Ballad of Birmingham and Evolution

Wilkinson
English 111
22 July 2013
American-Made Oppression
In “Evolution” by Sherman Alexie and “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall both explain the suffrage and hardships their races had to endure. “Evolution” reveals the pressures that denatured the traditional culture of Native Americans. Where “Ballad of Birmingham” conveys a heartfelt message of a victimized child, whose mother’s efforts are not adequate to protect her child from racist hatred. Although both poems share a central theme of racial oppression and irony, Randall does a better job of conveying his message by creating a rhythmic flow and using simplicity; whereas, Alexie uses a contrasting method of prose and complexity.
Although the poems incorporate different racial groups, both ethnicities are antagonized by Caucasians. “Ballad of Birmingham” takes place during the Civil Rights Movement. During this era African Americans were mistreated, beat, tormented and even killed. The “Ballad of Birmingham” tells a story of a mother who lost her daughter as a result of racial hatred from whites. A similar occurrence happens in “Evolution”, where Native Americans become oppressed by whites. Originally, America was Native American’s homeland; however, white settlers tactically stripped them of their land and slaughtered many of them. “Evolution” tells of a white settler who befriended the Native Americans but used them for his own gain. In both poems they are abused by whites, but Randall’s poem is focused on racial hatred, while Alexie’s is also focused on exploitation. Not only do the whites harass the characters in both poems, but they eventually result in dark ironic deaths. Randall juxtaposes innocence and death by shocking the reader with a sorrowful ending. In his poem he makes the mother very cautious of her daughter’s safety and will not allow the daughter to protest in the freedom march. The mother is frightened at the thought of her daughter going to the freedom march because there will be, “clubs, and hoses, and guns and jails” (line 7 Randall). The only place the mother will allow her daughter to go is church. Churches are considered sanctuaries, they are places free of violence and are where people go to find peace. However, the poem ends with the church being bombed and the daughter being killed. Randall is referring to the 1963 Birmingham Church bombing that killed four children. Randall adds irony to his poem by having the freedom march seem dangerous; but, the church is actually where the violence occurs. Another specific example of irony within the poem is the fact that her mother dresses her in fancy church clothes, white gloves included, the same sort of attire in which one would be buried in.
Alexie distorts his poem by making the character “Buffalo Bill” seem as though he is helping the Native Americans. They all go to this white Buffalo Bill man for business and trade him all of their possessions. Historically, this commonly happened to Native Americans; they gave away their possessions in return for money. Many used this money to pay for the alcohol supplied by whites, eroding the economy of their culture. Alexie adds irony by having Buffalo Bill open a museum of these Native American’s bodies and items and charging their children admission to enter. In the end, Buffalo Bill symbolizes how some whites fostered Native American’s addiction to alcohol in order to make a better profit out of taking all their valuables.
The use of rhyme and repetition in “Ballad of Birmingham” allows Randall to exude an innocent appeal and remind the reader of key concepts in the poem. The use of rhyme is reminiscent of children’s poetry and gives the poem a pleasant tune. By making the poem rhyme it seems as though nothing can go wrong and it is somewhat predictable. However, Randall uses this as a tactic to give the reader a false sense of security, and then unexpectedly twists the poem with the daughter’s death: “Then lifted out a shoe… But baby where are you,” (line 32 Randall). This comes as a shock to the reader because the first impression of the poem is sweet and wholesome. This tactic allows the reader to grasp the change in the tone and recognize Randall’s underlying message of racial unfairness. Another device Randall uses is repetition: “No baby, no, you may not go,” (line 13 Randall). By repeating the phrase the reader can understand the mother’s persistency for her daughter’s safety. It shows that the mother in protective over her daughter and does not want her to get harmed. These literary devices make it easy for the reader to understand the significance of the mother’s concern and recognize the transition of innocence to death.
In order to easily allow the audience to comprehend how African Americans were oppressed, Randall constructs the poem in a very simplistic manner. Randall makes the poem very informative and comprehensible to the audience. The dialogue between the mother and daughter allow the reader to grasp the tension that is happening during this epoch. For example, the daughter asks her mother to, “March the streets of Birmingham…In a Freedom March today?” (Line 4 Randall). Since Randall includes Birmingham and tells that there will be a Freedom March the reader can understand a group of people are being plagued by injustice. The reader can infer that the group is African American because Birmingham is a region where many African Americans lived and fought for their rights. Another source that supports the identification of the group is that the girl’s hair is “night dark” (line 17 Randall) and her hands are “brown” (line 19 Randall). These small details show that there is a movement for rights taking place, and it is for a population of African Americans. The conflict can be seen when the mother rushes after she hears an explosion. After the destruction of the explosion, the mother searches through “glass and brick” (line 29) and finds her daughter’s shoe. These details show that the explosion killed her daughter who was inside the church. From all of these clues, an outsider can understand that there was a bombing in Birmingham that killed a black girl.
Alexie uses a prose like writing style in his poetry to convey his message in a straight forward manner. Prose is a form that rebels from standard poetic form. Instead of using rhyme schemes, meters, repletion and other literary devices, prose sticks to getting the point across in a simple unembellished way. This is beneficial because it doesn’t expend the reader’s energy on literary nuisances and focuses on the Indian’s misfortune. Because the ideas in the poem are complex it allows the audience to focus solely on piecing together the theme of the poem. Alexie also writes in tercets allowing details to stand out. It simplifies the poem so each stanza has a singular idea associated with it.
In order for one to grasp the meaning of “Evolution” Alexie made it complex: it is essential to have outside knowledge in order to understand the storyline. The poem’s main characters are “Buffalo Bill” and the Indians. If one does not understand or know the history behind Buffalo Bill, then they will not thoroughly comprehend the poem’s message. Buffalo Bill had a show called “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” in the 1890s where he showcased a dramatized version of the Wild West, which frequently showed Native Americans as savages. Buffalo Bill is a symbol for white people’s mentality during this era. He was known as a supporter of Native Americans because he provided them with employment and worked closely with them. However, at the same time he deteriorated their native culture by displaying them in his shows as uncivilized and uneducated. Alexie refers to Buffalo Bill as the pawn owner who, “Takes everything the Indians have to offer,” (line 7 Alexie). Buffalo Bill takes their culture, modifies it, and resells it for his own profit. Another detail that may be obscure is that the pawn shop is “right across the border form the liquor store,” (line 2 Alexie). This is a reference to Native Americans being given alcohol in order for whites to negotiate better deals. When the history is known the reader can interpret Alexie’s message. Without this knowledge the audience would be left with the literal representation of a pawn shop, liquor store, and museum; with no conception of the Indian’s manipulation.
Both poets have similar messages that they want to exude but Randall does a better job by captivating the reader with his flow and details. Randall’s work is much less predictable than Alexie’s, making his ending much stronger and more emotional. Alexie’s prose style is closer to bullet points rather than a flowing poem which removes the artistic impact of a poem. Randall’s poems can also be relatable to many people, most parent’s worst fear is losing a child. The fact that the mother did her best to protect her daughter and ensure her safety, yet still loses her is positively horrifying to the audience, giving it the ultimate emotional appeal.