Read the stanzas below from the poem “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall and answer the question that follows. “Mother dear, may I go downtownInstead of out to play,And march the streets of BirminghamIn a Freedom March today?” “No, baby, no, you may not go,For the dogs are fierce and wild,And clubs and hoses, guns and jailsAren’t good for a little child.” “But, mother, I won’t be alone.Other children will go with me,And march the streets of BirminghamTo make our country free.” “No, baby, no, you may not go,For I fear those guns will fire.But you may go to church insteadAnd sing in the children’s choir.” What is ironic about the mother’s wishes?
Answer
A
The protest will be deadly, while the church will be safe.
B
The daughter doesn’t listen to her mother and goes to the protest.
C
The daughter has already been to church that morning.
D
The church will prove just as dangerous as the protest.
Explanation
The mother refuses to let her daughter join the protest because she fears the guns and other dangers. She sends her to church instead, believing it will keep her safe. The irony is that the church also becomes dangerous: in the poem, a bombing there kills the daughter, so the mother’s attempt to protect her fails.
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