go,
For I fear those guns will fire.
But you may go to church instead
And sing in the children’s choir.”



What is ironic about the mother’s wishes?

The protest will be deadly, while the church will be safe.
The daughter doesn’t listen to her mother and goes to the protest.
The daughter has already been to church that morning.
The church will prove just as dangerous as the protest.

Answer 1

According to her mother the church isn't dangerous, but, walking down the streets is dangerous.

Answer 2

Answer :

Cambridge English Dictionary defines 'ironic' as 'interesting, strange, or funny because of being very different from what you would usually expect.'

In the given stanzas from the poem “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall, the following is ironic about the mother's wishes :

The church will prove just as dangerous as the protest.

In the poem, the mother wishes to send her daughter to the church instead of the protest as she believes that she would be safe in the church as compared to the Freedom March. This is because such protests are usually associated with deadly violence inflicted upon the participants. However, the church turns out to be a rallying point for the Civil Rights Movement and is bombed for this reason.